Bryce Gibbs open to move to Adelaide but potential deal might hinge on Giant Matthew Kennedy

ADELAIDE and Carlton can deny it until the Crows come home, but the subject of Bryce Gibbs’ future is again on the table, with the Blues midfielder open to a return to his home state.

Bryce Gibbs could still return to Adelaide. Picture: AAP

ADELAIDE and Carlton can deny it until the Crows come home, but the subject of Bryce Gibbs’ future is again on the table.

Gibbs, 28, remains open to a return to his native Adelaide, although he isn’t prepared to go through the public and drawn-out negotiations of last year that saw the Crows refusing to meet Carlton’s demand for two first-round draft picks.

LIVE: DAY 9 OF TRADE ACTION

ENOUGH! HOW TO STOP THE ‘GO-HOME’ FACTOR

A season on, one in which Adelaide’s midfield was at least one quality player short when it mattered most, and the deal remains alive for a player who has two years of a five-season contract remaining.

Could Bryce Gibbs become a Crow yet? Picture: AAP

Given the impasse that exists between Adelaide and Carlton when it comes to talking turkey, might we see a third party emerge in the form of GWS 188cm midfielder Matthew Kennedy?

Should the Gibbs deal get done, it will represent the biggest about-face in Trade Week’s short history, given both Adelaide and Carlton have publicly declared they aren’t up for the deal.

“I think we have moved past that. Bryce is a contracted player so, respectfully, I think he’s happy where he is so we will move on,” said Adelaide list manager Justin Reid on October 8.

And then there was Carlton list manager Stephen Silvagni earlier this week: “We’re not trading Bryce, he’s got two years left on his contract. That’s where it sits.”

Sounds conclusive, doesn’t it? But the wind can change quickly at Trade Week and it might just blow harder than most expect when play starts today.

Carlton says Gibbs is going nowhere. Pic: Michael Klein

Giant Matthew Kennedy could be a third party involved in any deal. Picture: AAP

If it again becomes messy then both clubs will quickly withdraw before it becomes too public, and Gibbs will go back to playing solid football as he has largely done since being taken with Pick 1 in the 2006 National Draft.

The fact that Hawthorn prematurely ended the brown and gold careers of Sam Mitchell and Jordan Lewis has set a benchmark for 17 other clubs that says it’s all about preparing for the next premiership tilt.

And right now, as much loved as Mitchell and Lewis were and are, most Hawk fans would agree it was the right move, despite the hysterical outrage from some quarters at the time. Carlton fans might have to get their heads around the same type of thinking.

Originally published as Bryce Gibbs open to move to Adelaide but potential deal might hinge on Giant Matthew Kennedy