Former rookie-listed ruckman Braydon Preuss will lob at his third AFL club after joining Greater Western Sydney during the trade period, but a host of possible moves are still up in the air before Thursday’s deadline.
Preuss, who has signed a three-year Giants contract, was traded by Melbourne on Tuesday in exchange for pick 31 in this year’s national draft.
The deal comes two years after Preuss joined the Demons from North Melbourne.
The 25-year-old managed just 10 senior games in two seasons with the Dees as a back-up to decorated ruckman Max Gawn.
Preuss’ former Melbourne teammate Mitch Hannan also found a new home on Tuesday, joining the Western Bulldogs in exchange for a future third-round pick.
The 26-year-old Hannan kicked 55 goals in 50 games for the Demons and returns to Whitten Oval, where he featured in Footscray’s 2016 VFL premiership side.
Out-of-favour Gold Coast forward Peter Wright, the No.8 draft pick in 2014, is off to Essendon for a future fourth-round selection after playing 66 games for the Suns since 2015.
The 203cm-tall Wright failed to make a senior appearance this season despite having two years left on his contract with Gold Coast.
GWS and Geelong are still negotiating the terms of a blockbuster deal for Jeremy Cameron.
The wantaway star forward is determined to play for this year’s beaten grand finalists but GWS matched the Cats’ mammoth offer for Cameron.
Adam Treloar (Collingwood), Josh Dunkley (Western Bulldogs), Adam Saad and Orazio Fantasia (both Essendon) are also among the more high-profile players left in limbo before the trade deadline.
Meanwhile, the AFL Players’ Association reportedly told players to expect a pay cut of about 10 per cent next season as part of ongoing cost-cutting measures sparked by the COVID-19 pandemic.
There is still no confirmation from the AFL on exact list sizes and the salary cap for 2021, though both will be reduced.
The AFL and the AFLPA continue to negotiate a revised collective bargaining deal.
The process has dragged out longer than anyone could have imagined, with clubs still unable to give many out-of-contract players any certainty.
