Western Bulldogs pair Joel Hamling, Marcus Adams looking at move to Western Australia
UPDATE: WESTERN Bulldogs Grand Final hero Joel Hamling will play for Fremantle next season after making the tough call to leave the Kennel.
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WESTERN Bulldogs Grand Final hero Joel Hamling will play for Fremantle next season after making the tough call to leave the Kennel.
The Herald Sun has confirmed the key defender has chosen to accept a three-year deal with the Dockers.
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The move will allow the 23-year-old to be closer to his ill father.
The Dockers and Bulldogs will begin thrashing out a trade deal in the coming days.
The move comes only a fortnight after Hamling’s Grand Final heroics where he shut down superstar Swan Lance Franklin in the Dogs’ premiership win.
Hamling will play a crucial defensive role for the Dockers as they attempt to rise back up the ladder next season.
Dockers’ list chief Brad Lloyd said Fremantle’s top pick – No. 7 – won’t be part of the Hamling deal.
Lloyd said the Dockers were thrilled to welcome the 194cm defender.
“With the Grand Final celebrations it has been more difficult to come to a decision, but he has indicated to us that he would like to get back to Western Australia and play for Fremantle, which is fantastic news,” Lloyd said.
“He did a really good job through the finals and he is only 23 years of age and really growing as a player.”
Dogs’ full back Marcus Adams is also keen to return home to Western Australia but Hamling’s departure means the Dogs will be even less likely to entertain the prospect of trading Adams.
The Herald Sun on Friday revealed Adams is keen to explore a trade for personal reasons and West Coast has confirmed it wants the strong-bodied backman.
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It remains unclear what the Dogs want from Fremantle at the trade table in return for Hamling.
The former Cat has played 23 games in two years at the Kennel but his stocks rose dramatically during the finals series.
Fremantle, on the hunt for defensive reinforcements, has been monitoring Hamling since the opening rounds of the season. When the Dockers contacted the Bulldogs about the 23-year-old not long after, they were met with a wait-and-see response.
Both clubs then watched as Hamling went from playing three games in the first 18 rounds to featuring in the last nine, including the shutdown job on Lance Franklin in the Grand Final.
Hamling’s future could shape Adams’. He has a year to run on a contract and would be made to stay if Hamling departs.
West Coast football manager Craig Vozzo said the Eagles are keen on Adams.
“Marcus is certainly a player of interest to us,” Vozzo said.
“He’s contracted obviously. We’re pretty keen to explore it if that’s something that the Bulldogs want to have a look at and Marcus does as well.”
Adams’ manager Jason Dover has asked the Dogs if they can facilitate a trade to Fremantle or West Coast. But the Dogs want to keep the emerging stopper and have told him a deal this year is unlikely.
“There are some personal reasons why Marcus would prefer to get back home now if he could, but we also understand that is unlikely,” Dover said.
“We have had some open conversations with the club over the last couple of months about where Marcus is at personally and suggested if the right opportunity came up, we wouldn’t be opposed to it.
“We certainly didn’t go demanding a trade or else.
West Coast confirm they're keen on Dog Marcus Adams. Has come from left field but Adams keen to move for personal reasons.
— Jay Clark (@ClarkyHeraldSun) October 14, 2016
Unbelievable situation for Joel Hamling. Delisted without a game by Geelong two years ago, premiership player, now offered $1m+ to move home
— Nick Wade (@nick_wade) October 11, 2016
“He is a required player and they prefer he sees out his contract next year, which we completely understood, and as a result his focus is on going back and playing with the Bulldogs next year.”
Adams, 23, who arrived as a mature-age recruit last summer, played 11 highly promising games before a foot injury ended his campaign.
The Bulldogs are suddenly blessed in the key back department. First-year stopper Kieran Collins showed promise in his debut season.
The Bulldogs announced on Friday Matthew Boyd had signed a one-year contract extension, which will take him into his 15th season at Whitten Oval.
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