Day 3 of AFL trade period leaves Crows and Power on hold for key moves with Steven Motlop and Jack Watts

PORT ADELAIDE has less opposition in possible trade for Jack Watts while Gold Coast Suns push Adelaide Crows on Steven Motlop

ONE LESS OPTION. Contracted Melbourne key position player Jack Watts has one less suitor as Geelong admits it is unlikely to work a deal for the 2008 No. 1 draft pick. This puts Port Adelaide in a race with Sydney for his services. Picture: Alex Murray

ADELAIDE is now needing to beat Gold Coast - and the “Gary Ablett” factor - to score Geelong free agent Steven Motlop in the slow-moving AFL trade period.

And Port Adelaide has one less rival in the race for contracted Melbourne key position player Jack Watts with the Cats conceding they are “unlikely” do a deal for the Demon. This trade now seems a race between the Power and Sydney.

On both trade fronts, Port Adelaide is dismissing reports it has increased its offer for Watts - who has two years to serve on a three-season deal - as “100 per cent false”. And the Crows continue to insist they are not trying to lure Motlop with big money, such as a base salary of $550,000.

The Watts trade could become critical in arming Melbourne with new top-order draft picks to complete the demanding trade with Adelaide for uncontracted 21-year-old defender Jake Lever. The Crows continue to expect two first-round draft picks from the Demons - and these calls might be spread across the next two years.

The 11-day trade period reached the end of its third day with no deal in place - putting back on the agenda the question if the process takes too long.

Outside the trade cycle, Brisbane - as expected - finally released restricted free-agent midfielder Tom Rockliff to Port Adelaide.

Brisbane will gain a compensation draft pick - at the end of the first round, currently No. 18 - that could become vital in closing a trade for contracted Crows midfielder-forward Charlie Cameron.

Adelaide last night rejected a Brisbane-Melbourne plan to work a three-club trade with this No. 18 pick and defecting Crows, Charlie Cameron and Jake Lever.

Motlop, 26, is in Darwin considering his options after meeting all his major suitors - the Suns, Crows and Port Adelaide.

The midfielder-forward is now a stronger target with the Suns - and an answer to the difficult trade that allows Brownlow Medallist and Gold Coast captain Ablett to return Geelong, his original club.

Should Motlop choose to use free agency to join Adelaide, Geelong cannot block his move to keep him on the trade table for the Ablett deal. AFL rules forbid a club “matching” an offer to a restricted free agent and then trading that player.

Cats list manager Steven Wells confirmed on AFL trade radio Geelong is open to parcelling Motlop in a trade for Ablett. But he noted there would need to be “co-operation from Gold Coast, Motlop and his management” to close this option.

Motlop has until 4.30pm Sunday to decide if he will make a move from Geelong along the free-agency path - or be involved in the less-certain process of being involved in a trade for Ablett.

This leave Adelaide and Port Adelaide on hold with their trade agenda.

The Power would now seem the prime contender for Watts, the 2008 No. 1 draftee. Geelong’s open admission it cannot close a deal with Melbourne enhances Ken Hinkley’s vision of enhancing his ruck and forward options with Watts.

“We don’t think we’d be able to do that deal,” Wells said of Watts. “So we’re not going to give Jack any false hope or waste anybody’s time.”

Port Adelaide continues to wait on Hawthorn and West Coast to offer draft picks to close trades for contracted forward Jarman Impey and uncontracted midfielder Brendon Ah Chee respectively.

The trade period closes at 1.30pm next Thursday.

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