Giants football boss Jason McCartney has blasted Essendon and Adelaide following the conclusion of the trade period, stating both clubs showed little respect in negotiations for two of GWS's young guns.
The Giants endured a busy exchange period this off-season, with the club losing Zac Williams (Carlton) and Aidan Corr (North Melbourne) via free agency and moving on Jeremy Cameron (Geelong), Jye Caldwell (Essendon) and Zac Langdon (West Coast) in trade deals.
Jackson Hately is set to walk to Adelaide via the preseason draft, while the Giants added Fremantle forward Jesse Hogan and Melbourne ruckman Braydon Preuss to their list.
Caldwell had requested a move to the Bombers last month and got his deal done with seconds remaining in the trade period, with McCartney lashing out at Essendon in how they went about their business.
“In isolation (as a deal), I was disappointed in what Essendon Football Club ... you need to be fair and reasonable to try and facilitate a transaction and that was somewhat frustrating, I’ll be honest with that,” McCartney said on the club’s website.
Speaking to The Sydney Morning Herald, McCartney added further comments about the Bombers' dealings.
“The Caldwell one was a millimetre away from not getting done either. That’s Essendon: target a player, high quality, get him in the door, and then not (be) prepared to stump up the price to actually facilitate the deal.”
Hately was seeking a move to the Crows, with the Giants unable to agree to terms with Adelaide in a move for their former first-round selection, who will now join the South Australian club for free.
“We knew there was a threat there of the pre-season draft ... we were honest with Adelaide right from the word go, he was a Pick 14 two years ago, we thought he was a pick in the 18 to 25 region and closer to 25 in all fairness,” he said.
“They weren’t willing to get anywhere near that deal, which was really disappointing considering some of the deals we’ve done with Adelaide over the last two years.
“It was left way too late by Adelaide to facilitate something on the night.”