All the trade news and moves for the SA AFL clubs Adelaide Crows and Port Adelaide this trade period
Port Adelaide has told Dougal Howard get ready to stay at the club despite his wishes to go to St Kilda. Plus the latest on Eddie Betts, Alex Keath and more SA AFL trade news and moves.
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PORT Adelaide has told Dougal Howard be ready to report to Alberton for pre-season, despite the key swingman telling the club he would like to join St Kilda if a trade can be brokered.
And while a deal for Eddie Betts to return to Carlton is complete, and will be announced either this weekend or on Monday, Adelaide Crows list manager Justin Reid says a trade for Alex Keath to go to the Western Bulldogs is not close “at all”.
Howard has indicated to Port that he would like to go to the Saints if a move can be facilitated between the two clubs after weeks weighing up his future.
This came after Port list manager Jason Cripps gave Howard’s manager Dave Trotter gentle encouragement to look at what interest might be out there from other AFL clubs in the wake of his exit interview at Alberton.
But Port have signalled it will expect a significant bounty to entertain the thought of the 23-year-old leaving Alberton.
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On Friday Power general manager of football Chris Davies said he had told Howard there was every chance he would remain a Port player after the trade period deadline on Wednesday.
“he’s a contracted player that we value so unless there is a offer for our club that is commensurate with what we think is number one Dougal’s ability, and number two what he’s been offered by another club the reality is he is staying at Port Adelaide,” Davies said on AFL Trade Radio.
“And the conversation I had with Dougal a couple of days ago was exactly that.
“(I said to him) “you need to be aware the most likely outcome here is that you are going to be with Port Adelaide next year”.”
Davies also said Port at “various points in time” thought Orazio Fantasia was going to ask for a trade back to South Australia, hours after Cripps said the club never met with the Essendon forward nor made any pitch to him.
While not announced yet, The Advertiser understands a deal to bring Betts back to Carlton is done.
It is set to be announced either over the weekend or on Monday.
The Crows may now not get Carlton’s pick 48, as previously thought this week, but will clear significant room from their salary cap to help the rebuild of the Adelaide playing list.
While a deal for Betts has been thrashed out, the Crows and Western Bulldogs look to be at loggerheads over a potential trade for Alex Keath.
Keath has nominated the Bulldogs, where he will get a three-year deal with a trigger for a fourth, as where he wants to play in 2020 after spurning the Crows’ two-year offer.
But with just four-days to go of this year’s Trade Period, the Crows list manager Justin Reid said a deal for Keath to move to the Dogs wasn’t close.
“I haven’t heard from them (the Bulldogs), that’s probably why,” he said on Friday.
Keath’s camp is also unsure as to where the trade is at.
Earlier this week Reid said there had been “a little bit of posturing” around Keath having to have surgery on the injury that kept him out of much of the Crows’ run home in 2019 at the Bulldogs insistence.
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The Bulldogs could use Keath’s surgery as a way to drive down the price for the 27-year-old key defender.
The Crows have maintained confidence that a deal for Keath will be struck up before Wednesday’s trade deadline despite the start to the trade period.
The tension between the two camps emerged at a PwC and Connor Sports Management trade breakfast in Melbourne, where Reid was one of eight list managers speaking.
A Bulldogs representative took issue with Reid saying Keath was a contracted player at the Crows until October 31, interjecting that was the first time they had heard Reid say that.
Sam Jacobs to GWS is now being facilitated through a trade, with the Giants not willing to dilute the compensation it received from losing Adam Tomlinson to Melbourne.