GWS trades Shaun Edwards and Kurt Aylett for draft pick 48, North Melbourne trades Luke Delaney to St Kilda
ESSENDON has beaten Adelaide to Shaun Edwards and picked up GWS teammate Kurt Aylett in a swap for pick 48.
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ESSENDON has beaten Adelaide to Shaun Edwards and picked up GWS teammate Kurt Aylett in a swap for pick 48.
Edwards, originally recruited from Darwin, has played 12 games in two seasons at the Giants as a defender/midfielder but is highly rated and is currently touring Ireland as a member of Australia's Indigenous All-Stars team.
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But the Bombers beat the Crows to the punch with a package deal that also includes Aylett, who has played just one game after being struck down by knee injuries.
He is described as an athletic half-back from Leeton in southern NSW.
Essendon's first pick in the draft is now at 66 but it hopes to improve that by dealing with the Bulldogs on Stewart Crameri.
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Earlier, St Kilda secured the key defender it has been chasing for two years at a bargain price after swapping pick 77 in the draft for North Melbourne's Luke Delaney.
Delaney, 24, played 26 matches in the past four seasons but just five this year as he struggled to break into a line-up featuring Scott Thompson, Lachie Hansen, Nathan Grima and Luke's younger brother Cameron.
The Roos had offered Delaney a new contract and say they are disappointed to lose him, while Delaney said he would have loved to have stayed.
"At the age I’m at, I just needed to consider my options and find a club that would be able to provide more opportunity," he said.
"North is blessed with some great key defenders and they are in front of me at the minute. It’s a really hard team to break into which I completely understand but I can’t afford to wait any longer."
St Kilda football boss Chris Penchen said Delaney would provide "valuable support" for the club's defenders "particularly on the opposition's key forwards".
The Saints made another deal today, swapping draft picks with Hawthorn in a post-script to the deal that sent Ben McEvoy to Waverley. St Kilda gains Hawthorn's pick 19 - the compensation selection it received for losing Lance Franklin as a free agent - in return for the Saints' picks 24 and 59.
The move gives St Kilda the three top-20 picks it has been aiming for.
Meanwhile, a swap of third and fourth round picks will get the Stewart Crameri deal done with Essendon waiting to hear back from the Western Bulldogs.
Both clubs agree that a straight swap of pick 26 for the tall forward isn’t enough and the Bombers have put a number of different scenarios to the Dogs.
The latest – which Essendon is adamant is fair and reasonable – has the Dogs also giving up pick 42 with the Bombers then sending pick 66 to Whitten Oval.
Earlier this month Crameri, who has been the Bombers leading goal-kicker over the past three seasons, decided to take up a $1.8 million four-year deal to move to the Dogs.
With just three-and-a-half days to go in the trade period, Crameri could still walk out on the Bombers and enter the pre-season draft.
Crameri’s teammate Scott Gumbleton, who was the No.2 pick in 2006 national draft, could head to Fremantle in exchange for pick 54.
Former Bulldog midfielder Daniel Cross has signed a one-year deal with Melbourne.
The 30-year-old has the option of a second season.
St Kilda and Brisbane have began discussions over Billy Longer’s move to Seaford with the Saints adamant they won’t be giving up pick 18.
The deal is likely to be done for St Kilda’s remaining second round pick at No.25.
The Saints have ruled out any last-minute trading of veteran Leigh Montagna who was reassured at a meeting with the club last week that he was a required player.
Defender Sam Fisher is also likely to stay despite strong interest from GWS.
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Collingwood officially gained Jesse White yesterday in a three-way deal which also saw them move up in the draft to No.6.
The Magpies received selections 6 and 44 from West Coast in exchange for picks 11, 31 and 49, with 44 on-traded to Sydney for White.
National recruiting manager Derek Hine said White’s versatility and improved form this season appealed to coach Nathan Buckley.
"Jesse has a combination of speed, power and height,” Hine said,. “His versatility was also a factor.
"Jesse has played key forward, third forward, in the ruck, and, with his pace, up on a wing.
"At 25 he has lots of football ahead of him, he is seasoned so he helps us straight away and, in our view, the best of Jesse White is yet to be seen.”
Hine also said he was confident the current stand-off with GWS about the trading of Heath Shaw would be resolved in the coming days.
The Pies want to recruit Taylor Adams, a former No.13 draft pick, in a straight swap for Shaw, but the Giants are pushing for a sweetener in the form of draft picks.
"One player is a proven player, a premiership payer, at the peak of his powers. The other boy is a first-round draft choice, a 20-year-old who potentially has plenty of scope (to improve),” Hine said.
"Both parties have really strong opinions on their relevant player and they’re both consistent and both on the right track ... I’m really confident we’ll be able to get something sorted out in the not-too-distant future.”
The Pies now have selections six and 10 - which they won’t part with - and don’t have another pick until 67.
The Giants have picks 1, 2, 21 and 22 and are not expected to use any later picks.
- with staff writers
