Collingwood could pay Adam Treloar to play for Gold Coast, but Suns need him to want to come
Adam Treloar says he can perform away from his family, the Magpies aren’t so sure. Whichever way you look at it, the fate of the Collingwood midfielder is far from clear.
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Gold Coast is growing more doubtful it will snare star Collingwood midfielder Adam Treloar during the trade period.
Treloar, 27, is adamant he wants to stay at Collingwood, despite the Magpies’ clear intention to try to move him on with four years remaining on his deal.
Collingwood would even be prepared to pay some of his salary.
But the Suns have not yet spoken to Treloar one week out from the trade period and aren‘t keen to try to woo a player who doesn’t want to come.
It leaves Collingwood in an awkward position after difficult conversations with Treloar and his manager about his future.
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Collingwood raised the prospect of a Treloar trade last year to help clear his large pay packet off the Magpies’ books.
The situation has become more urgent for Collingwood now that his fiancee Kim Ravaillion has signed to play netball in Queensland next season.
Ravaillion plans to take their young child with her.
While Treloar is adamant he can continue to perform away from his family, the club has some doubts about whether it is in his best interests to stay in Melbourne to play AFL.
Western Bulldogs could surge into the frame for Treloar if the club parts with Josh Dunkley to Essendon.
The Bulldogs are determined to keep Dunkley, 23, but the contracted hard nut is exploring a move to the Dons.
It would mean the Dons could send a first-round pick to the Dogs who could on-trade it to Collingwood for Treloar.
At Essendon, Dunkley would have a prime onball role on a bumper long-term contract.
He was forced to help out in the ruck at the Dogs this season and was moved out of the centre square at times throughout the season.
While the Dogs do not want to let Dunkley go, Essendon will continue to circle him in the view Dunkley wants to come to Tullamarine along with GWS Giant Jye Caldwell.
Suns midfielder Hugh Greenwood has labelled Treloar one of the best players in the AFL and says any club would be lucky to have him.
Speaking while doing some off-season training with NBL club Brisbane Bullets, the former basketballer spoke glowingly of Treloar’s ability.
“He is one of the best players in the competition,” Greenwood said.
“Statistically you can see that and his influence on the game when he is up and about is extraordinary.
“I understand we will be pretty quiet during the trade period.
“I understand it’s a tricky situation for him and everyone during this time. He is a quality player and any club would be stoked to have him.”
While Treloar may be on the move, Greenwood said he had no immediate plans to ditch AFL and return to basketball after spending recent weeks training with the Bullets.
The Tasmanian was a distinguished junior basketball player, playing for the University of Mexico after spending four years at the Australian Institute of Sport in Canberra.
The 28-year-old was named Basketball Australia’s junior male player of the year in 2008 and was part of the Australian at the FIBA Under-19 World Cup.
Greenwood has been open about wanting to one day return to basketball once his AFL career is over and the rise of NBL franchise the Tasmania Jack Jumpers has excited the Suns player.
Greenwood is contracted to the Suns until the end of 2023 and said he would continue playing with the club for as long as they wanted him before shifting his focus to basketball.
“I’m trying to keep my foot in the door,” Greenwood said.
“I’ve made it known I want to be involved in some capacity, whether that is playing or coaching, as part of the Jack Jumpers.
“That is the plan long term.
“My plan is to stick with footy as long as possible, as long as the Suns will keep having me.
“I love it here. Now is a really good time to be involved with the club. The reason I came here was to be part of that next growth and the new direction and culture of the footy club.
“I want to be able to see that out as long as possible. Having said that, I have the Jack Jumpers and my affiliation and love for Tassie in the back of my mind.
“In the meantime I’m fully committed to the Suns as long as they will have me.”
ONE CLUB THAT WON’T BE MAKING A TRELOAR PLAY
Brisbane has ruled out making a play for Collingwood midfielder Adam Treloar as the future of the Magpie remains deeply clouded ahead of the start of this year’s bumper trade period.
Treloar remains in footy limbo, despite being contracted to the Magpies on a heavily back-ended deal until the end of the 2025 season.
He has reportedly been told by Collingwood they want to move him on in a trade, with Gold Coast looking to make a play for the 27-year-old.
Treloar’s partner Kim Ravaillion signed a one-year deal to play Super Netball with the Queensland Firebirds next year, meaning she and their daughter will spend at least 10 months in Brisbane in 2021.
