Jack Watts set to join Steven Motlop and Tom Rockliff at Port Adelaide, the AFL’s newest destination club
PORT Adelaide has announced itself as the AFL’s newest destination club with Jack Watts set to follow Steven Motlop and Tom Rockliff to the Power.
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JACK Watts wants to play for Port Adelaide.
The Herald Sun has been told Watts on Friday settled on playing for the Power, which has this week announced itself as the AFL’s newest destination club.
Steven Motlop followed Tom Rockliff to Port, with the restricted free agent pair choosing the Power over Adelaide and Gold Coast, and Carlton respectively.
The Watts camp is unlikely to declare his chosen destination given the Jake Stringer-Essendon impasse, but sources close to the forward are adamant he has decided on a fresh start in South Australia.
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Ironically, Watts was on Friday night in Adelaide for Bernie Vince’s wedding.
The Power will now need to satisfy Melbourne in a trade, with the Demons demanding an early second-round pick in exchange for the 26-year-old.
Port Adelaide has picks 30 and 33 to try to broker a deal for Watts, who last weekend met coach Ken Hinkley and club leaders Travis Boak and Brad Ebert.
The Power sales team has since been trying to convince Watts by phone to join them.
Geelong has also been interested in Watts and hosted him on a tour of its facilities on Tuesday, but isn’t willing to part with its first pick (No.21) while it’s second pick (No.34) isn’t enough to please Melbourne.
Motlop and Rockliff have accepted four-year deals at the Power, but together with Watts’ potential arrival comes a salary commitment of around $1.6 million per season.
It is understood the Demons might have to tip in some of Watts’ annual salary of around $500,000 to get a deal for Watts done and gain more traction in next month’s draft.
The Cats are no chance to match the Motlop deal, with its free agency compensation likely to be 35 given his four-year deal on around $500,000 a year.
Port Adelaide has been able to save salary cap room through pushing out Jackson Trengove to the Western Bulldogs and trading Jarman Impey to Hawthorn.
It is also happy to let Matthew Lobbe go to a Queensland-based club if it frees up salary cap room given he played eight games last year and none in 2017.
Geelong is still adamant it won’t use the Motlop compensation pick to sate Gold Coast in the Gary Ablett trade.
By the end of the weekend the Cats will hold picks 21, 34, 35 and 53, with Gold Coast not interested in player offers for Darcy Lang and George Horlin-Smith.
Unless Geelong parts with 34 or 35 — either directly to the Suns or in a three-way trade — their path to an Ablett trade does not seem any clearer.
It is known Ablett is prepared to sacrifice much of his 2018 wage, aware he has already secured the lion’s share of his money in his current three-year contract.
The loss of Motlop is a blow to coach Chris Scott, who made clear he was a priority signing after two excellent finals this year.
Daniel Menzel is still in limbo, offered a one-year deal by Geelong but looking elsewhere for a two-year contract.
Carlton remains interested in Lang and is trying to persuade the out-of-contract Cat to join it under the promise of greater midfield time. North Melbourne is also circling.
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