The Western Bulldogs are open to trading midfielder Josh Dunkley but they would like to see a significant offer from the Bombers
Josh Dunkley’s manager has put the pressure on the Bulldogs to find a deal for ‘everybody’ as the midfielder seeks a new home with Essendon.
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The ball is squarely in the Western Bulldogs’ court on Josh Dunkley, the premiership Dog’s manager has declared.
Dunkley on Thursday requested a trade to Essendon and while the Bulldogs’ initial hardline approach had appeared to soften, list boss Sam Power was adamant that the club’s “priority is to keep him” and that Essendon would need to produce a compelling offer to wrench the star out of Whitten Oval.
But Dunkley’s manager Liam Pickering said that he considered there to be “a deal there for everybody”.
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It was just a matter of getting it done.
“Nothing that I’ve heard from in the last 24 hours (has developed),” Pickering said on SEN on Saturday.
“I haven’t heard too much more. I’ve been speaking to the Bombers, obviously. But I’m not sure what they’re putting together behind the scenes.
“I think there’ll be a deal there for everybody, if they want to do it.
“That’s really up to the Dogs now.”
Pickering said the Bombers had first shown interest in Dunkley “two months ago”, which he had dismissed given the Dog has two years remaining on his contract.
But further inquiries from Tullamarine had eventually piqued Dunkley’s interest, given his want to play more as an inside midfielder.
Pickering also moved to quell reports that out-of-contract Kangaroo Jed Anderson had been spotted meeting with his former coach, Hawthorn boss Alastair Clarkson, affirming that the Roo was in Darwin.
Dogs soften their stance
The Western Bulldogs’ hard-line approach to a trade request from Josh Dunkley has softened significantly with the club’s general manager of list and recruiting Sam Power putting the pressure back on Essendon to engineer a deal worthy of consideration.
While Power insisted the Dogs’ priority was to retain Dunkley, he said the club was “open” to further discussions with the Bombers.
Just a day after Dunkley officially sought a trade to Essendon, Power said there was still a lot to play out before Thursday’s trade deadline, indicating the 23-year-old could yet remain at the Whitten Oval.
“Our priority is to keep him,” Power said on Trade Radio. “We have to be open to different situations, we’ll work through that with Essendon, but our position hasn’t changed.”
Power said the Bombers would need to come up with a compelling offer for the Bulldogs to take the matter any further.
That concession is a far cry from a statement from Bulldogs chief executive Ameet Bains late last month where he said: “It’s not happening. He’s not going anywhere”.
The club’s softened stance on a possible trade shows a deal could be done for the right price, although it’s likely negotiations could push deep into next week, complicating other potential deals.
Power has already had several discussions with Essendon list manager Adrian Dodoro about Dunkley, who is still contracted until the end of 2022.
“I’ve had a couple of chats with Adrian Dodoro, but at this stage nothing has been presented to us in a formal sense,” Power said.
“Guys that have moved clubs with two years on a contract, there’s a significant premium on that.
“There’s every chance he’s here and a Bulldogs player (in 2021) and that’s what we want.”
Dunkley’s manager Liam Pickering said his client’s desire to play as an inside midfielder after being starved of chances in 2020 played a key role in his decision.
The Bombers have offered him a lucrative, long-term deal to entice him to Tullamarine.
Power said the Bulldogs were blindsided by Dunkley’s about-face, given he had signed a contract extension in the middle of this year.
“He’s part of our leadership group and someone we planned to be an integral part (of our club) going forward,” he said.
“We’d extended (his contract) by three years halfway through the 2019 season, and that obviously demonstrated how he felt about the club and what we felt about him going forward.”
He stressed the club believed Dunkley could spend more time in the midfield next year if he stays, saying the player had had a discussion with Dogs coach Luke Beveridge.
“Those opportunities that he sort of thinks that Essendon may be able provide (as an inside midfielder) we know we’d be able to provide Josh with those similar opportunities.”
Power said the club was keeping an eye on the Adam Treloar standoff with Collingwood, saying they would “monitor the situation”.
He also said Demon forward Mitch Hannan was very keen to join the club, even if “we’ve got a bit to work through there”, while confirming Brisbane ruckman Stefan Martin was a player of interest to the club.
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Dogs play hardball on Dunkley’s Essendon wish
- Jon Ralph
Western Bulldogs great Brad Johnson says his club should maximise a trade for Western Bulldog Josh Dunkley after he officially requested a release to Essendon.
Dunkley’s manager, Liam Pickering, said Dunkley had told Bulldogs list manager Sam Power that he wanted to play as an inside midfielder after being starved of chances this year.
