AFL trade rumours update: Trading set to begin

The wait is finally over, the AFL trade period opens today with trades eligible to be lodged from 10:00am AEDT.

Last week I looked at all the rumours that had surfaced so far about who might be going where and for how much, but in true trade period fashion my article was out of date before lunchtime.

So today as the trade period opens, I’m looking again at all the latest trade news that has emerged since then.

First up though, a brief recap of the player movement so far. Free agency opened on Friday, and so far two players have accepted offers from rival clubs.

On Friday, West Coast’s Scott Selwood accepted an offer from Geelong as a restricted free agent, leaving the Eagles with a dilemma.

Selwood’s departure is unlikely to net them anything higher than a second round draft pick, but they have the option of matching the offer and forcing a trade if they think they can get a better deal.

They have three days from the offer being accepted to make this decision, which means the clock runs out today.

My expectation is that they will decide not to match the offer and Scott Selwood will be a Cat by close of business.

The other move is less complicated. On Saturday it was announced at Hawthorn’s best and fairest that Matt Suckling would join the Bulldogs on a three-year contract.

As an unrestricted free agent there’s no matching period, and Suckling is officially a Bulldog as soon as the paperwork is lodged. The Hawks will receive a compensation pick likely in the third or second round of the draft.

Now onto the trades. Trading does open today but don’t expect a flurry of activity, last year it took more than three days for the first trade to be processed.

I don’t expect things to be as slow this year and in fact it’s quite possible we could see a trade or two on the first day. The new rules regarding trading future picks have given clubs more flexibility and that should see trades get done faster.

Giant Curtly Hampton is a player who could move on the first day. He asked for a trade to the Adelaide Crows some time ago, and it’s believed the Crows have agreed to give up their 2016 second round pick for him, or possibly their 2016 third rounder.

Hampton has played 51 games for the Giants mostly as a running defender but fell out of the best side this year. He has family connections in South Australia, and could put his versatility to use in a different role for the Crows.

It’s also possible that Carlton’s Lachie Henderson could join Geelong on the first day of trading, with rumours that the Cats have agreed to give up their 2016 first round pick for him.

If the rumours are true it’s a deal that the clubs are likely to get out of the way early, as both are set for busy trade periods.

The Cats might be the first team in the AFL to learn the folly of future picks trading if this goes ahead. In my mind Henderson – who is uncontracted – is not quite worth a first round pick.

If the Cats’ recruits lift them to the top four next year and their pick is in the 15-18 range then that’s not so bad a price to pay.

However, should the Cats’ season go ill and they miss finals, they could potentially be coughing up a top ten pick for the 25-year-old. That’s not a likely occurrence of course, but footy can be unpredictable.

It also looks likely that free agent Matthew Leuenberger will make his move in the near future with reports surfacing last night that he has settled on Essendon as his destination.

It might be today or it might be later this week, but he now appears certain to become a Bomber on a three-year deal.

That means Sydney, who were also in the race for him, will have to look elsewhere as they continue to search for a ruck successor to Mike Pyke, who is reportedly considering an early retirement to take up a job at an investment bank.

Pyke was expected to announce his retirement at Sydney’s best and fairest at the Swans’ best and fairest, but didn’t – so this one’s still up in the air.

The Swans are reportedly very interested in West Coast’s Callum Sinclair but will have a hard time prising him away from the Eagles. Another Eagles ruckman Scott Lycett also has some of their attention.

The Swans are expected to ask for Sinclair in a straight swap for Lewis Jetta, as Jetta indicated some time ago that he would like to return home to Western Australia.

The race for Melbourne’s Jeremy Howe seems to be heating up. Howe took a tour of the facilities at Gold Coast last week, but remains undecided on where he will play in 2016.

He is almost certain to request a trade away from the Demons, and while Collingwood have also shown an interest, North Melbourne has reportedly made a play for his services in the last few days. Fremantle have also shown some interest.

Carlton possess the number one pick in the pre-season draft this year and that’s starting to emerge as a factor in a number of trade negotiations.

