AFL 2022: Follow all the latest player movement news
Star midfielder Josh Dunkley is yet to tell the Bulldogs his plans for next season, which could be at one of three clubs. One is the Dogs, who else is in the race?
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Star onballer Josh Dunkley has kept clubs hanging as he weighs up his options at Western Bulldogs, Port Adelaide and Brisbane for next season.
Dunkley is yet to tell the Dogs about his plans for next season as senior coach Luke Beveridge tries to bolster his coaching panel and his spine for 2023.
The Dogs can afford to offload a midfielder from its star-studded engine room after re-signing Bailey Smith if it helps the club bolster its defence for next season.
The club is keen to snare goalkicker Rory Lobb from Fremantle in a move which would give the club the option to swing star centre half forward Aaron Naughton into defence.
Lobb could partner Sam Darcy and Jamarra Ugle-Hagan in the forward half while Naughton anchors the backline alongside Alex Keath and Ryan Gardner.
Naughton was drafted as a star centre half-back from Western Australia amid strong interest from Collingwood.
The Dogs are also looking to add to their assistant coaching stocks for next year after bowing out in the elimination final with a second-half fadeout against Fremantle, capping a disappointing season.
Port Adelaide has declared its interest in landing Dunkley and West Coast small forward Junior Rioli as part of a one-two hit to rejuvenate its premiership prospects for next season.
Rioli has strong family considerations in the decision as he weighs up an improved offer from Port after receiving only a moderate offer from West Coast.
Essendon has also made an inquiry into Rioli, showing the strong demand for the premiership goalkicker.
Brisbane is keen on former Essendon speedster Conor McKenna but faces a fight from Geelong to land the dashing Irishman.
The Cats seem unlikely to spend their salary cap space on a big fish recruiting target after missing out on GWS tough nut Jacob Hopper and moving on from Collingwood ruckman Brodie Grundy.
Any deal for McKenna is likely to be completed in the supplemental selection period after the trade period.
McKenna, who wants to return to Australia to continue his AFL career, can be landed for nothing under the same rules that saw the Bombers list Nic Martin in the pre-season.
Top pick makes it six possible Freo outs
– Jon Ralph and Marc McGowan
Top ten draft selection Liam Henry could join Fremantle’s off-season player and official exodus as the Dockers prepare for up to six player departures in coming weeks.
Dockers coach Justin Longmuir is bracing for trade requests from talls Rory Lobb and Lloyd Meek, wingman Blake Acres and swingman Griffin Logue by midweek.
It comes as the Dockers prepare for Luke Jackson to inform Melbourne as early as this week about an expected trade to Fremantle.
The Dockers believe Jackson, set to be offered a deal of up to seven years, can play in a hybrid ruck-midfield role given his extraordinary athletic gifts.
Dockers flanker Darcy Tucker is also exploring his options despite being contracted and is set to talk to clubs still participating in finals to assess a move back to Victoria.
The Herald Sun understands Henry is also considering his options after playing only seven games this year — down from 17 in his second season — as he is shuffled back in the pecking order.
The No.9 pick in the 2019 national draft is stuck behind Michael Walters and Michael Frederick in the small forward queue with no sign of change next year.
Rivals could assess his interest despite a contract tying him to the club for 2023.
Lobb is contracted to 2023 but told the club in the weeks after his aborted trade to GWS last year he would seek a move again this off-season so the Dockers have known his intentions for a full 12 months.
His partner has already moved into their newly purchased house in inner-city Melbourne as he prepares to join the Western Bulldogs on a four-year deal.
Swingman Griffin Logue, offered an improved $500,000 per season deal, also wants to move, with North Melbourne one of many suitors including Sydney.
The Dockers could play hard-ball Lobb and demand he fulfils the last year of a $750,000 contract.
But Logue and Lobb share the same management group and given Logue could move to the Roos with pick one in the pre-season draft — denying the Dockers a draft pick — it would be a high-stakes game to attempt to hold Lobb.
Blake Acres, finally offered a two-year deal after months of haggling, is set to join Carlton on a three-year deal worth $1 million.
The Dockers believe Nathan O’Driscoll is ready to step up as a wingman but Carlton would have to satisfy the Dockers on a trade.
Gold Coast’s uncontracted key forward Josh Corbett has attracted interest from Fremantle.
The Dockers are one of multiple clubs including West Coast to show early interest in Gold Coast wingman Jeremy Sharp, a former East Fremantle player, but he is contracted to 2023 and the Suns would have to agree to a trade.Melbourne clubs are also inquiring about Sharp, the No.27 draft pick in 2019, who has played in a more defensive wing role at the Suns but is highly rated by list bosses for his all-round midfield game.
Dockers football boss Peter Bell made clear the club would release assistant coach Josh Carr to Port Adelaide given he has family considerations with four young children and a South Australian wife.
And Bell on Saturday didn’t rule himself out from interest in the vacant North Melbourne chief executive role.
Dockers put wantaway trio on notice
Fremantle coach Justin Longmuir has put the club’s wantaway players on notice, saying he expects an answer “soon” now the Dockers’ season is over.
Fremantle’s premiership hopes ended in a flattering 20-point loss to Collingwood at the MCG on Saturday night, a week after keeping its season alive with a stunning comeback win over the Bulldogs.
Rory Lobb (Western Bulldogs) and out-of-contract pair Blake Acres (Carlton) and Griffin Logue (North Melbourne) are all exploring their options and have been linked with Victorian clubs.
Lobb, who is contracted until the end of next season, unsuccessfully tried to return to his old club the Giants last year, only for the Dockers to hold firm.
But their high-priced pursuit of Melbourne ruckman Luke Jackson is likely to improve Lobb’s chances of switching clubs if and when he makes a trade request.
A decision on Jackson’s future is also set to heat up in the coming days, given the Demons’ flag defence ended at the Brisbane Lions’ hands on Friday night.
“I suppose the time frame is going to come pretty soon,” Longmuir said when asked when Fremantle will want to know about Lobb, Acres and Logue.
“We’ve got the players for, at the most, another week, then they’re off on holidays, so I’d imagine we’ll get some answers soon.
“We’ll work through that. Trade period starts after the granny and we want to make sure we’re ready for that, so those conversations will happen in the next week or so.”
Longmuir was less willing to engage about the Dockers’ interest in Jackson, saying it was not “the right time to be talking about it”.
“I’m sure there’ll be opportunities once the dust settles to talk about list management decisions,” he said. “I’m getting my head around the loss tonight first.”
Longmuir said Fremantle would miss retiring club great David Mundy’s experience but that his legacy would live on long beyond his playing career.
He stood by the decision not to select key forward Matt Taberner (calf) and was confident dual Brownlow medallist Nat Fyfe could return to his “best” next year.
“That‘s obviously driven by his body, but I think we’ve seen some good signs that he’s got a lot of things right with his back and knees and whatnot,” Longmuir said.
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“So (we will) get on top of the soft-tissue stuff and give him a really good pre-season, which he should have.
“He could have possibly played next week, or at least the week after, so he’s close to being in good health and that’ll set him up really well for the off-season.”
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