Greater Western Sydney value in = 2460 points – Pick 10 (1230 points), Pick 43 (750 points) and Pick 63 (480 points).
Melbourne value in = 2873 points – Tomas Bugg (1473 points) and pick 7 (1400 points).
Verdict – Fair trade (Melbourne gains 413 points of pick and player value, or 1.17 points back for every point given up).
For no rational reason, Tommy Bugg was one of my favourite Giants players to watch in their inaugural season. Deployed as nearly a Swiss Army knife, he ended up doing a bit of everything for that overmatched, hodgepodge squad. Perhaps more impressively, he wasn’t a name that was floating around as a “talent to watch”, instead emerging from the depths of that enormous list.
He played a lot of games for a gradually developing Giants side, and got better as the players around him improved. On paper, he could be a replacement for what Daniel Cross provided to Melbourne last season, although with less “grit”.
This trade also sees Melbourne swapping a number of picks, including pick 10, for the Giants’ pick 7. The Giants need all the Academy points they can get to match their highly rated crop of talent. As a result, this trade really works for both parties.