AFL trade whispers: Essendon should look at Jonathon Patton after signing key defender Cale Hooker

ESSENDON should target Jonathon Patton, Fremantle has money for Jesse Hogan and Gold Coast Suns star firmly on Bombers radar. LISTEN TO THE BIG DEAL PODCAST

Fremantle has its sights set on Melbourne spearhead Jesse Hogan. Picture: Wayne Ludbey

ESSENDON needs to find Joe Daniher a co-pilot and should make Jonathon Patton a trade priority.

On the back of Cale Hooker’s long-term commitment it is time for the Bombers to be bold and aggressive.

Patton is signed until 2017 and happy in Sydney — but gettable, possibly even this year given the high percentage of players now traded under contract.

And after recovering from two ACLs the No. 1 draft pick won’t cost the farm, like his mate Tom Boyd.

The Herald Sunrevealed Patton this month purchased a $1.24 million house in Richmond and he might not even wind up in the Giants’ best team, given Rory Lobb’s emergence alongside Jeremy Cameron.

GWS also has a swath of promising academy products on the way, including key-position goalkickers. Scary stuff.

Patton’s parents are friends with Bombers list manager Adrian Dodoro while Essendon innovation manager Kevin Sheedy coached him for two seasons at Greater Western Sydney.

Faced with a similar forward conundrum last year, Melbourne aggressively secured a second top-10 pick and landed spearhead Sam Weideman to partner Hogan.

The top of this year’s draft class is filled with midfielders, so the Bombers will need to think laterally if they want to beef up their failing forward line.

If not Patton, Jack Martin is a name which should be on Dodoro’s whiteboard.

Martin grew up a Bombers man and is coming on at a rate of knots this year, his ball use and goalsense already in the top bracket.

A mini Michael O’Loughlin, some have mused.

Again, Martin is contracted until 2017 and there are no signs he will leave the Suns — but a player of his quality would eliminate the urgent need to find A-grade midfielders, list expert Chris Pelchen said.

Essendon supporters have been through the ringer the past four years. As the club finally shows signs of emerging through the other side it is time to go all out.

Fremantle has its sights set on Jesse Hogan. Picture: Wayne Ludbey

WILL Jesse Hogan be the next Fremantle trade target to pick up the phone and turn down Ross Lyon?

Now that Cale Hooker has knocked back Fremantle, attention turns to whether Melbourne’s glittering spearhead Hogan will do the same.

Clearly, the Dockers have some cash in the bank, with Luke McPharlin gone and Matthew Pavlich and Aaron Sandilands potentially in their final seasons.

Fremantle has been long linked to Hogan, who is from Western Australia.

The Rising Star winner is out of contract next season and former West Coast Eagle Karl Langdon recently said it was a “fait accompli” that Hogan would be heading home by the end of his current deal.

But if any club can afford to match a lucrative rival offer, it is Melbourne.

Rather, Hogan’s decision will likely come down to the team’s prospects, if not for any unforeseen family circumstance.

With Fremantle 0-5 and the Demons surging with back-to-back wins last weekend, it is fair to debate whether Melbourne is in fact closer to a premiership than the ageing Dockers.

Melbourne has nine top-10 picks, to the Dockers’ three.

If team success was a factor in Hooker’s decision in recent weeks, Hogan would surely be weighing up the similar conundrum.

Matthew Lobbe has struggled to make an impact this season. Picture: Getty

WESTERN Bulldogs may have dodged a bullet missing out on its preferred ruck target in last year’s trade period.

The Dogs offered up pick No. 11 in return for Port Adelaide’s Lobbe. Under the proposed deal, the Power would have had to give a decent pick (we think second-round) back to the Dogs.

But with Paddy Ryder suspended for the year, the Power declined the Dogs’ offer.

But Lobbe has struggled this year.

According to Champion Data, Lobbe is rated poor for disposals (averages eight a game), hitout win percentage and hitout to advantage percentage.

The Dogs ended up swapping No. 11 for No. 25 (Josh Dunkley) and No. 26 (Kieran Collins) and would be happy now with the outcome.

Originally published as AFL trade whispers: Essendon should look at Jonathon Patton after signing key defender Cale Hooker