Melbourne’s Jesse Hogan open to trade to Fremantle

JESSE Hogan has likely played his last game at Melbourne after making it clear he is open to a trade to Fremantle this year. And he’s not the Dockers’ only big target.

Jesse Hogan of the Demons.

JESSE Hogan has likely played his last game at Melbourne after making it clear he is open to a trade to Fremantle this year.

The Melbourne star, who kicked 47 goals in just 20 games this year, will likely be traded to the Dockers just as he enters his prime at the age of 23.

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His management will meet with Melbourne in coming days to discuss his options, but the Demons are believed to be open to working through what a trade would look like.

The Herald Sun understands even if he stays next season he will not sign a contract extension over the summer past his current deal which expires at the end of 2019.

In conversations with his management over the last week he has finally declared he is open to a trade if Melbourne is also on board.

Fremantle is also aggressively pursuing GWS ruckman Rory Lobb, who has met both the Dockers and West Coast in recent days as he consider his options.

Jesse Hogan could be on the move to Fremantle.

GWS is aware of his moves and says a trade is no certainty but clearly a club that has already told Jeremy Finlayson it will trade him has serious cap issues.

Lobb is on a deal of up to $800,000 a season, but trading him would lay bare the Giants’ ruck department.

Melbourne’s starting point in a trade for Hogan would be to ask for Fremantle’s first draft pick, which is currently No.5 but will be pushed back to six by a Tom Lynch compensation selection.

There might be other components to that trade but they would be unlikely to also receive Brisbane’s pick 4 for Hogan if they traded it to Fremantle for Lachie Neale.

It was reported on Tuesday Fremantle would offer Hogan a multimillion-dollar deal for Hogan, which it has done in recent seasons to attempt to lure him home.

But Hogan’s openness to a trade in discussions with his manager — and Melbourne’s acceptance that it might trade him — are game-changers.

Has Jesse Hogan played his last game for the Demons?

Hogan is yet to formally request a trade but with his management meeting with the Demons as early as Wednesday everything points to a likely trade.

Melbourne must weigh up his undoubted potential with the reality they will inevitably lose him to a Perth-based club, with Hogan’s currency never higher.

Melbourne would be able to clear cap space to have a decent crack at a key defender like Steven May, and the draft pick the Demons would receive in return would be acceptable to Gold Coast.

Collingwood and Hawthorn are both interested in May, but have draft picks outside the top 10, with the Suns adamant they won’t trade their co-captain for a mid-teens pick.

Fremantle today announced former captain Peter Bell as its new head of football after Brad Lloyd departed for Carlton to head up its football department.

Only this month Melbourne coach Simon Goodwin had said he did not want to trade Hogan.

“I’ve found that interesting discussion, he’s missed one game and all of a sudden he’s tradeable,” Goodwin said.

“This is a guy who was potentially heading towards All-Australian (selection) before he got injured.

“His first 71 games as a player with the Melbourne footy club rank with the best of anyone in the competition.

“He’s a Melbourne person through and through, Jesse, and we love having him in our team.”

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