But on Thursday night the Bulldogs remained resolute that they would not release a player who had two seasons remaining on his contract.
Pickering said the 23-year-old Dunkley, who made the All-Australian squad of 40 last year, endured a “frustrating” season in which he was pushed to half-forward and into the ruck.
“On behalf of Josh we let the Bulldogs know he is keen to get to the Bombers,” Pickering told Trade Radio.
“The Dogs’ initial starting point is they are not interested in trading him, but Josh is pretty keen to get there.
“It is really up to the Bombers and the Dogs to get together and see if they can change their opinion or get something worthwhile to make it happen.”
But the Dogs confirmed their intent to keep Dunkley, saying in a statement: “Josh is a required player at the Bulldogs, who has two years remaining on a contract which was extended by three years in June 2019.
“The club has been in frequent dialogue with Josh and his management over the past few weeks, and reiterated its intention for him to remain a Western Bulldogs player.”
Former Bulldogs captain Johnson told Fox Footy’s Trading Day he believed the Dogs should not keep Dunkley against his wishes.
“I think when it gets to this point you have to try to execute a deal,” he said.
“If the player says, ‘I want a trade’ you have to get something from that because eventually the player will walk anyway.
“I think a deal will have to be struck here for the football club, as much as it hurts to say.
“Josh is a premiership player at the Bulldogs and I do know him really well. He has requested it and they have to do the best deal out of this.
“What Essendon gets is a guy who will take their footy club and standards to a level they don’t know exists.
“He is that good, the way he prepares himself, the way he thinks about the game and his life, he takes that with him and they will cash in from that straight away.”
Pickering said Dunkley’s reasons were purely related to his on-field role, denying there was any cultural problem at the Dogs that had pushed him out of the club.
Despite the Dunkley setback, the Dogs are set to secure Lions tall Stef Martin as back up for young improving ruckman Tim English.
Martin had hoped to remain at the Lions but with Brisbane unable to commit to him the Dogs will secure him for a late pick.
Despite reports, Essendon will not try to push GWS recruit Jye Caldwell through the pre-season draft.
The Dons are happy to offer a future second-round pick to the Giants in what will be an uncompromised draft in 2021.
Having asked for a raft of young stars including Xavier Duursma and Zak Butters in exchange for Orazio Fantasia, the Bombers now want a pick at around No.20.
The Power have offered up their No.29 draft pick but the Dons believe that will blow out to 38 once father-son and NGA selections come into play.
Fantasia and his management have told Essendon again within the past 48 hours that there is no way he is prepared to play at the Dons again in 2021 despite being contracted.
The Bombers had indicated they might keep him next year if a deal falls through.
But while the Dons will have to haggle over that pair of deals and negotiations on Adam Saad, there is a high level of confidence all three players will get to the club.
They will also likely secure Gold Coast’s Peter Wright if the Suns can cover some of a salary estimated to be around $500,000 per season.
VIC CLUBS FIGHT OVER EX-BOMBER
St Kilda has manoeuvred back in front of Melbourne as a suitor for former Essendon ruck-forward Shaun McKernan.
The renewed push comes as the Saints’ bid to land Brad Crouch spills into a fourth day.
McKernan has proved one of football’s great survivors, set to be handed another one-year contract by either St Kilda or the Demons after 11 seasons at Adelaide and Essendon.
Melbourne has offered McKernan a deal and believes he would provide valuable ruck and forward cover despite the club’s certain acquisition of Ben Brown.
Demons list boss Tim Lamb and Roos list manager Scott Clayton spoke on Monday about a trade for Brown, with a late first-round or early second-round pick set to be the Roos’ asking price.
But while McKernan seemed headed to the Demons, St Kilda has again pushed strongly for his services and has the better offer in front of him.
The demand for his services shows the premium on ruck-forwards who can easily switch between those two positions.
St Kilda is hopeful Adelaide will not match a bid for free agent Brad Crouch by the 5pm deadline on Friday, which would hand the Crows pick 23 in the national draft as compensation.
But if the Crows choose to match the bid they will request a first-round selection as compensation.
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St Kilda has made clear its No. 17 draft pick this year is off limits given it has other ideas for that selection.
It could be prepared to offer its future first-round selection next year.
The Saints are also pursuing Richmond’s Jack Higgins, despite the No. 17 selection in the 2017 national draft still being required by the Tigers.
St Kilda would need to trade for Higgins, and would likely lose Jack Lonie elsewhere if he arrived, having offered Lonie only a one-year deal instead of the two-season offer he is seeking.