Trade buzz: Bidding war for Harry Perryman, Saints to play hardball over Jack Macrae, Fremantle plans for Shai Bolton, Liam Baker

Harry Perryman has one top-three finish in a best-and-fairest – four years ago. That hasn’t stopped a bidding war reaching crazy levels. LATEST TRADE BUZZ

Collingwood believes it is in the box seat to secure childhood Pies fan Harry Perryman as the Giants face the prospect of losing two academy players and a true Western Sydney graduate in coming weeks.

GWS half-back Perryman is likely to decide mid-next week about his new club as a free agent, with the Giants still hanging on to hope he might re-sign.

But powerful presentations and long-term deals as long as seven years at Port Adelaide and the Pies are making it a compelling pitch for the 25-year-old.

The Pies are increasingly confident they have made a case that Perryman can play multiple positions, including midfield, to a player who is pigeonholed as a half-back at the Giants.

Perryman also hit it off with Port Adelaide coach Ken Hinkley, but the long-term Port Adelaide coach might not be at the Power past-2025.

Harry Perryman is in demand. Picture: Mark Stewart

Given those offers have hit $850,000 it is extraordinary money for a player whose only top-three result in the best-and-fairest came when he finished third in 2020.

But Collingwood does not have a first-round pick so his free agency status at a club about to lose John Noble to Gold Coast is hugely appealing.

Perryman is a Giants academy member as was Isaac Cumming, who has already left for Adelaide as an unrestricted free agent.

In-form utility James Peatling was taken in the 2021 mid-season draft after being one of the rare AFL players to come out of western Sydney, and has six AFL suitors chasing him.

The Giants are hoping he is just assessing his options before recommitting on a three-year deal but the intense interest in Perryman means he is considering departing.

Collingwood also has Port Adelaide football boss Chris Davies as its preferred candidate to become its new football boss.

James Peatling is yet to re-sign with the Giants. Picture: Phil Hillyard

SAINTS PLAY HARDBALL OVER MACRAE

St Kilda is unwilling to part with its No.43 draft pick for Jackson Macrae, hopeful of securing the triple All Australian with a back-end pick.

St Kilda is prepared to absorb the huge salary he is owed in the next three years – which is above $800,000 in the next two seasons.

Macrae and his management are prepared to drive a hard bargain on a trade as he moves to St Kilda, which is desperate to keep picks seven, 24 and 43 plus a Josh Battle compensation pick.

They will offer a third or fourth-round pick for Macrae, the player of the 2021 finals series.

They will likely offer a mid-draft future pick for Ivan Soldo, and could end up trading their future second pick with the Power’s future third pick.

The Power paid the world for Soldo when he left Richmond.

But the trade value of mid-tier rucks is usually about pick 40-50 and he is due around $500,000 for each of the next two seasons, so they would let him go given Dante Visentini is a solid back-up.

The Power will secure Gold Coast’s Jack Lukosius on a deal rival contender Adelaide believes is seven years at $1 million a season.

FRUGAL CLUBS COMPLICATE ROBERTSON MOVE

Brisbane’s contracted midfielder Deven Robertson would ideally find a fresh start at a rival club but the desire of clubs to retain their draft picks will complicate a move.

Clubs including West Coast have some interest in former first-round pick Robertson and Levi Ashcroft and Sam Marshall will arrive to push him down the midfield pecking order.

He is on a considerable two-year deal but the Lions are happy to keep him, aware he had a poor run with injury early in the year then didn’t quite hit his straps.

With clubs like the Eagles are desperate to retain picks so it will take until deep into the trade period to see if he finds a new home.

Jake Stringer’s future is still cloudy. Picture: Dylan Burns/AFL Photos via Getty Images

CLUBS PUT OFF BY STRINGER TIES

Jake Stringer has hired a new personal trainer to give him the best chance of completing his first full pre-season in some time as the Dons hold firm on his one-year deal.

The Dons have so far not committed to increasing his $400,000 contract for 2025, although it is possible they might eventually relent given his deal is well under market rate.

Stringer would ideally leave on a two-year deal but clubs including Collingwood were worried about some of the company he keeps.

So he might eventually have to go back cap in hand to the Dons if he can’t find a new home.

He will smash himself over the off-season, with groups of Dons completing differing fitness programs but not going on the same American camp put together by Andrew McGrath last year.

Jordan Ridley and Zach Reid have returned from a Qatar trip also attended by Josh Gibcus in recent years to have their soft-tissue concerns medically examined by international experts.

DOCKERS’ PLANS FOR BOLTON, BAKER REVEALED

Fremantle will offer two first-rounders for Shai Bolton, but not picks 9 and 10 given it is still holding out hope it might secure fellow Tiger Liam Baker. The Dockers have picks 9, 10 and 16, with the last pick likely to drift out three spots given NGA and father-son bids.

They would hand Richmond one of pick 9 or 10 and then 16 given he is contracted to 2028 and capable of being one of the league’s game-breakers.

The Tigers will ask the world for their departing players and have already indicated they want more than the No. 6 draft pick the Suns would offer for Rioli. But the Dockers will hold one of those two early picks in case Baker decides on the Dockers instead of West Coast.

The Eagles will make their coaching decision early next week, with Andrew McQualter and Hayden Skipworth seen to have edged ahead of Steven King.

Originally published as Trade buzz: Bidding war for Harry Perryman, Saints to play hardball over Jack Macrae, Fremantle plans for Shai Bolton, Liam Baker