Chad Wingard’s trade from Port Adelaide to Hawthorn destined for dramatic plays to Wednesday’s deadline
PORT Adelaide is closer to accepting Hawthorn defender Ryan Burton in a trade for Chad Wingard, but the deal is still working against the trade deadline on Wednesday night.
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CHAD Wingard’s trade to Hawthorn is a step closer with Port Adelaide prepared to progress the deal with contracted Hawks defender Ryan Burton.
But even with the medical and character tests finished across two contintents on Monday night, there are at least three significant steps still to be completed on the clock to the primetime 8pm close to the AFL trade period on Wednesday.
BURTON has a greater understanding of why he was served up by Hawthorn along with a first-round draft pick (currently 15). His next task is to revisit his current contract that expires at the end of 2020 — and seek an extension with the Power to perhaps 2022.
KEN Hinkley, who is overseas on a personal development course, is still to interview 21-year-old Burton.
HAWTHORN needs to deal with the significant fan backlash towards Burton being trade bait — and the challenge of closing other contentious trades for Greater Western Sydney midfielder Tom Scully and Gold Coast defender Jack Scrimshaw.
Port Adelaide on Monday night collected Burton’s medical files, in particular the old scans of the leg he broke in the lead-up to his draft year in 2015 and reports on the ankle injury he suffered early this season.
The Power’s medical staff at the weekend travelled from South Africa — where it was at a seminar — to Las Vegas, where Burton is on holiday, to make its own physical assessment of the 21-year-old South Australian.
At the same time, Port Adelaide completed its “due diligence” research of the 47-game Burton who joined Hawthorn as a first-round draftee.
The trade will now be part of the mad scramble to Wednesday’s deadline along with still incomplete deals with Lachie Neale (Fremantle to Brisbane), Rory Lobb (GWS to Fremantle), Dylan Shiel (GWS to Essendon), Jesse Hogan (Melbourne to Fremantle) and Dayne Beams (Brisbane to Collingwood).
Port Adelaide currently has key defender Jack Hombsch in line to join Gold Coast if the Suns lose co-captain and defender Steven May. Hombsch was at Gold Coast on Monday for his medical and interview.
The Power is unlikely to use contracted midfielder-forward Karl Amon, who needs to return to Melbourne for family reasons, to complete the Wingard trade.
And there is renewed interest from Port Adelaide towards Brisbane to help defender Sam Mayes make a compassionate return to SA.
If the Wingard trade remains unresolved by 8pm (SA time) on Wednesday, Wingard will return to Alberton to complete his contract — and become a free agent at the end of Season 2019.
Port Adelaide list manager Jason Cripps expected to lose Wingard in 12 months with AFL compensation of just one first-round draft pick.
“We have enough information to think he was going to explore opportunities then,” Cripps said. “You’ve then got to weigh up what that compensation may look like in 12 months’ time opposed to what you may get now.
It is more appealing for Port Adelaide to consider trading Wingard now, particularly when Burton offers the immediate chance to play him in the Power defence or on a wing — and ultimately consider Burton as a long-term option in attack, particularly when key forward Charlie Dixon retires.
Cripps on Monday clarified just how Burton became part of the Wingard trade saying it was “100 per cent Hawthorn” who cast the 2017 Rising Star runner-up as trade bait.
“Hawthorn have pushed out Ryan Burton,” Cripps said at the PWC Connors sports breakfast in Melbourne.
Cripps also signalled Port Adelaide — that has pick No. 6 — will continually track the South Australians — any of Jack Lukosius, Izak Rankine and Connor Rozee — who are drafted by Gold Coast at Nos. 2 and 3 on November 22.
“If Lukosius and Rankine end up going to Gold Coast… we’re probably pretty happy to try to get them back in a few years’ time,” Cripps said.
michelangelo.rucci@news.com.au