Greater Western Sydney and Geelong are still at loggerheads over star forward Jeremy Cameron despite the Cats putting a significant trade offer on the table.
Geelong – who hold picks 13, 15 and 20 in the first round of next month’s national draft – have offered up two of those selections.
It is almost double the compensation GWS would have received from the AFL if they had not matched the Cats’ bid for restricted free agent Cameron.
The 27-year-old key forward’s manager Alex McDonald confirmed the offer on Monday.
“I know it’s a respectful offer that they’ve put forward and it’s good that both clubs now are talking and communicating,” McDonald told SEN.
“Both are good operators so fingers crossed everything gets done sooner rather than later.”
Cameron is a nine-time winner of the Giants’ leading goal kicker award and has booted 427 majors in 171 games for the club since his debut in 2012.
But McDonald said there is no chance his client will stay at GWS next season.
Instead, Cameron would be prepared to try his luck in the pre-season draft to get to Geelong if a trade deal could not be struck.
“We’re very confident it won’t get to that,” McDonald said.
GWS are also in discussions over young players Jye Caldwell and Jackson Hately, who have indicated their desires to move to Essendon and Adelaide respectively.
Richmond small forward Jack Higgins has officially requested a trade to St Kilda as he seeks greater opportunity at AFL level.
The 21-year-old has one season left to run on his existing Tigers deal but his manager Paul Connors believes a deal will be done to send him to the Saints.
Higgins recovered from brain surgery to play 10 games this year but just one of those appearances was after round 10 and he was overlooked for Richmond’s successful finals campaign.
Collingwood forward Jaidyn Stephenson, who is managed by Robbie D’Orazio as part of Connors’ management group, appears likely to stay put.
“Absolutely he wants to stay,” Connors told AFL Trade Radio.
“I think it’s one of those things that if it’s a really good deal for both parties they’ll look at it. But if not, nothing is broken.
“So unless something really (significant) happens in the next 72 hours (he will stay).”
Connors said Sydney’s Mr Fixit Aliir Aliir could be open to a move to Port Adelaide and he doesn’t expect any big obstacles in sending Brisbane’s Stefan Martin to the Western Bulldogs.
Ryan Lester is expected to stay with the Lions but his teammate Alex Witherden is exploring a move to West Coast despite having two more years to run on his contract.
The Bombers are the busiest club in this year’s trade period with a host of deals yet to be confirmed before Thursday night’s deadline.
Essendon have interest in Josh Dunkley (Western Bulldogs), Peter Wright (Gold Coast) and Tom McDonald (Melbourne) while Orazio Fantasia and Adam Saad are keen to leave the Bombers.
