Lachie Schultz trade to Collingwood Magpies, deal, manager speaks, reason, other clubs interested, latest news

Manager Lachie Schultz has admitted Collingwood had to “overdeliver” to secure the Fremantle arm during the trade window.

Schultz moved from the Dockers to the Magpies in exchange for a future first-round pick and Pick 34 in one of the biggest moves of the trade period that strengthens the premiers’ forward line.

This came as the 25-year-old had 12 months to run on his contract at Fremantle, opting to return to Victoria for family reasons.

Watch every match of the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup live on Kayo Sports. Join Kayo now and start streaming instantly >

Instead of hoping to get Schultz for nothing as a free agent at the end of the 2024 season, Collingwood decided to bring him in after learning of his plans by handing him the jackpot, which some believe is over.

Speaking on AFL Commercial RadioSchult’z manager Jason Dover of TLA noted that the Dockers needed to get something significant in return to complete the deal.

“The first conversation Lachie and I had was, ‘Well, you’re a contract partner and Fremantle should be prepared to do the right thing,'” Dover said.

“But also, if we can’t get a deal done that suits them, he’s under contract and we would honor that contract and he would be gone again, albeit potentially in difficult circumstances.

“We knew Fremantle had to cooperate and then we had a conversation with them to say, ‘What can we do to make this worthwhile?’ (Magpies footy boss) Graham Wright was great and the conversations he and (Dockers list manager) David Walls had from the start were very friendly.

“Collingwood weren’t kidding and they knew they probably needed to do more in terms of bringing commercial assets to Fremantle. I think that’s what allowed the agreement to gain some momentum and ultimately become an agreement.

“If we hadn’t been realistic from the start and knew we had to provide too many commercial assets to Fremantle, we probably wouldn’t have had a hearing.”

Although the loss of Schultz, who finished sixth in Freo’s best and fairest this year and was their second top scorer with a career-best 33 goals, as well as Liam Henry leaves huge voids at the Dockers , the club is now armed with a huge entry into next year’s draft, including holding three first-round picks.

Dover said Fremantle, over the past 12 months, was aware of Schultz’s desire to get Victoria back when he was next out of contract for personal reasons, with the forward being from Moama.

And so a trade at least guaranteed the Dockers that they could at least get something in return.

“There were personal and family reasons behind it. I won’t go into the exact details because I don’t think it’s appropriate, but (Fremantle) was aware for at least 12 months that there were underlying issues,” Dover added.

“Ultimately, coming back at the end of the season and spending time there with his family and his girlfriend, I think the bonds at home got even stronger. They realized that if they could achieve it now, it was probably a good time to try to do it rather than waiting 12 months.

“That’s when we went to Fremantle and had the conversation and said, ‘If there’s anything we can do now to give you better value than you would get in 12 months as a free agent, is that something you would consider?’ and consider doing with us?’

The Magpies rookie manager also revealed they had held discussions with “four or five” other clubs as well as inquiries from two non-Victorian teams interested in Schultz during the season.

But Collingwood emerged as favorites after the grand final after it became clear the club was prepared to embark on a trade.

“Lachie had a contract that had a trigger for next year and he hit it about seven or eight games into the season,” Dover said.

“Along the way, clubs knew he could either come out of his contract or have that trigger… he had a real desire to stay at Fremantle if we could make things work.

“Collingwood came into the room very late. After the grand final, Graham Wright and I had a chat. We had been in contact along the way, but it really started to seem like this was something they could do.

“They felt like they had the assets they could bring to the trade table with Fremantle and that accelerated quite quickly at the end of the week before the trade period and then over the course of that weekend.

“We ended up getting in touch with Fremantle on Monday to broach the subject and see if it was something we could entertain.”