Port send Dougal Howard, Paddy Ryder and pick 10 to St Kilda for two first round selections
Dougal Howard, Paddy Ryder and Port Adelaide’s No. 10 pick in the upcoming draft have all been sent to St Kilda, but what did Port Adelaide get in return?
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Dougal Howard, Paddy Ryder and Port Adelaide’s No. 10 pick in the upcoming draft have all been sent to St Kilda, but the Power will receive two first round picks.
After much haggling around a deal, at one point as many as six clubs were involved in a trade, Port and the Saints have finally agreed on a deal for the two players who indicated they would like to go to Moorabbin.
Ryder told the Power he wanted to go to St Kilda before the trade period began. Howard informed the club he would also like to go to the Saints if a deal could be done after being encouraged to look at potential interest in his services following his exit interview at Alberton where he was told he would play as a forward rather than his preferred spot in defence.
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North Melbourne, Essendon and Collingwood were also interested in Howard.
Port maintained Howard was a required player and would not be easily tempted to part with the 23-year-old key swingman who captained the club in Round 9 this year.
But St Kilda’s offer of picks 12 and 18, which the Saints got for trading its No. 6 pick to GWS, and a future third round selection was tempting enough for Port to part with Howard, Ryder, its No. 10 pick and a future fourth-round selection.
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It is understood Howard has been offered a five-year deal worth around $3 million by the Saints.
Power general manager of football Chris Davies said the decision to let Howard and Ryder would help the club add young high end talent to its list through the draft, having struck gold last year.
“Dougal has been a solid contributor to our group and has developed significantly since arriving five years ago at pick 56,” Davies said.
“The decision to allow him to depart was a difficult one as Dougal has been a popular member of our squad.
“However, this deal clearly meets the threshold of what we considered to be fair in the circumstances including an improvement in our draft position.”
Howard played 45 games for the Power.
Ryder came to Port from Essendon at the end of 2014.
The 31-year-old won the club’s best and fairest and was named an All-Australian in 2017.
“Paddy has been a wonderful servant of the club — a best and fairest winner, a role model for younger players and a great friend to many in the Port Adelaide family,” Davies said.
“He expressed a desire to continue his career at St Kilda and we are pleased to be able to negotiate a trade that will allow him to do so.”