Logan Morris contract offers from rival clubs, after Nate Caddy extends contract at Essendon
Logan Morris wasn’t too tall for a power forward. Neither was Nate Caddy, who was fast and obviously athletic. When they were drafted, Caddy’s ceiling was rated higher by recruiters and as a result he was selected 10th overall by Essendon.
Morris, who was 191 centimeters tall in the draft year, had to wait for the 31st place before his name was mentioned. His 118 goals in 60 appearances showed that Logan, like Fremantle’s key striker Josh Treacy, should have been brought on much sooner. Clubs like Collingwood, who missed him, have been devastated by the omission ever since.
Caddy has signed a significant three-year contract extension that will tie him to Essendon for the duration of the club’s rebuild, until the end of 2031.
The total rebuilding, carried out deliberately by Richmond and (at first) less deliberately by Essendon, takes around seven or eight years (defined as the period in which there are few senior players providing the scaffolding or foundation).
Based on history, it could be argued that Caddy’s contractual commitment to Essendon would cover the approximate time the Bombers would need to become a viable flag contender if they recruited and retained the right players at the right prices.
Morris’s career, by contrast, has been extraordinarily fortunate in terms of team success. He was selected to a club already full of senior players and a host of talented young footballers supporting Lachie Neale, Harris Andrews, Hugh McCluggage and company.
While Caddy featured Isaac Kako and little else, Morris shared the forward line with Charlie Cameron, Zac Bailey, Cameron Rayner and Kai Lohmann. He was initially a hindrance for Joe Daniher. There was plenty of material and the ball was not hit above his head or around his ankles.
It’s fair to wonder how Morris would have performed at Essendon and what the Caddy might have done if the football gods had consigned him to the Lions’ den rather than landing in the Hangar – his disappointments with his team’s struggles are on record.
One of the interesting developments for talented young players in the AFL in the 2020s is that they will be paid more if they move to a lower-tier club, and there is a balance between success and pay.
Caddy is likely to become Essendon’s highest-paid player over the next two years. This article won’t pretend we know what he’ll get after this three-year extension, but given the bargaining power he has with Zach Merrett and Jordan Ridley looking back on the exit ramp after one win in 29 games, it would be surprising if he wasn’t paid in the low millions, somewhere between $1.1 and $1.3 million.
In a sense, Caddy gets paid extra for having to endure the hardship of spending the first part of his career on a losing team. Caddy’s signing is a credit to chairman Andrew Welsh’s persuasive salesmanship, as the roster rebuild is only half complete and they don’t have a coach yet (as far as we know).
This brings us to his draft counterpart, Morris, whose stature in the game has risen due to his luck being selected for the right club at the right time. Two seasons have been completed for two flags and are continuing.
Morris is already the target of wild and persistent contract speculation because he is a) young and talented and b) not tied to overly long, risky deals. His contract expires next year and there is no need to rush for his next one.
The Lions say he is happy at the club; As you will be too. His sister lives around Byron Bay, his parents frequently travel to matches and there is no reason to suggest the Werribee lad makes a move to Victoria or any other club.
But like Bailey and a dozen or more Geelong players from the (Cameron) Ling dynasty (2007-11), his choice to stay will come at a financial cost because there will be some enormous and truly stupid offers coming if he stays honest.
Morris and Caddy remind us that some players exceed their physical size, that you do not need to be 195-200 centimeters to play as a forward, but you should not be deployed as giants in the forward line, like Tom Lynch or Tom Hawkins, who are almost the size of a back.
Lions coach Chris Fagan likened Morris to Richmond great Jack Riewoldt, and it’s an apt comparison. According to Fagan’s description, Morris (currently estimated at 192-193 cm) is not as tall as modern tall forwards, but he reads the ball perfectly in flight and, unlike a pure athlete, is a real footballer who knows how to position himself in a competition.
Fagan also states that it marks the highest point. The Lions say Morris recovered quickly after a marking contest, another aspect of the game he shares with Riewoldt.
It’s always fascinating to watch a young player like Morris surpass what pundits thought was possible, to see how his career develops and the choices he wants to make in a fluid player market.
He’ll be rich enough if he sticks with the Lions, richer still if he chooses another postcode and club.
Unlike Essendon’s Caddy, he is unlikely to receive a financially irresistible offer from the club that birthed his AFL career.
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Jake Niall is a Walkley-winning sports journalist and The Age’s chief AFL writer.Connect with: X or email.
