Saints star Ben Long has officially told the club he wants a trade to the Gold Coast

A St Kilda utility has told the club he wants to be traded to a club in Queensland in another development in his trade saga.

Ben Long of the Saints. Photo by Bradley Kanaris/Getty Images.

Saints star Ben Long has officially told the club he wants out.

St Kilda confirmed in a statement on Wednesday the 25-year-old wants to be traded to the Gold Coast Suns.

Long’s future has been clouded for more than 12 months after he was linked with a potential trade to Essendon last year.

He was also reported to have been a trade target for the Kangaroos following Alastair Clarkson’s decision to take over as coach.

St Kilda list boss James Gallagher said the club will work with the Suns to negotiate an “appropriate trade”.

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“Ben has had a contract offer from the Club for a number of months now, so we’re naturally disappointed to receive this news, particularly as we believe Ben has a lot of good football in front of him,” Gallagher said.

“While the option to stay at the Saints remains, and we would be disappointed to see Ben go, we will work with the Suns to see if an appropriate trade can be reached.”

Ben Long of the Saints. Photo by Bradley Kanaris/Getty Images.

The star utility, who’s the nephew of dual premiership Bomber and Norm Smith Medallist Michael Long, has played 79 games for the Saints since being drafted with Pick 25 in the 2016 national draft.

The Suns are set to be a major player during the 2022 Trade Period with the club also linked with Western Bulldogs’ defender Jason Johannisen.

The Suns will have plenty of trade ammunition following star Izak Rankine’s request to be traded to the Crows.

Fringe players Jeremy Sharp, Brayden Fiorini and Josh Corbett have also reportedly attracted interest from rival clubs.

Eagles fuming after Junior Rioli officially requests trade

Junior Rioli has officially requested a trade away from West Coast after weeks of speculation surrounding his future.

The Eagles star was sighted in Adelaide meeting with Port Adelaide officials where he said he hoped to join the club, before he returned to Perth.

On Tuesday he officially submitted his trade request with the Power offering up a more lucrative contract and a chance for Rioli to be closer to his family.

Despite the family motive, the Eagles weren’t happy with the trade request and did little to hide their emotion with Rioli.

The club stood by Rioli after he served a two-year ban from the AFL for doping after he was found to have tampered with a urine sample on two occasions.

“We could not have done any more to support Junior since his infraction in 2019,” CEO Trevor Nisbett said.

“We facilitated his appeal and subsequent return to football, so this decision is ‘bitterly disappointing.’

“We will put that disappointment to one side now and work to arrange a suitable trade for a player who has high end talent, is a premiership player and is in the prime of his career, having played just 51 games of senior football.

“Junior has made his decision and while he has indicated Port is his preferred destination we will work to get the best outcome for our club.”

Catch ya. (Photo by Paul Kane/Getty Images)

Luke Jackson trade can’t solve Demons’ biggest problem

The possibility of Collingwood star Brodie Grundy replacing Luke Jackson at the Demons still doesn’t solve the club’s biggest problem, Melbourne legend Garry Lyon says.

Jackson, 20, who was a key part of Melbourne’s 2021 premiership win, told the club at his exit meeting on Tuesday that he wanted to be traded.

That came after months of speculation, the Dockers have been preparing a monster multi-million dollar contract offer for the star ruckman.

Fremantle is thought to be the leading contender to secure Jackson, although he didn’t nominate a preferred club, leaving the door open for the West Coast Eagles.

The Herald Sun reports the Demons are demanding two picks inside the top 10 to let Jackson, the third pick in the 2019 draft, leave after three seasons with the team.

Luke Jackson celebrates a goal. Photo by Chris Hyde/Getty Images.

The Demons are reportedly preparing to use one of those top-end draft picks in a potential trade with the Magpies surrounding Grundy’s long-term contract.

It has been widely reported the club wants to move Grundy on and is even willing to pay some of his wages if he leaves.

The possibility of Grundy and Max Gawn forming a superstar rucking partnership would leave the club in a strong position, however, Lyon said the potential blockbuster trade would not fix the Demons’ biggest issue — a lack of forward line firepower.

He told SEN Breakfast on Wednesday morning he can’t see Gawn or Grundy transitioning into key forward targets.

“Max and him can play in the same team, and that’s a great strength, but how do they fix the problem that has dogged them all year and that is forward of centre,” Lyon said.

“If you do get two first rounders, then one of those goes to Collingwood for Brodie Grundy.

“The Demons lose Jackson, he’s gone, so they’re going to end up with two great ruckmen, how does that work in terms of sharing the load and all that? Because neither of them… look like they can go down here and fix this problem forward of centre.”

He said the Demons appear to be committed to the prospect of turning Gawn into a forward capable of kicking 35-45 goals per season.

“I don’t see that. I don’t. I think he’s an unbelievable footy player but I’m not sure he’s going to be the answer to their forward problems and therein lies the conundrum,” he said.