Former Premiership Eagle Peter Sumich has criticised West Coast’s decision to trade pick three to Carlton, declaring it ‘the worst deal’ he’d seen. 

On Tuesday, West Coast, Carlton and Richmond signed off on a deal which saw premiership Tiger Liam Baker and Carlton forward Matthew Owies head to the west, with West Coast giving up pick 3. 

Cartlon, along with pick 3, also received West Coast’s picks 63 and 68, while Richmond exchanged pick 14 for Baker. West Coast now holds picks 12, 26 and 73 in next month’s National Draft,

This three-club deal comes after the proposed Tom Barrass trade came to a halt on Friday after Hawthorn traded pick 14 – the pick many expected to get the trade done, to Carlton.

However, West Coast’s decision to part with pick 3 was met with widespread criticism and outrage from the football community and fans alike. 

Speaking on SportFM on Wednesday morning, Sumich called West Coast’s decision ‘shocking’. 

“It was the worst deal I’ve seen for a long time. They threw in Owies as steak knives, to give up pick three for twelve and fourteen and then offload fourteen for Baker,” he said. 

“At the end of the day, Baker, in my opinion is between 20 and 30 picks. They should have done something to get around the eighteen, nineteen, twenty, twenty-one pick there and then offload it for Baker.

“This is where I’m worried about the Richmond connection, especially with the list manager and all that. I just don’t know why they’ve gone down this path. 

“They’re missing out on the young kids at pick three, which will probably maybe go to pick four anyway. They’re going to miss out on a Bo Allan and all these other kids which I think is a disgrace.

“I don’t know where they’re going with all this and they’re trying to build the club. That’s where I see it. I think it’s a bad deal and not the deal I would expect as a West Coast member.” 

West Coast’s decision to swap pick three has been linked to their interest in luring Sydney star Chad Warner back to WA once his contract expires. 

However, it has widely been accepted this year’s draft may a super draft, with experts and recruiters claiming it runs deeper than past years. 

Much of the criticism surrounding trading pick 3 comes from concerns West Coast – who are rebuilding and now will not get the access to a top three pick which is vital to a rebuild. 

Sumich also believes a top three pick could be an important factor in keeping Eagles’ young superstar Harley Reid’ interest in the long term, and that Warner should not be a focus this year.

“I don’t like what went on there giving up your pick three when you want to keep Harley Reid,” he said. 

“I’m not looking to what’s going to happen next year in the sense of is Chad Warner going to come home and all this let’s not worry about that. Let’s worry about  you’re going to have Harley Reid. 

“You’re going to get this one of these really really good kids inside mids and Harley Reid’s going to go ‘you beauty I’ve got another one with me,’ then manufacture what you can next year at the end of next year to get maybe a Chad Warner. 

“Straight away they’re blowing it. With West Coast I’m just a bit dumbfounded with what’s going on here, not for me doing what they did.” 

With the deadline approaching, West Coast and Hawthorn will look to get a trade deal done after Tom Barrass’ trade deal was put on hold. 

Hawthorn traded pick 14 to Carlton on Friday afternoon which threw a spanner in the works for West Coast and by extension, Richmond and Liam Baker. 

Sumich is confident West Coast gets the deal done. 

“It’s all a theatre, isn’t it? The AFL loved the theatre of the last three hours on TV, and they’ve got to have a few things up their sleeves,” he said. 

“That’s going to happen, and so they always leave two or three, four deals right to the desk. The Barrass deal will get done somehow, no doubt. It’s funny how this pick 14’s just been thrown around everywhere, hasn’t it?”

IMAGE: Code Sports