All Offers Considered

Newcastle just can't seem to offload problem child goalkeeper Liam Reddy. First there was talk about Adelaide pursuing Reddy. Then Newcastle appeared to have clinched a replacement for Reddy in the form Les Pogliacomi, but the former Blackpool number one seems to have declined the offer. Now a proposed swap deal between Reddy and Queensland 'keeper Tom Willis has also fallen through.

Newcastle may have to accept a cut-price offer or unfavourable player exchange if they wish to get rid of Reddy before the start of the season. Regardless of Reddy's ability, his history of punching and stomping antics on the field are clearly not favoured among the coaching fraternity thus it remains to be seen if any other Australian club will want him on any terms. Perhaps they will have to try and sell or loan him out to an overseas club, a tricky challenge considering the player's lack of reputation. The final option available to the Jets is the termination of Reddy's contract, an expensive proposition that will also negatively affect the team's maneuvers under next season's $1.6 million salary cap.

In the meantime, the Jets are said to have shifted their interest to another Australian goalkeeper based overseas, Verona's backup Jess Van Strattan.

Update (Jun-2): Reddy's deal with Queensland has finally gone through due to the departure of Scott Higgins, who is off to trail with Falkirk, ex-teammate Karl Dodd's club. Newcastle has apparently been forced to pony up a substantial portion of Reddy's existing salary (believed to be around $90,000 p.a.) over the next two years as compensation to Queensland. Presumably these payments will have to be recorded under the salary cap as well, so overall it's quite a savage blow to Newcastle. The arrival of Ben Kennedy on the cheap will help matters, and it seems to me that the club is holding out on Les Pogliacomi in the hope of either (a) reducing his asking price (perhaps 100,000 plus), or (b) signing Van Strattan, who is a better long-term prospect. As for Queensland, they now have a similar situation to Melbourne: two decent 'keepers vying for the number one jersey. Miron Bleiberg rotated Tom Willis out of the starting team a couple of times last season, and now that he has Reddy it will be interesting to see what he does. Will he pull an Ernie Merrick and alternate goalkeepers every few games? Or perhaps punching, stomping Reddy will sort matters out with Willis for himself....