AFL Trade Period: Follow all the latest news and deals from day seven of the exchange period
Paddy Dow and Nick Coffield have both been traded in a four-club deal, plus see how open the Lions are to trading Jack Gunston back to Hawthorn.
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It’s the penultimate day of the AFL trade period, with clubs scrambling to get deals done before Wednesday night’s 7.30pm (AEDT) deadline.
Port Adelaide remains at odds with Essendon and Geelong, but Shane McAdam officially joined the Demons on Tuesday.
Follow all the news and every deal as it happens.
Gunston talk could go to wire
Brisbane will be prepared to explore a trade to allow Jack Gunston to move back to Hawthorn despite the Hawks packed agenda on the final day of the trade period.
As the Hawks try to close deals for Jack Ginnivan, Mabior Chol and Massimo D’Ambrosio they have made clear Gunston is at the tail-end of their priorities.
But the Lions will be open to listening to Hawthorn’s offer for Gunston given his determination to return to the club where he won three premierships from 2013-2015.
They will not trade him at any cost given they have already lost key tall Tom Fullarton to Melbourne, aware Gunston is at best in their team and at worst key tall insurance.
The Hawks have suggested they were shocked at Gunston’s trade request and had no warning of his intention to return home.
But given his strong relationship with Sam Mitchell it would be highly unusual if the senior coach was not aware of the player’s intentions.
Gunston has made clear he is not interested in a move to a club other than Hawthorn so would remain at the Lions on a deal of around $500,000 if a trade could not be brokered.
With the Hawks holding firm on not trading 200cm forward Brandon Ryan the Lions might have to accept a later pick or future selection.
They have offered a future second-rounder for Ryan but the Hawks have said they will not trade him.
Gunston has been travelling with a group of premiership teammates and Lions players in America, including Isaac Smith, Luke Hodge, Lachie Neale, Jaeger O’Meara, Zac Bailey and Dan Rich.
At 32 he might not be guaranteed of playing every week in Sam Mitchell’s side but he could provide valuable coaching and experience at Hawthorn.
Four-club deal done
Paddy Dow has found a new home at St Kilda and the Western Bulldogs have secured former pick 8 Nick Coffield as part of a ridiculously complicated four-club trade that required Essendon’s involvement.
Two separate deals involving fringe players turned into a four-club trade which also allowed the Dons to upgrade their draft hand as Dow and Coffield found new homes.
Dow’s move to St Kilda reunites him with Steve Silvagni, who selected him for Carlton at pick 3 in the 2017 national draft, and gives Ross Lyon a midfielder who can win clearances and spread from the stoppage.
Lyon’s midfield brigade was demolished by GWS in the elimination final, with Dow averaging six clearances a game in his final six games with Carlton.
Coffield has not played an AFL game in the past two seasons after an ACL tear and repeat soft tissue concerns but in 2020 finished fifth in the St Kilda best-and-fairest after 18 games that season.
In that season he averaged 79 ranking points, 15 disposals, 2.4 intercept marks and 5.7 intercept possessions while also kicking at an excellent 78.3 per cent efficiency.
In a complicated deal brokered through hundreds of phone calls by Dow’s agent Matt Bain, the Saints secured Dow, pick 40 and Carlton’s future third-rounder and lost Coffield, pick 35 and the Fremantle future fourth-rounder.
Carlton lost Dow but added a Western Bulldogs future fourth-rounder and swapped their own future third and fourth-rounders to Fremantle’s future fourth-rounder and Essendon’s future third-rounder.
While Carlton receives little in the trade for Dow, the Dons future third-rounder is expected to be used to help clinch a deal for Gold Coast’s Elijah Hollands on Wednesday.
The Herald Sun reported on Tuesday the Suns would ask for a juggle of 2023 picks and a future third-rounder from the Blues for Holland.
Bringing in an extra future selection will also allow the Blues to stockpile points for the Camporeale brothers, with father-son Ben considered a first-round selection in next Novembe’s draft.
The Western Bulldogs give up pick 40 and their future fourth-rounder but secure Coffield and picks 52 and 56.
Those later picks will help the Dogs to secure more points to match a bid for father-son Jordan Croft, son of Matthew.
Essendon receives St Kilda’s pick 35 and a Dogs future fourth-rounder but gives up pick 52 to the Dogs and hands Carlton the future third-rounder.
While some clubs had been sceptical about Essendon’s involvement, their future third-rounder helped Carlton and they moved up in the draft order.
The Dons now have picks nine, 31 and 35 as they seek a straight swap with Port Adelaide on Xavier Duursma for Brandon Zerk-Thatcher on Wednesday.
Done deal: Crows, Dees agree on McAdam trade
Melbourne has made the best of its Brodie Grundy sale by refreshing its forward options with Adelaide high-flyer Shane McAdam.
McAdam surprised a disappointed Adelaide by requesting a trade to the Demons in September, despite the Crows wanting to keep the 50-game half-forward.