But while the Suns have interest in Treloar, Lions football manager David Noble said his club was more intent on getting departing Bomber Joe Daniher to the Lions.
“We’ve been pretty proactive in recontracting a lot of our current players already, therefore our (salary) cap is probably manoeuvred around in other areas that wouldn’t allow us to do that,” Noble told AFL Trade Radio.
“For us, Adam wouldn’t be an option.
“It’s probably not in our strategy at this point in time. We’ve gone for the tall (in Joe Daniher).”
Gold Coast has pick 5 in this year’s draft and could potentially package that up with a player in a trade for Treloar, who wants to remain in Melbourne — and at Collingwood — next year.
There is also a possibility that a Melbourne-based club could also launch a bid for the explosive midfielder when the trade period starts on November 4.
Collingwood would have to pay some of Treloar’s heft salarynext year to clinch a shock trade with the Suns.
Treloar was set to earn more than $800,000 next season but the only way the Suns could accommodate the star onballer is if the Magies covered a significant chunk of his 2021 salary.
Treloar, 27, is adamant he does not want to swap clubs.
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Talks between the parties would also have to speed up as the Suns are still yet to speak with last year’s league-leading disposal winner one week out from the exchange period.
Former Collingwood recruiter Matt Rendell, who was moved on from the club this year, said it was the club’s preference to trade Treloar so he can be closer to his family next season.
“My belief is he might have gone to them and asked ‘Do you want me?’ and they said ‘No’,” Rendell said.
“If that is the case he (Treloar) has got a decision to make now.
“I have no doubt they said the same thing last year and he refused.”
Collingwood has been linked to a move on Essendon jet midfielder Zach Merrett but the Bombers’ ace has declared he is going nowhere.
Merrett will be one of the most sought-after free agents next year when he can walk to another club under AFL rules.
Treloar is one of the competition’s top ballwinners and has twice finished top-three in the club’s best and fairest.
But the former Giant has also endured significant hamstring problems which saw him miss six weeks this year and almost three months in 2018.
Rendell said the club had concerns whether his family situation could impact his football in 2021.
“He is an obsessive compulsive kind of bloke which makes him a great footballer,” Rendell said on Trade Radio.
“But they would be worried about him fretting about not seeing his partner, or who knows what is going to happen next year with COVID-19, whether we are out of this or not.
“It is so hard to predict. They would be thinking it might affect his footy being separated from his partner and his child.
“They probably thought it is not a bad idea to float that (trade) again.
“He has said ‘No, I can make it work, I want to stay in Melbourne. I like Melbourne.”
Meanwhile, superstar Jordan De Goey is set to re-sign with the Magpies for two more years.
The Magpies are close to finalising a deal that will tie the matchwinner to the club until the end of 2022, when he will become a free agent.
The agreement was on track to be completed this week following drawn-out talks throughout the season on De Goey’s future.
Tom Phillips and Mason Cox are also set to attract interest over the next few weeks with Sydney Swans desperately chasing a new ruckman.
The Swans have pursued Port Adelaide pair Scott Lycett and Peter Ladhams but were knocked back by the Power.
West Coast Eagle Tom Hickey is also on the Swans’ radar.
Daniher is a restricted free agent but Noble said the Bombers hadn’t indicated if they would match Brisbane’s offer for the 26-year-old that would force a trade between the two clubs.
The free agency window opens on Friday.
“We’re hopeful that we’re able to sort of lodge the paperwork and he goes through,” Noble said.
“As far as the capacity to match, that will be something Essendon will have to decide.
“We’re hopeful that we’ll be able to lodge the paperwork and he comes to us in that free agency mechanism straight away.”
The Lions are also deep in discussions with star midfielders Hugh McCluggage and Cam Rayner, who are out of contract at the end of next season.
“I’d like to get a lifetime contract for them if I could. We’re certainly proactive, that’s the way we’ve tried to play it,” Noble said.
“It’d be fair to say we’ve had ongoing conversations with both of their managers in that space.
“It doesn’t mean there’s anything looming in the next week or two, but we would love to extend those guys, and we’re certainly having those conversations with their managers now.”
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Originally published as Collingwood could pay Adam Treloar to play for Gold Coast, but Suns need him to want to come