Essendon trio in limbo as Dons address links to rival pair: AFL trade news

Three Essendon players will have to wait until after the trade period to know their playing future.

Off-contract trio Ben Hobbs, Luamon Lual and Will Setterfield have been informed a decision on new deals won't be made until after next Wednesday's deadline.

Hobbs, a former first-round pick, played 18 games this year, while Setterfield featured in 13 matches prior to a season-ending injury.

Lual made his debut in Round 13 and would go on to play 12 games in the red and black in his second season with the club.

Essendon, who are working through a busy trade window, won't make calls on any of the three off-contract players until the player movement period comes to an end.

"Yeah, Hobbsy is, unfortunately, one of our players that is just on hold at the moment," list manager Matt Roas said.

"That's the tough nature of this period. We've got Luamon Lual and Will Setterfield in the same boat.

"We just need to work through the trade period and see where we sit from a list spots point of view."

Essendon have links to Gold Coast free agent Brayden Fiorini, however the Suns and Port Adelaide are also in the mix for the wingman's services.

Having missed out on plays for the likes of Sam Flanders and Jai Serong, Rosa will look elsewhere on the open market.

North Melbourne's Zane Duursma and St Kilda captain Jack Steele have both been linked to the Bombers, with Rosa stating there could be some interest in the latter.

Duursma, who has a deal with the Roos, now looms as an unlikely option for Essendon.

"He's a player who we like in talent," Rosa said of Duursma.

"There's a clear connection with his brother playing with us, but we understand that Zane is under contract and we don't expect anything to happen there.

"We admire (Steele) from afar, the way he goes about his football. But again, there's a lot to play out over the week.

"We'll look at all options, whether it's bringing in role specifics, or ideally, we can bring in A-grade talent.

"But we're always looking to bring high-end characters and role specifics that can help the club."

Despite the departures of Sam Draper (Brisbane) and Todd Goldstein (delisted), the Bombers won't look to add a ruckman to their list this off-season.

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