AFL trades: Essendon chasing Sam Powell-Pepper; Eagles duo remain in limbo
Essendon has turned to Port in its bid to secure an inside midfielder. Plus the future of two premiership Eagles remains unknown.
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Essendon has turned to Port Adelaide in its bid to secure an inside midfielder.
Plus the futures of two premiership Eagles remain unknown.
BOMBERS CHASING PORT MID
Essendon is chasing Port Adelaide midfielder Sam Powell-Pepper, reports 7 News Melbourne.
Powell-Pepper, taken with Pick 18 in the 2016 draft, is contracted to the Power until the end of the 2020 season.
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But there’s been ample speculation the 21-year-old has attracted interest from rival clubs and the Power would be open to trading him for the right deal.
Powell-Pepper, a WA product, has been linked to a move home, in particular. But Channel 7 on Wednesday night reported Essendon was chasing Powell-Pepper in a bid to boost its inside midfield stocks.
The worst finalist for clearance differential (-0.1), the Bombers are keen to add some grunt to their on-ball brigade, which Powell-Pepper would provide. He was ranked third at the Power this season for tackles (4.8), but fifth for metres gained (351.7) to prove his explosiveness out of stoppages.
Power great Kane Cornes last month urged his former club to explore trading Powell-Pepper.
“He is the one player I would absolutely put on the trade table and I’d make that a priority. He’s contracted, got a year to go, but he’s got some attributes that are welcome at AFL level,” Cornes told SEN SA Breakfast.
“He’s aggressive, he finds enough of the ball, he’s a great tackler, his ball use lets him down, but with the midfield mix I would explore.”
Powell-Pepper played all 22 games in his debut 2017 season, earning a Rising Star nomination in his first game and finishing third in the award’s count at the end of the year.
However he was suspended by the Power in 2018 after inappropriately touching a woman while drunk in an Adelaide bar, while he was also dropped to the SANFL during the 2019 season.
EAGLES DUO IN LIMBO
The future of premiership Eagles Chris Masten and Will Schofield have been told they’re free to explore their trade options with their West Coast futures set to only become clearer after the club’s 2019 campaign ends, reports AFL Media.
Masten and Schofield were integral members of West Coast’s 2018 premiership side, but both players have spent some time in the WAFL this season.
Both 30-year-old players are unrestricted free agents at season’s end.
AFL Media reported on Wednesday that Schofield and Masten could be offered one-year deals, but the Eagles have also given them the green light to suss out rival clubs — if they want — if they believe their futures aren’t at the Eagles.
The duo both featured in the recent elimination final win over Essendon at Optus Stadium, with Masten finishing with 21 disposals and eight marks while Schofield stood tall on the last line of defence.
Masten, Pick 3 in the 2007 draft, has played just 16 games for the Eagles in 2019, while Schofield has only managed 13.
West Coast faces Geelong in a semi-final clash at the MCG on Friday night.