Ex-Collingwood recruiter Matt Rendell has made a bold trade suggestion for his former club: trade Brodie Grundy and pursue free agent Giant Jeremy Cameron.
Grundy is locked in at the Pies until the end of 2027 after signing a monster seven-year $7 million dollar contract extension in January.
However, Rendell believes that the Magpies should be aggressively exploring ways to get in the market for a key forward of Cameron's ilk, even if it means moving Grundy.
Speaking onย SEN Breakfast,ย the long-time Pies recruited outlined his bombshell trade scenario, which would also see Darcy Moore play in the ruck and Mason Cox moved to the Bulldogs.
โI donโt know if (Collingwood) is in the hunt (for Jeremy Cameron), but they should be,โ Rendell said.
โThey should be into him, but how do they fit him in? Iโve got a little bit of a plan and I say it with a heavy heart, but I would be trading Brodie Grundy to Sydney if I could.
โItโs a good fit for the Swans, they need a ruckman badly. I know what youโre thinking, who is (Collingwood) going to play in the ruck, but Iโd play Darcy Moore in the ruck.
โHe will win a Brownlow if he plays in the ruck and changing with Mason Cox forward.
โBut if they get Jeremy Cameron, Iโd be sending Cox to the Western Bulldogs, theyโre desperate for a key forward and a ruckman, he can ruck with Tim English.
โI would be playing Moore in the ruck and changing him with Cox if the Jeremy Cameron stuff doesnโt pay off. I know thatโs a big call, but I think thatโs how you get the deal done and how you get money in your cap.โ
Rendell added that he believes the Sydney lifestyle would suit Grundy more than the bright lights of Melbourne.
โI know (they just gave Grundy a seven-year deal), but I think itโs a better fit for him,โ he said.
โHe loves his study, heโs not a footy-head. I reckon Sydney would suit his lifestyle and theyโre desperate for a ruckman.
โThey can give up pick four. I think Brodie might be interested in it and I reckon Collingwood would be interested in it, as long as they knew they could get Cameron with that cap space.
โThe other thing is I did a study on the rucks for them this time last year because we didnโt know if Brodie was going to stay or go and I gave them a replacement for Grundy and I told them to go chase Sam Hayes at Port Adelaide.
โHeโs ready to go coming off a knee. I saw him play at the end of last year, he was very, very good. He plays similar to Brodie, but heโs third in line behind Scott Lycett and Peter Ladhams at Port Adelaide.
โI reckon he would be gettable with one year left on his contract.โ
Former Collingwood recruiter Matty Rendell tells SEN his old club should trade Brodie Grundy to Sydney for pick 4, use that cap space to sign Jeremy Cameron, shift Darcy Moore to the ruck and poach Robbie Tarrant to hold up the defence while Will Kelly and Mark Keane come on.
— Sam Landsberger ๐ฏ (@SamLandsberger) October 14, 2020
With Moore's move to the ruck leaving a void in defence, Rendell believes Will Kelly and Mark Keane could flourish down back and identified Roo Robbie Tarrant as another target.
โIt means you are going to be short in defence. But I would be playing Kelly and Keane,โ he said.
โKelly is a very good defender and so is Mark Keane. I could go and see Robbie Tarrant, for a couple of years to hold up the defence while we change that around.
โIโm not saying itโs happening, but itโs what I would do to fix things with the salary cap.โ
Grundy averaged 14.4 disposals and 31.4 hitouts from 19 games in 2020, finishing seventh in the Pies' best and fairest.
