When is a profit really a loss? When you sell your home game and play in Cairns. | ANALYSIS by Michael Gleeson
For the second time in two years, St Kilda pocketed a handy few dollars and again lost on their tropical sojourn.Both games they should have won. Beggars can’t be choosers and St Kilda are one of the AFL’s mendicant clubs, heavily reliant on AFL distributions. They still have a big debt – last year they cut the debt by $4.26 million but they still owe $9.5 million because of the Seaford folly – so they need cash where they can get it.
If you asked the football department where they would rather play the home game, what do you think the answer would be? Hint: Not Cairns. Is there a better moneyball selection in the AFL this year than Levi Casboult? For the size of the return on the cost of investment, there could be no better recruit out of last year’s drafting and trading of players.How many clubs are crying out for a key forward who can clunk a mark like Casboult? Sure, at his age, it is not a long-term move. But he is an elite mark and, yes is a fluky kick for goal, but it has improved.
Brody Mihocek and Sam Collins, both recruited as full-backs out of the VFL: Collins had been drafted to Freo, was cut, went back to the VFL and was then recycled by the Suns. He has held down full-back for several years. Clubs would give up a considerable amount in a trade and a contract for a player like him now. Ditto Mihocek. He has been Collingwood’s leading goal-kicker the last two years and has become their prime forward target.