Until about 6pm AEST, things were normal. Life was good. The weekend was thriving and Fremantle were enjoying their huge win over an underperforming Port Adelaide. But then disaster struck - two Freo players, Palmer and Barlow, ran towards the forward-50 arc with arms outstretched, eyes on a ball they each thought they could mark… But suddenly the flowers all wilted, fairies died, the sun went down and over 160,000 DT coaches shed a tear as Barlow had his left leg pushed from underneath him, snapping both his tibia and fibula in the process. Barlow’s season ends, and now we look to trade the good man out.

Theatrics aside, Barlow’s debut season has been a masterpiece - it has been the greatest DT rise in the history of dream team - Better than Rich, Trengove, Priddis, Sidebottom, Riewoldt, Hodge, Judd, Anthony and all others before him… The kid has been a superstar, and not only should we thank him for his ultra impressive high scoring, his consistency, his legacy… but also the fact he left behind him an impressive pot of money – $454,600 to be exact. So this week at Footy Tragic is going to be Barlow week – for the next three days, each Footy Tragic contributor will write up an article with suggestions for the forthcoming trade, arguably the biggest of the season. It is likely that many coaches will ponder the different theories behind the trade, so today my article will contain trade advice, proposing to you how best to deal with the situation. Tomorrow, Dan will look at the premium mids who have been the cream of the crop all year, analysing who will be the best pick for your team. Wednesday, Ben will look at the less selected players who may have slipped below everyone else’s radars, for those coaches looking for a slightly alternative selection. So good luck, and happy trading!

As stated above, I will focus my following article on the tactics involved with a trade at this point of the game. Firstly, I should make a point – regardless of whether you have one trade or ten trades left, I am of the opinion that you should be making a trade.

Rule #1: Trade – No matter what.

Barlow is the 6th most expensive player in the competition at the moment, and these are the kinds of players you need to burn a trade on. Essentially, even with just $5,000 in the bank you could trade to anyone except Goddard or Swan, meaning the points gain between a rookie (who may come in off your bench) and one of the many elite midfielders you could choose from is massive. There is NO POINT putting Barlow on your bench and playing a rookie, even if it is a relatively consistent player such as Trengove or Martin. The average gain between these players and someone such as Ablett, Chapman or Montagna is around 50-60 points – easily enough to be the difference between winning and losing your finals.

ADELAIDE, AUSTRALIA - JUNE 05: Michael Barlow of the Dockers passes the ball during the round 11 AFL match between the Adelaide Crows and the Fremantle Dockers at AAMI Stadium on June 5, 2010 in Adelaide, Australia. (Photo by Morne de Klerk/Getty Images)

I feel like a lot of this article is going to be based around what NOT to do, rather than what to do with this trade, but I think that this is due to there being plenty of traps when it comes to trading such a player. For much of the year, our aim has been to target cheaper players, players on the rise whom we can bring into our team, nurture and sell for a profit. However, at this stage of the game, with finals only four weeks away, the aim is now to load up on as many elite players as possible – not to make money. I worry that plenty of coaches will start their searches around the expensive end, then as they pan down the list may begin to find some players considered more a ‘bargain’ than those priced similar to Barlow. Don’t get sucked in, whatever you do! They may be a bargain at $350,000, but in reality, you are probably only buying a player worth no more than $400,000. This to me is stupid when you could quite easily bring an elite player (top 5-10 in the competition) straight into your team. A move like this could quite easily cost you in excess of 20 points a week.

Rule #2: Don’t trade for the sake of a ‘Bargain.’

This brings me straight to my third rule:

Rule #3: At this time of year, breakeven’s are irrelevant!

Who cares about trading in an elite player with a high breakeven if you KNOW they are on the up? Players like Chapman, Ablett, Hodge and Murphy all have somewhat unreachable breakevens, but this in no way means you should wait for them to drop! What’s the point of costing yourself in excess of 100 points just so you can save $10-$30k? No point – exactly. If you can find a reason for that odd game that has sunken their price, then I wouldn’t hesitate to bring them into my team.

This next rule is an obvious one, but it applies now more than ever;

Rule #4: Inspect thoroughly before purchase.

The last thing you want to do is have to trade this player out of your team again in two or three weeks because he has been carrying an injury. Do your research on the players all the way up to an hour before lockout – find the forums for your chosen player’s club and investigate for any evidence or rumour that may suggest he is carrying an injury. Looking at Montagna or Goddard? Visit www.saintsational.com. Looking at Chapman or Ablett? Go to the Cats board on www.bigfooty.com, etc. These forums are free to view and filled with so many club supporters happy to discuss their players (Don’t start threads titled “Is player X injured?” though or you may find your question unanswered). You would be thorough if buying a car or house – the same diligence should be used for your dream team!

This time of year, some teams may begin to rest players, and more often then not, these players are in teams out of finals calculation.

Rule #5: Don’t buy from the bottom 8.

Whilst Scott Thompson, Brad Green or Boomer Harvey may be in great form, the slightest injury concern will likely see them rested. They have nothing left to play for, so their clubs aren’t about to risk a significant injury to any key personnel. Make this rule a constant one for all remaining trades, except for perhaps rookies, as the last thing you want is to discover an article on Friday titled “Cox to sit out season with ankle injury.” Don’t scoff – it may happen.

The number one player in the league at the moment is Dane Swan, and quite possibly he will be out of the reach of many teams, sitting at $57,500 more expensive than Barlow. Whilst theoretically Swan may be the best pickup if you don’t already have him, I believe a double trade is not worth it.

Rule #6: Do not use a double trade to pick up a more expensive midfielder.

When you could quite easily afford players like Montagna, Ablett, Chapman or Boyd, I don’t believe players like Swan or Goddard are worth two trades, especially this time of year.

Perhaps the only time I could condone a double trade would be if you are also looking at upgrading in another position on the ground. Say, for example, you are also short a forward (e.g. Brown is your seventh forward), you could use Barlow’s huge price as leverage to also afford a better quality forward than what Brown’s price may otherwise allow you. One theory I have toyed with, which may be of interest to others, is upgrading Brown to Chapman by trading Barlow to a more mid-priced midfielder. Whilst this goes against plenty of my rules, in theory you are still trading in a top-line midfielder in Chapman, but just in a different spot. Also, arguably, mid-priced midfielders should score better than mid-priced forward, although most midfielders around the $300k mark are probably not going to help your team substantially. This theory would only work if you had enough money in the bank (Approx. $50k) to bring in a midfielder such as Stanton, McVeigh (Sydney), Cassissi or Carrazzo.

Rule #7: Don’t rob Peter to pay Paul

There is no point bringing in an elite forward (or any other position for that matter) if you are just going to fill the midfield spot with rubbish so that you can afford it. The theory can only work if both sides are allotted strong players. So, only attempt this discussed double trade if your finances allow you to bring in TWO premium players, not one and a half!

Rule #8: Press your own trade button.

Think it through, make up your own mind, and when you have decided, press ‘trade.’ At the end of the day, this game should be played on your own terms and you need to be happy with your own selections – don’t let someone else convince you into a trade you may regret, as once that button is clicked, Barlow is gone and there is no turning back.

So I think I have probably made it pretty clear of my suggestions. Personally, I am trading Barlow to Montagna, but am looking forward to hear the cases for plenty of other players over the next couple of days. Best of luck to you for what may prove to be the biggest trade of the season – and as usual, feel free to discuss your own dilemmas or theories below, hopefully we at Footy Tragic or one of your fellow posters can help you come to the correct conclusion.