Giants make late bid for O’Meara as North make mega moves in four-way trade

Greater Western Sydney have made a surprise late bid for Hawthorn’s star midfielder Jaeger O’Meara, meaning the Hawks could potentially trade out both O’Meara and Brownlow medallist Tom Mitchell in the next 48 hours.

With a deal for inside midfielder Jacob Hopper to Richmond likely to go through and reunite him with Tim Taranto at Punt Road, the Giants are looking for experienced support and have made enquiries with Hawthorn about O’Meara, club sources confirmed.

The Giants are interested in trading for Jaeger O’Meara.Credit: AFL Photos

The 28-year-old is contracted for one more year at the Hawks on significant money but could sign a new multi-year contract at GWS on revised terms. Hawthorn could also contribute to his salary next year. But the club is still grappling with the prospect of trading O’Meara out and whether a deal can be done.

The Hawks want to improve their draft position and foster the next generation of midfielders. The Giants currently have picks 15, 18, 19 and several more picks in the late rounds and will gain further picks from Richmond in the Hopper deal.

The idea for the move gathered pace at Stephen Coniglio’s wedding in Sydney at the weekend. O’Meara and Coniglio have been close friends since childhood and O’Meara is friendly with a number of the Giants players.

GWS contacted Hawthorn on Monday to discuss the possible O’Meara trade.

Mitchell is already likely to be traded to Collingwood if a deal is finalised for Brodie Grundy to move to Melbourne.

The potential loss of the experienced pair would add to the departure of Jack Gunston – who is headed to Brisbane – and former captain Ben McEvoy as the Hawks seek to expedite their regeneration under coach Sam Mitchell.

The Hawthorn-GWS talks came as North Melbourne took the unprecedented step of trading first picks from last year and this year in the one day.

North acquiesced to the request of 2021 No.1 draft pick Jason Horne-Francis – the first No.1 pick the club had had in its history – to be traded to Port Adelaide after just one season.

Jason Horne-Francis has been traded to Port Adelaide.Credit: Getty Images

It was the first time in more than 20 years a club has traded pick one in the national draft, the last time being when Fremantle traded pick one to Hawthorn essentially for Trent Croad and Luke McPharlin. Hawthorn chose Luke Hodge with that pick one.

In one of the biggest trades the AFL has seen, North traded out Horne-Francis and gave up pick one from this year in return for picks two and three in this year’s national draft, plus the Power’s first-round pick next year as part of a mega trade involving four clubs.

“We’re really bullish about the players we rank in top three picks in this year’s draft. We’ve found it hard to split them all year,” North’s list manager Brady Rawlings told The Age.

“Regardless of what happens next, we’ll get at least two elite players in November as well as the bonus pick with Port’s future first-rounder next year.”

While North could not split three players at the top of the draft pool, GWS traded up to pick one to be certain they got the player they wanted, whom industry sources expect to be key forward Aaron Cadman. The Giants traded picks three and 12 to move to pick one.

Midfielders George Wardlaw, Elijah Tsatas and forward Harry Sheezel are all expected to be in that mix of top prospects North is considering.

The net effect for each club of the mega deal was as follows:

• Greater Western Sydney received pick one.
• North Melbourne received picks two, three and Port Adelaide’s future first-rounder.
• West Coast got picks eight, 12 and Port Adelaide’s future second- and third-rounders.
• Port Adelaide got Horne-Francis, Junior Rioli from West Coast and give up their future first-, second- and third-round picks. The Power received future second-round picks tied to Collingwood and a future third-round pick tied to Fremantle.

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