The Crows had made a push to snare swingman Harrison Petty from the Demons but that was knocked down constantly by Melbourne and he will stay in the red and blue.
The Demons handed over a 2024 second-round choice for McAdam, who will become an extra option for Simon Goodwin in his much discussed forward half.
The deal came after Melbourne sent pick 47 to the Brisbane Lions for Tom Fullarton on Friday.
The Demons received that pick 47 and Sydney’s future second rounder in a trade for Grundy last week, and while it was Melbourne’s future pick that went to Adelaide for McAdam, the Demons essentially flipped Grundy for the two forward acquisitions.
The Demons hit the wall in the forward half during a straight-sets exit in September and were unable to play Grundy as he offered nothing as a forward but have now brought in two players they hope can provide goalkicking options.
McAdam, 28, booted 72 goals in 50 games for the Crows but played just once before round 18 this year before breaking into the team in the latter stages of the season.
He booted 12 goals in those seven games and was rated elite for marks (4.3 a game) and above average for tackles (3.3) among forwards this season.
“We know the sort of exciting, fast-paced football Shane can produce and his skill set is one that will complement our existing group,” Melbourne list manager Tim Lamb said.
“We still feel his best football is still ahead of him and we look forward to seeing what he can bring to the red and blue.”
When McAdam put in his trade request in September, the Crows said they “were keen to retain McAdam and he had been offered a contract during the season as he is viewed as an important player”.
But the Crows bit their tongue on farewelling McAdam.
“Shane has been a valuable and popular member of our team in his time at the club and we wish him well for the future,” Adelaide list boss Justin Reid said.
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Carlton’s play for another Hollands
Carlton could end up securing former pick 7 Elijah Hollands for a future third-round selection and a shuffle of 2023 selections in a deal to be brokered on Wednesday.
The Suns and Blues are both on the same page about the structure of a trade, with the Suns keen to move slightly up the draft order this year.
They are keen to ensure they have enough draft points to lock in all four of their academy prospects so they preserve their trio of 2024 first-round selections.
It means Gold Coast could accept a future third-rounder, then take Carlton’s pick 26 this year, but give back one of their selections which include 27, 28 and 32.
There are family reasons for Hollands who is desperate to play alongside brother Ollie back in Victoria, so, while the Suns might accept slightly less from a trade perspective, they are happy to do a deal for the midfielder.
He is also on as much as $400,000 next year so allowing him to move on clears yet more salary cap space as they attempt to broker a new deal for star forward Ben King.
Fox Footy expert David King said on Monday he believed Hollands could be the find of the trade period, confident he can break into the Blues midfield next year.
The Suns have still made no progress on a deal for Mabior Chol, with Richmond denying reports they were prepared to accept a future third-rounder for Jacob Koschitzke.
The Chol deal will go down to the wire, given the Hawks are yet to agree on a deal for Koschitzke to get to the Tigers.
Hawthorn premiership player Jack Gunston could still find his way back to the Hawks, despite his contract at Brisbane.
But he has made clear to friends he will play at the Lions or Hawthorn, unprepared to go to a fourth AFL club after starting his career at Adelaide.
The Hawks will want to land their deals and secure Chol and Essendon’s Massimo D’Ambrosio in enough time to consider Gunston’s move from the Lions.
Esava Ratugolea to Port
Port Adelaide has threatened to pick up Esava Ratugolea in next month’s national draft if it cannot strike a deal with a defiant Geelong on the final day of the trade period.
The Power have put their first draft selection – currently pick 25 – on the table for the out-of-contract Cats key defender, who has been the club’s No.1 target as it looks to bolster its defence.
However, Geelong is demanding more for a player who it feels it has put a lot of time and development into.
The Cats have said that Ratugolea should come with a “premium” price tag given the “market forces” at play this year.
Port Adelaide football boss Chris Davies said on Tuesday that the club was still “hopeful” of agreeing to terms with Geelong, but was looking at back-up plans should negotiations break down.
“There is potential for another club to take any player that ends up in either the national or pre-season draft,” Davies said.
“I’m still really hopeful that we’re able to strike a deal with Geelong … because what has become clear through the trade period is that Esava wants to leave Geelong and he wants to play for Port Adelaide. So that’s something that we’ve got to work through.”
Ratugolea, who turned 25 in July, has played 75 AFL games across seven seasons for Geelong, including 16 matches this year.
The 197cm backman ranked above average in the competition for both intercept marks and spoils this season, but only rated average for one-on-one contests.
Davies will travel to Melbourne on Wednesday to assist list manager Jason Cripps with the testing negotiations, but insisted there was no bad blood between the clubs.
“My relationship with the guys at Geelong is fine, but ultimately it’s not necessarily about relationships,” Davies said on Trade Radio.
“It’s about being able to strike a deal at the end of the day, whether you like each other or not.”
“The trade period goes for a week and a half and it doesn’t really matter when you get the deals done as long as you do get them done.”
