It may have taken a while, but Port Adelaide has finally acquired the piece that is sure to make them a premiership favourite in 2015.
After weeks of playing hardball at the trade table, Essendon finally agreed to a deal to send star ruckman Paddy Ryder to the Power in exchange for picks 17 and 37, soon after flipping No.37 to the Western Bulldogs for former Brownlow medallist Adam Cooney.
An unhappy Ryder had demanded out of Essendon weeks ago in the wake of the ongoing ASADA supplement scandal and was a threat to leave the club with nothing coming back in return had he sought to have had his contract voided by the AFL grievance tribunal.
Port Adelaide coach Ken Hinkley was quick to highlight how complimentary one of the league’s more mobile big men would be to the current Power lineup.
“We think Paddy can really add a lot to our team, both to share the ruck duties and work in tandem with Lobbes (2014 No.1 ruckman Matthew Lobbe) to help out Schulzy (Jay Schulz) and Westy (Justin Westhoff) up forward,” Hinkley said in a statement.
“Paddy is clearly a gifted player and we believe, with the footy environment we’re creating at Alberton, he can take his game to a new level.
2005’s No.7 overall draft pick has played 170 AFL games and kicked 117 goals as a part-time forward. Ryder is coming off a season in which he averaged 12.9 disposals, 26.1 hitouts (seventh in AFL total hitouts) and a goal a game.
Losing Ryder was inevitable, but Essendon was able to turn the situation by adding two experienced bodies to help around the middle of the ground.
The Dons immediately replaced Ryder by trading for out of favour Greater Western Sydney ruckman Jonathan Giles in a trade of draft picks, a third-year mature age recruit who had proved a dependable ruck option during the club’s first two seasons.
Injuries have depleted Cooney to a shell of his former self, however the 2008 Brownlow winner has emerged as a dependable midfield presence, averaging 25 touches a game in 2013 and a shade under 20 per contest last season.
Photo: Scott Barbour/Getty Images
