Collingwood star Dayne Beams will join Brisbane, while Port Adelaide remain confident they will recruit Essendon ruckman Paddy Ryder.
But with two days of the AFL trade period remaining, Western Bulldogs captain Ryan Griffen’s hopes of walking out on his club remain unclear.
The bartering over wantaways Beams and Ryder, contracted to their current clubs in 2015, has been reasonably amicable.
The same cannot be said of the Bulldogs’ dealings with Greater Western Sydney.
Dogs president Peter Gordon, on learning of Griffen’s wish to be traded to GWS last week, was furious.
“We are extremely disappointed at his approach and have no intention of indulging it,” Gordon said.
That stance softened on Monday, when the Bulldogs were ready to ship out their two-time club champion in a straight swap for last year’s No.1 draft pick Tom Boyd.
“Value for value,” Gordon spruiked, having taken the unusual step of contacting GWS counterpart Tony Shepherd.
The Giants were unimpressed with the million-dollar carrot dangled in front of Boyd.
The teenager has spent less than a year with GWS. The 19-year-old is halfway through the mandatory two-season contract that all draftees sign.
On Tuesday, GWS chief executive David Matthews reaffirmed Boyd would not be traded under any circumstances this week.
It followed bold words from Boyd’s manager Liam Pickering, who declared his client would either leave now or in 2015.
“He doesn’t want to live in western Sydney any more – he wants to come home and you know what? He’s going to come home,” Pickering told AFL Trade Radio.
“Whether it’s this year or next year, that’s what will happen.”
Pickering opined it’d be a “ludicrous situation” for Griffen and Boyd to be playing at their current clubs in 2015.
A trade for Beams, who shocked Collingwood when he asked to be traded to the Lions in grand-final week, has been agreed.
The Lions will offload Jack Crisp along with picks No.5 and 25, with the Magpies on-trading the second-round selection to recruit North Melbourne midfielder Levi Greenwood.
The paperwork is expected to be lodged on Wednesday.
Port chief executive Keith Thomas expects a Ryder deal will be rubber stamped before Thursday’s 2pm (AEDT) deadline.
Ryder is desperate to leave Essendon, fed up with the club’s supplements saga.
“I remain confident. He certainly wants to be a Port Adelaide player,” Thomas told Trade Radio.
“Given the spirit of negotiation that’s been going on the last few days, I’m still very confident.
“Paddy made it pretty clear he doesn’t see himself at Essendon.”
In other developments on Tuesday:
* St Kilda list manager Ameet Bains guaranteed Sydney forward Tim Membrey would be playing for the Saints in 2015
* Bains suggested a number of clubs were keen to recruit Rhys Stanley
* GWS ruckman Jonathan Giles turned down Adelaide to nominate Essendon as his club of choice. The Giants and Bombers are working on a trade
* Former Melbourne co-captain Jack Trengove’s hopes of a fresh start at either Richmond or Adelaide were crushed due to an injury setback.
Gary John Lorenz
Guest
I hope Dayne Beams & his new Brisssie Lions Team Mates get better next year of 2015 & as far as Brisbane Lions are concerned hope not coming from the bottom of the ladder as the nearly close being the wooden spooners like this year. But I hope the Lions get better results next year by starting to win more games next season. This year 2014 it was a very disappointing (AFL) season for Brisbane.
Knoxy
Guest
I'm still shattered that Beams is leaving, but I guess this is about as good a deal as we could've hoped for.
berrlins
Roar Pro
it could of been their plan to hold all the KPP's and trade in for early draft picks on some of them, I would think part of the reason GWS is digging in so hard on Boyd is because of Pattons knee, with him out for a while they need an extra forward
josh
Roar Rookie
This is a rather blanket statement. Do you mean Tom Boyd? Loyalty isn't really in question here. He was drafted. GWS had no input into his development, pre-draft. He was brought into the squad and worked in their system for 1 year. The same as every other draftee.
Doc Disnick
Roar Guru
Congrats - potentially a great player in the right environment. Hope it all works out...
TomC
Roar Guru
Dayne Beams is officially now a Brisbane Lion. Yeah.
TomC
Roar Guru
Fair point Franko. It'd be more accurate to say that it waxes and wanes.
slane
Guest
You read the exact opposite? I'm taking away your gold star now.
Marc
Guest
Just a thought, if the Bombers players get suspensions that take them deep into the season, they could finish on the bottom. They will then be in the position to use their No. 1 pick to trade for Boyd, if GWS hold onto him this year. Interesting.
Doc Disnick
Roar Guru
Go read your sentence again, it makes no sense what so ever. It's a bit like your last line to me. How can I have good reading comprehension according to you if I read the meaning of what you are saying as the opposite?
Franko
Guest
"A culture seems to have developed at some point where AFL players feel they should be able to play for the club they want, in the city they want." If anything, players have got much better spending time away from home when they don't want to. Take a look at the early drafts, you'll see players drafted to clubs they never spent a day at, Scott Hodges to Essendon for example, Jarman to Brisbane, Williams leaving Brisbane to head back to Port mid-season.
TomC
Roar Guru
Again, that's an extremely simplistic view. I'm all for players being happy. I think it needs to be balanced with other factors. I think it's wrong to raise mental health as a bogeyman in every issue that might affect player happiness. Perhaps we need a proper system for compassionate free agency when there really are issues of mental health in play.
paul merritt
Roar Rookie
Removing someone from an environment were they are unhappy and placing them in one were they can be happy can only benefit the individual, Ryan Griffen's football and mental wellbeing will suffer next year.
slane
Guest
Yes Rick, that was the point I was making. You get a gold star for reading comprehension today...
TomC
Roar Guru
Two very good questions, Dougie. I think the current system gives too much power to players to pick their destination clubs. Strangely, there's nothing in the rules of the AFL to give players that level of power. As far as I'm aware, players don't even have the power to veto trades, although everyone certainly acts as though they do. Nevertheless, in practice players seem to be able to dictate where they want to play their footy, even before free agency applies.
Pumping Dougie
Guest
If GWS are bluffing, then it's a smart response to ratchet up the exchange value of Boyd - The Doggies will cave in and offer pick in mid 20s with Griffin if accepted. But if GWS are hellbent on not trading, then as far as I can see, both clubs and both players are losers. Smart decision for both is to trade now while the currency of each player is good - GWS wont get too many opportunities to pick up an established super-star midfielder. And if they wait until next year they might not only miss out on Griffin but receive some high draft picks for Boyd that don't work out - or worse still, he walks to the Bottom club for nothing. They should swallow their pride, trade now and dress it up as 'a win'.
Pumping Dougie
Guest
I can't understand how North could be satisfied with pick 25 for a young bloke (Levi Greenwood) who finished equal second in their B&F this year and played great in the finals, and I can't understand how Greenwood was allowed to dictate which club to negotiate with. Surely more clubs apart from the Pies and Doggies should have been interested in him? What's wrong with him?
Doc Disnick
Roar Guru
What you mean like Griffen? Great loyalty there and he is the captain...
TomC
Roar Guru
I don't like that logic at all. It sounds like you're arguing that we should let people do whatever they want to do because otherwise they could develop mental health issues. I think that's a pretty reductive view of what causes depression. I've never heard it said that giving people more of what they want makes them less likely to be depressed.
paul merritt
Roar Rookie
Forcing a player to do something they dont want to do could end up affecting their mental health, surely we dont need another situation like what happened with Mitch Clark last year, let Boyd and Griffen swap clubs and stop acting like spoilt children.