Jake Stringer’s trade to Essendon nears as Western Bulldogs, West Coast shuffle picks
WEST Coast’s list management team is expected to meet today to tick-off on the deal with the Dogs that could help Jake Stringer land at Essendon.
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THE WESTERN Bulldogs have made progress on a pick swap with West Coast which would send Jake Stringer to Essendon.
After two frantic days of discussions with the Eagles, the Dogs are believed to be close to an arrangement which would help them secure a first-round draft pick for the loss of the All-Australian forward.
The deal involves the Dogs accepting picks No.25 and No.30 from Essendon for Stringer.
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West Coast’s list management team is expected to meet on Wednesday to tick-off on the deal with the Dogs.
Sources close to the negotiation told the Herald Sun this morning an agreement was close to being finalised.
The Eagles are buoyant about the talent on offer throughout the second-round of this year’s national draft.
The last time West Coast had three picks inside the top-30 of a national draft they claimed gun midfielder Andrew Gaff (No. 4), goal kicker Jack Darling (No. 26) and injury-hit ruckman Scott Lycett (No. 29) in 2010.
As the Herald Sun revealed on Tuesday, the Dogs would then on-trade No.25 and No.30, and potentially their own No.28, to West Coast for pick No.13.
The deal would help satisfy the Eagles’ desire to load up with more picks inside the top-50 of next month’s national draft after four senior player retirements this year including veteran midfielders Sam Mitchell and Matt Priddis.
West Coast also possesses picks No.32 and No.50.
But there could be another layer of the West Coast-Bulldogs deal which could help sweeten the agreement further in the Eagles’ favour before Thursday’s 2pm trade deadline.
Under one proposal, the Dogs could give their current pick No.9 in this year’s draft to West Coast.
In return, the Eagles could hand over a future first or second-round pick in next year’s draft back to the Dogs.
Overall it means the Dogs would slide back from No.9 to No.13 in this year’s draft and lose two or three selections in the second round.
But the Dogs would bolster their position in next year’s draft which is widely believed to house one of the best talent pools in recent years.
The Eagles bowed out in the second week of this year’s finals race but could drop down the ladder next year as they look to replenish the list with fresh young talent.
The Herald Sun understands Dogs’ list manager Jason McCartney was still thrashing out details of the deal with Eagles’ list chief Brady Rawlings on Tuesday night.
Negotiations could continue right up until Thursday’s 2pm trade deadline.
The lifeline would help McCartney navigate a difficult situation after Essendon list guru Adrian Dodoro smartly took pick No.11 off the table last week in a trade for Devon Smith.
The Dogs have been under intense pressure to secure a Stringer deal in recent days after surprisingly putting him up for trade last month amid some frustrations with his preparation and behaviour.
Importantly, the deal with Essendon and West Coast would avoid the ugly scenario where Stringer would be forced to return to the Kennel next year to continue his football career against his will.
While the Dogs have maintained they were happy to keep Stringer to his contract, the situation would create massive distraction for Stringer and his teammates if he remained at the club in 2018.
The acquisition of Stringer caps a stunning trade period for Essendon, nabbing Smith, speedster Adam Saad and, finally, premiership star Stringer.
The talent injection was designed to give the resurgent Bombers a genuine crack at a top-four spot next year.
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