With the season over, the hardcore football fans favourite time of the year is about to begin. The trade period provides fans with excitement, hope and optimism for the upcoming season as anyone other than Melbourne fans can begin to forget about the previous year.
The next few weeks will be filled with speculation, rumours, player movement and trade ideas ranging from plausible to downright insane.
Every year there are the big-name players thrown around, who seem to take up most of the conversation this time of the year.
While getting most of the attention and excitement, often it's some of the players that go under the radar in trades and signings that make the biggest impact for their club.
kicks for goal during the AFL Community Series match between the Geelong Cats and the Essendon Bombers at GMHBA Stadium on March 06, 2021 in Geelong, Australia. (Photo by Darrian Traynor/Getty Images)
Last year big-name players such as Jeremy Cameron, Adam Saad, Joe Daniher and Zac Williams were the most discussed free agents and trades. Despite these players changing clubs, it ended up being some of the smaller deals that made the biggest impact on their clubs, however.
Stefan Martin, Mitch Hannan and Ben Brown were all moved on by their previous clubs and ended up playing important roles for grand finalists. Essendon obtained Peter Wright, Nick Hind along with picks 7, 8 and 9 which helped propel them into finals and set them up for years to come.
Adam Cerra, Lachie Neale, Jordan Dawson and Ben King are the current big-name players that have gotten most of the attention so far in the lead up to the trade period.
Instead, we take a look at some of the undervalued or unwanted players that could prove to be a valuable pick up for a team this offseason.
5. Andrew Phillips (Essendon)
Andrew Phillips has become a journeyman over his career, spending time at GWS, Carlton and Essendon. Over this time, he has predominately been a backup ruckman, except during his first season at Carlton in 2016.
He has consistently played close to half-a-dozen games for the past four seasons, including six in 2021.
While not a remarkable player, he is a solid option in the ruck in providing a contest in every game he played.
For the season he averaged 20.5 hit-outs, 10.3 disposals, and nearly four tackles per game. He was above average across the league for hit-outs to advantage and score involvements for a ruckman.
The Bombers were able to win four of the six games that he played in, all against elite ruck competition. Those four wins came against the assignments of Brodie Grundy, Sean Darcy, Todd Goldstein and Nic Natanui.
Those wins showed how Phillips can impact games and mitigate the damage of the opposition ruckman.
Since his last game in Round 12 against Richmond however, Sam Draper has solidified his spot as the number one ruckman for the Bombers. With the club looking to continue to invest in their young ruckman, Phillips might need to look elsewhere for opportunity.
Phillips could be an interesting pickup for rival clubs, likely costing a late draft pick or another out-of-favour player. He is going to be 30-years old in 2022, but Shane Mumford has shown that ruckmen can still be valuable well into their 30s.
