GWS Giants star Zac Williams reportedly requests Carlton trade, GWS confirm exit
The exodus has continued at GWS with the club confirming star Zac Williams has left the club and requested a move to a Victorian rival.
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GWS star Zac Williams has left the Giants, the club confirmed on Monday.
The star defender’s decision to walk out on the club that discovered him was followed immediately by reports the 25-year-old has nominated Carlton as his preferred destination.
Williams is able to move to his club of preference as a free agent.
The Giants said in a statement Williams “has informed the club that his preferred destination is a Victorian club to be closer to his sister who’s based in Albury”.
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“It’s disappointing to receive this news as Zac has come a long way since coming through the Giants Academy pathway,” Giants football boss Jason McCartney said.
“We understand that free agency is part of the current football landscape and that the players have the right to go down this path.”
Channel 7 and The Herald Sun both report North Melbourne could also still be in the race to land Williams’ signature if Williams and the Blues can’t agree on the fine print of his next contract.
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The Blues have also been linked with Bombers rebounding defender Adam Saad.
It remains unclear if the club has enough salary cap space to land both key signings with North Melbourne also reported to be loaded up with cap space.
While the Giants won’t get anything in return from the Blues or Roos, the club is reported to be in line to receive a first round draft pick as part of the free agency compensation still being decided on by the AFL.
Channel 7’s Tom Browne reported on Monday the Giants would be comfortable with a first-round pick in exchange for letting Williams find a new club.
“The giants are looking at first round compensation for Williams,” Browne posted on Twitter.
“Puts them into the first round of the draft. They’ve lost speed. Which isn’t ideal. But they recruited Williams as a rookie. So it’s good business in a sense on a net basis.”
It comes less than a week after Aidan Corr also informed the Giants of his intention to leave the club this trade period.
The Giants stumbled to a miserable end to their 2020 campaign where the club failed to qualify for the finals, coming off a runners-up campaign in 2019.
The Giants still have a host of players unsigned beyond the 2020 season, including superstar forward Jeremy Cameron and young gun Harry Perryman.
Originally published as GWS Giants star Zac Williams reportedly requests Carlton trade, GWS confirm exit