Essentially having that first pre-season draft pick means that the Blues will have first rights to any uncontracted player who walks from their club and goes into the pre-season draft.

That means they could potentially steal a player like Adam Treloar, Jake Carlisle or James Aish, if they don’t manage to secure trades to their preferred destinations.

In the case of James Aish, he has officially requested a trade to Collingwood, but Brisbane at this point are refusing to trade him, saying he can either re-sign with the Lions, or walk to the pre-season draft where Carlton would no doubt be keen to take him before the Magpies get a chance.

The Magpies are likely to find a deal to get Adam Treloar from the Giants, rumoured to include their first round pick this year and more, but Carlton have also indicated an interest in him should that deal fall through.

Lastly, Essendon are demanding pick 5 in exchange for Jake Carlisle after he nominated St Kilda as his preferred destination, but the Saints have already ruled out giving it up.

The Bombers will likely relent as they have done in the past with the Stewart Crameri and Paddy Ryder trades, but again, Carlton’s pre-season draft advantage remains a threat if the deal doesn’t get done.

Of course, Carlton can’t use that pick on all three players, so the threat is diminished a bit. My expectation is that all three deals will get done and the players will get to their clubs of choice.

In what is shaping as a busy off-season for the Blues, there have been renewed reports of their interest in Adam Tomlinson from the Giants. I’m not convinced anything will come of it as Tomlinson is contracted and hasn’t requested a trade as yet.

The Blues have reportedly put Levi Casboult up as a trade option, with Brisbane interested at the moment. Tom Bell is set to move from the Blues to the Lions as well and the Lions are likely to look at a deal involving both players.

Gold Coast are expected to ask for Fremantle’s first round draft pick in exchange for Harley Bennell but it’s believed the Dockers will try to secure him for the second round pick.

With Essendon being Bennell’s only other confirmed suitor – and Fremantle his preferred destination – the Dockers second rounder might be enough to get a deal done for the troubled midfielder.

It’s believed Fremantle are planning to offer this year’s first round pick as well as their 2016 first rounder to the Giants for Cam McCarthy.

The Giants have previously declared McCarthy off limits, but might be swayed by the prospect of multiple first round selections.

Hawthorn’s Jed Anderson is weighing up his options. The midfielder/forward has played only ten games in his career but is seen by the Hawks as a future staple of the side as their premiership stars move into retirement.

West Coast, Adelaide, Brisbane, North Melbourne, Carlton and Essendon have all reportedly shown interest in Anderson and it wouldn’t be a surprise to see more suitors emerge.

There’s still every chance he could decide to stay at the Hawks, where he is contracted for another year, but if he does decide to leave then he will clearly have a number of options to choose from.

In better news for the Hawks, Ryan Schoenmakers is off the table, signing a two-year extension with the club despite interest from Sydney and Fremantle.

North Melbourne ruckman Daniel Currie is reportedly asking for a trade having gotten an offer from Gold Coast. The Suns are losing Zac Smith and looking to Currie as a like-for-like replacement.

A number of clubs are weighing up recruiting three-time Geelong premiership player Steve Johnson. Brisbane have had a chat with him and Greater Western Sydney – who reportedly made a big play to trade him in last year – are also showing interest.

There were rumours going around last week that Hawthorn were considering a play for Carlton’s Chris Yarran, but it’s believed he is still more likely to head to Richmond.

It’s believed Paul Seedsman will soon nominate one of Gold Coast, Adelaide or North Melbourne as his preferred destination. The out-of-favour Pie has requested a trade and did not attend Collingwood’s best and fairest.

Having lost out in the race for a number of big names, Richmond have turned their attention to Giant Jacob Townsend who has struggled for gametime at the Giants but has impressed at NEAFL level.

There are also some rumours that Geelong free agent Dawson Simpson might be headed to Greater Western Sydney as a possible back-up option for Shane Mumford.

As you can see, it’s going to be a very busy trade period. Let the trading begin!