Jed Lamb will be leaving the Swans' dressing rooms. Source: Getty Images
THE Swans may have pinched Lance Franklin off GWS but the Giants are doing their best to have the last word in the argument with young gun Jed Lamb joining premiership ruckman Shane Mumford at Skoda Stadium on a three year deal worth close to a million dollars.
But the Giants raid on their cross town rivals won’t stop there, out of contract Andrejs Everitt is the next Swan in their sights.
Everitt wants to stay at the SCG but is yet to receive an offer from the Swans, Lamb’s decision to move on will allow Sydney to make bid to retain Everitt.
“Andrejs has a lot to think about,” Everitt’s manager Winston Rous from Phoenix Management told the Daily Telegraph.
“He has a number of options to consider including staying in Sydney.”
"Jed Lamb is a very impressive young player who we hope will be able to play a variety of roles at the Giants. He is highly rated, can kick goals and will be a great fit for our list," GWS list Manager Stephen Silvagni said.
"He has had three years in the AFL system in Sydney and has shown he has what it takes to succeed at the elite level and will have a long career ahead of him."
But what the Swans gain in compensation for the trade is still to be determined.
Lamb had to do plenty of thinking himself in recent days but not when it came to the dollars involved.
The Giants three year offer almost trebled what the Swans put on the table for the 20 year old who played 12 matches this season in his debut year.
“It was a difficult thing to leave the Swans,” Lamb told the Daily Telegraph.
“There are definitely more chances to play senior football at the Giants and they are a team on the move.
“They’ve drafted so much talent it’s only a matter of time before they fire.”
The Swans offered a two-year extension to Lamb’s contract early in the year, but the number 21 draft pick chose to wait till the end of this season before he made a decision on his future.
Lamb met with GWS coach Leon Cameron last week and spoke to Swans officials on Monday.
Sydney did not attempt to match the offer made by the Giants.
“It was pretty hard I’ve got so many good mates at the Swans and they have been so good to me over the last three years.
“Gary Rohan is my best mate so that was hard to tell him, he was shocked.
“He was the first team mate I told, they were happy for me.”
The Swans have now lost Mumford, Lamb and Jesse White as a result of the Franklin deal and could lose Everitt.
Missing out on Franklin may have been a blessing in disguise for the Giants who have now been able to spread their salary cap space over a range of players and address key problems of ruck and defence.
While Franklin would have helped the marketing department the Giants football department now have a spread of players in their prime. Mumford and Shaw are 27, Lamb is 20 and Everitt (should he move to the Giants) is 25.
If next year’s the round one contest between the Swans and Giants wasn’t a sellout already it will be now with the first appearance of Franklin in a Swans colours now with a host of support acts.
Shane Mumford v Mike Pyke, Heath Shaw v Rhyce Shaw and Jed Lamb v Gary Rohan.
In other moves Giants youngsters Shaun Edwards and Kurt Aylett are off to Essendon for pick number 48.
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