AFL Trade Period Day 4: Demons legend tells Crows to ‘bugger off’

The heat has been turned up in the AFL Trade Period with one club’s audacious million-dollar move being angrily rejected.

Ollie Lord and Esava Rategolea could be traded for each other.

Welcome to news.com.au’s rolling coverage of Day 4 of the AFL Trade Period.

The opening days of the off-season have been headlined by the Sydney Swans recruiting a swag of players including Taylor Adams from Collingwood and Brodie Grundy from Melbourne.

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Adelaide defender Tom Doedee has joined the Brisbane Lions on a long-term deal, while North Melbourne received Pick 3 as compensation for defender Ben McKay moving to Essendon.

Follow below for live updates from another day of AFL trade movement.

1.15pm - Crows told to ‘bugger off’

Melbourne legend Garry Lyon has told the Crows to “bugger off” after it emerged the Adelaide club was sniffing around star forward Harrison Petty.

The Herald Sun first reported the Crows have let Petty know the club is considering an offer for him that could average $800,000-per-season and reach as high as $1 million in the first year.

Melbourne is reportedly desperate to keep Petty given the club’s lack of key forwards and the departure of Brodie Grundy to Sydney.

Petty also remains contracted with the Demons through to the end of 2025.

According to widespread reports, Petty is interested in moving to South Australia, but has indicated to the Demons he is happy to stay.

It has been reported Petty is not considering signing an extension with the Demons.

It’s why Lyon told SEN on Thursday the Demons have the power to tell the Crows to not even bother.

“If I’m Melbourne, I’m going, ‘We’re not trading Harrison Petty. He’s got two years. He’s with us for 2024 an 2025’,” he said.

“Don’t even. We’ve got your number on our phone dial and if we see the Adelaide Crows’ number coming up and it hasn’t got pick seven or six or five or four, then nick off. That’s how I’d deal with it.”

Lyon said even an offer of the Crows’ No. 10 pick would not be enough for him to part ways with Petty.

Riley Thrilthorpe, Ollie Lord and Harrison Petty.

“Harrison Petty at Melbourne is an enormously valuable commodity because the one area they are most lacking is filled by him,” he said.

After saying Melbourne fans already bemoan the lack of key forward targets, Lyon said the Demons should tell the Crows to “bugger off”.

Earlier on Thursday, Port Adelaide premiership winner Kane Cornes told AFL Trade Radio the Crows should cough up prized forward Riley Thilthorpe if the club wants to get Melbourne interested.

The Crows took Thilthorpe with the No. 2 overall pick in the 2020 AFL Draft.

Adelaide reportedly wants Petty included in a swap for departing forward Shane McAdam, but the Demons want to offer a pick in the 30s.

The Demons have offered its Pick 46 for fringe Brisbane ruck/forward Tom Fullarton as they look to bolster their key position stocks.

The Crows have secured Pick 14 and forward Chris Burgess from the Gold Coast Suns.

The Adelaide Crows want Harrison Petty from Melbourne. (Photo by Dylan Burns/AFL Photos via Getty Images)

10.40am - Cats playing hardball as trade ‘gets ugly’

Geelong and Port Adelaide are haggling on negotiations around a trade for Cats utility Esava Ratugolea.

The Cats have rejected Port’s offer of Pick 24 for Ratugolea in a bid to extract maximum trade value for the 25-year-old.

If a deal gets done, Ratugolea is set to join Brandon Zerk-Thatcher and Aliir Aliir in a new look Port Adelaide backline.

Kane Cornes believes Geelong are asking for an unrealistic return from the Power in exchange for Ratugolea.

“All of a sudden Chris Scott thinks Esava Ratugolea is Glen Jakovich,” Cornes said on AFL Trade Radio, referencing the legendary defender who battled with Wayne Carey in the 1990s.

Geelong are playing hardball on a trade for Esava Ratugolea. (Photo by Will Russell/AFL Photos via Getty Images)

“I don’t think Geelong rated Esava. They rate him now, but when he was actually there and available for selection, there were always five or six players that were picked in front of him and now they’re saying: ‘No, he’s worth more than that’.”

Meanwhile, Geelong are reportedly interested in Power youngster Ollie Lord after he enjoyed a solid debut season and kicked four goals in the qualifying final loss to Brisbane.

Lord’s grandfather Alastair is a Geelong legend and won the 1962 Brownlow Medal.

Cornes said: “I think this is smart. They’ve gone, ‘You want Esava Ratugolea, we want Ollie Lord’.

The Cats are interested in Port Adelaide’s Ollie Lord. (Photo by Michael Willson/AFL Photos via Getty Images)

“I like what Geelong is doing, but this deal is getting just a little bit ugly with Esava Ratugolea if they’re saying he’s worth more than Pick 24 already.”

Brad Johnson added: “I like it, (Geelong is saying): ‘You want one of ours, let’s do a direct player-for-player swap, you need Esava in your back half, we need a replacement for Tom Hawkins in the future. Let’s do a deal’.

“Ollie Lord is just a young man finding his way. He had a good final and everyone‘s pretty excited about where his future will land.”