The Essendon-Port Adelaide standoff
Essendon remains confident of securing a straight swap of Brandon Zerk-Thatcher for Xavier Duursma even as Port Adelaide football boss Chris Davies sees that prospect as unlikely.
Davies said he “definitely” thought that a deal for Bulldogs ruckman Jordon Sweet would be finalised by the end of the trade period, but Zerk-Thatcher could find his way to the Power through the pre-season draft if an agreement cannot be reached with Essendon over the defender.
“He’s desperately wanting to come back to Adelaide and he’s made it clear to Essendon that he doesn’t want to go back there,” Davies said.
“If we can’t find a deal in the next period of time, then the drafts – the pre-season draft or the national draft – become the live option. We’re not going to take our priority away from having those players at our club. So we’re going to have to look at every option that we’ve got at our disposal and walking them through the draft is one of those.”
While Essendon sees Duursma and Zerk-Thatcher as equal in value and would be happy to do a straight swap, Davies said the fact Duursma was contracted made it more complicated.
The Bombers will pick before the Power in the pre-season draft so may throw Port Adelaide’s threat back at them and claim to be keen on re-selecting the defender.
He was offered a three-year deal by the Dons and is seen as a required player but has cited family reasons as behind his desire to return home to South Australia.
Essendon remains confident it can do a swap without draft picks before Wednesday’s deadline but Davies said Duursma being under contract skews the worth of the pair.
“The big difference in those two players is that Zerk-Thatcher is out of contract and Xavier is not,” he said.
“So, we don’t have to fall into doing anything that we don’t think is fair.
“I understand that for everyone who just wants deals done, you will look and say that players just swapping clubs is the easiest way for it to happen. I think that may end up being the case, but it’s certainly not going to be the case in the next day.”
Hawthorn’s rejected bid for Dons rookie
Essendon has turned down Hawthorn’s offer of pick 63 for out-of-contract rookie Massimo D’Ambrosio
The Hawks put up the pick, which they secured in the deal that sent Tyler Brockman to the Eagles, but it was rejected as the Bombers would most likely not use it in November’s draft.
A late pick had long been touted as getting the deal done but the Bombers said no to the first offer.
With list spots tight across the league, many clubs may use only two picks in the upcoming draft and Essendon is one of those clubs, so the fourth-round selection would have been of no use to them.
The Dons hold picks nine, 31, 52 and 73, so 63 would have sat fourth in their pecking order.
Hawthorn’s other picks are 4, 33, 44 and 54.
Essendon has been keen to keep D’Ambrosio but the running defender was won over by a two-year offer from Hawthorn, where he will be on the senior list after being a rookie with the Dons.
D’Ambrosio played eight games this year, four of which he started as the sub, after impressing in 2022 when he played eight games after he was selected in the mid-season draft.
Should a deal not be done by Wednesday’s deadline, the Hawks could try to walk D’Ambrosio through to the pre-season draft, where they hold the third pick.
Essendon is hopeful of landing a straight swap of defender Brandon Zerk-Thatcher for Xavier Duursma and has secured Jade Gresham, Todd Goldstein and Ben McKay as free agents so far this off-season.
Soldo’s move away from Tigerland
Richmond ruckman Ivan Soldo remains a key part of Port Adelaide’s trade plans despite the Tigers continuing to hold firm in their desire to keep the contracted premiership player.
The Power have conceded a deal on Soldo could be difficult to reach, but are “definitely” confident that they will be able to secure Western Bulldogs ruckman Jordon Sweet before the close of the trade period on Wednesday night.
Soldo, 27, featured in only eight senior games for Richmond this year after battling injury through the first half of the season.
He has a desire to become a No. 1 ruck, but has played second-fiddle to captain Toby Nankervis at the Tigers in recent years.
“Richmond have been pretty steadfast since the start of the period that they didn’t want to lose him,” Port Adelaide football boss Chris Davies said.
“That makes things much harder when a player is under contract. But Ivan is in a situation where he wants to take hold of his career. He wants to be a No. 1 ruck somewhere.
“It’s probably time, if he is going to become a number one ruck at a club. It’s unlikely going to be at Richmond in the short term. So he wants to leave Richmond, but equally we know that they hold a whip hand in the sense that he’s a contracted player.”
Port Adelaide is hoping to secure Soldo for a second-round pick in either this year or next year’s draft.
“It doesn’t really matter what draft picks you’ve got you know unless Richmond are willing to let him go to this point that hasn’t been the case despite the fact that you know he’s wanted to leave,” Davies said on Trade Radio.
“We want to get these deals done and we’re going to have to work through that.”
Sweet is viewed as a back-up ruckman for Port Adelaide’s list, having played just 11 AFL games over five seasons for the Bulldogs.
The 25-year-old averaged 13.8 disposals, 43.2 hit-outs and five clearances across 19 VFL matches for Footscray this year.
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