AFL trades 2022: Xavier Duursma rules out move to North Melbourne or West Coast to break trade deadlock
Xavier Duursma has no interest in moving to North Melbourne or West Coast as the trade standoff continues. What does it mean for Junior Rioli and Jason Horne-Francis?
Port Adelaide
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Port Adelaide young gun Xavier Duursma has no interest in moving to North Melbourne or West Coast to help break the deadlock in the proposed three-way trade for Jason Horne-Francis.
The Eagles want a promising young player as part of the deal to satisfy the Eagles and trigger a move to send North Melbourne’s Horne-Francis and Eagles’ Junior Rioli to Port Adelaide.
West Coast would slide back from pick two to eight and receive the Power’s future first-round draft pick in return as part of the proposal.
But the Eagles aren’t satisfied with the offering as it stands and want a player such as star key forward Mitch Georgiades to be part of the deal.
Duursma’s future has also come into focus as part of the three-club talks, but the man whose form dipped this year playing 11 games has made it clear he does not want to switch clubs and move interstate.
Duursma has stated his desire to stay at Port and help drive the team back into the premiership mix next season in talks with club chiefs and his manager, David Trotter, from Hemisphere management.
Duursma, an exciting and dynamic wingman, was brilliant in his first two seasons but has struggled with injury issues more recently.
The 22-year-old from South Gippsland was originally taken pick 18 as part of the package Port received for losing Chad Wingard to Hawthorn in 2017.
West Coast list boss Rohan O’Brien will remain engaged in talks with North Melbourne and Port Adelaide on Friday as the three clubs work in good faith to try and complete a deal.
But if West Coast is not satisfied with the proposal it will happily keep pick two and deal separately with the Power on a deal for Junior Rioli to Port.
West Coast is talking tough on Rioli who wants to move to South Australia, in part, for family reasons.
North Melbourne have said it is prepared to keep Horne-Francis to his contract at Arden St next year but there are also concerns about whether the No. 1 pick would happily commit to another season at the Kangaroos following a turbulent first season.
Horne-Francis’ professionalism was questioned this year but there remains high hopes for his playing career once he settles and adapts to the rigours of playing at the highest level.
There remains high confidence Melbourne ruckman Luke Jackson will get to Fremantle as part of a deal for the Dockers’ pick 13, a future first and second-rounder.
As part of that deal the Demons would give something extra back to Fremantle.
That deal will clinch Brodie Grundy’s move from Collingwood to Melbourne with sources close to the deal certain Jackson will get to Fremantle and Grundy will line-up for Melbourne next year.
EAGLES ASKED FOR POWER STAR IN RIOLI SWAP
Simeon Thomas-Wilson
Port Adelaide has rejected West Coast’s bid for Dan Houston as the two clubs discuss deals that could ultimately get the Power both Jason Horne-Francis and Junior Rioli.
The Eagles have looked at the Power’s list to try and see if there would be a current player the Power would be willing to give up as part of the deal to send Rioli to Alberton.
It is understood they inquired about Houston, but the answer from the Power was no.
Houston, 25, signed a five-year deal with the Power in March and had a career-best season for Port in 2022, averaging 23 disposals and six marks a game.
Rioli, 27, wants to move to the Power after 51 games for the Eagles.
He missed the 2020 and 2021 seasons after receiving a ban for tampering with a urine sample, and returned to AFL action this year.
The Eagles voiced their frustration when Rioli informed them that he wanted to join the Power last month.
But with Rioli out of contract, the Eagles face the prospect of him going to the pre-season draft if they can’t come to an agreement with the Power – but there is still confidence that a deal gets done.
West Coast has the second pick of the pre-season draft, while the Power are at No.8.
But Rioli agreed a contract with the Power that the Eagles weren’t willing to match, meaning it isn’t as simple as West Coast redrafting Rioli in the pre-season draft if the two clubs can’t come to an agreement.
Big Cat wants out, Bowes demand declared
– Jon Ralph
Geelong will sit down with Gold Coast on Friday to broker a deal on Jack Bowes with the Suns adamant the they want a second-rounder from the Cats to trade the No. 7 pick as part of the overall package.
Big Cat
The Cats believe they can retain pick 7 to head to the draft table, and use picks including 18 and 38 to secure deals for Collingwood’s Ollie Henry and GWS mid Tanner Bruhn.
But, as reported by the Herald Sun on Sunday, a key part of the Suns’ trade demands will be to accept a future second-rounder back as part of the Bowes deal.
If the Cats are not prepared to hand back a future selection the Suns will be happy to trade Bowes – and his $1.8 million salary – but not the cherished No. 7 pick.
The Cats have made clear how much they want Bowes as a player after scouting him for months, with recommendations from Gary Ablett Jr and Patrick Dangerfield.
Meanwhile, swingman Esava Ratugolea is keen to get to Port Adelaide after meeting the Power last week, but for now has been told Geelong will not trade him.
GWS has not expressed interest in Ratugolea after asking to have him included in the Jeremy Cameron trade last year. The 24-year-old is aware of Geelong’s statement but is keen to play at the Power.
Draft picks 18 and 38 will not be enough for the Henry and Bruhn deals, so trading Ratugolea is one way to secure enough draft collateral to help those deals and use pick 7 at the draft.
Geelong has told the contracted Ratugolea it is hopeful he can be a regular part of its side next year but with Sam De Koning, Tom Stewart and Jack Henry playing in defence it is hard to see where he would ply his trade.
He was thrown back with impressive results in the last portion of the VFL season and the Power believe he can play all year for them in that role.
The Power are busy on deals for Jason Horne-Francis and Willie Rioli but still believe they can come to an agreement on Ratugolea if the Cats relent.
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Originally published as AFL trades 2022: Xavier Duursma rules out move to North Melbourne or West Coast to break trade deadlock
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