Player moves, deals, pick trades and more as Clayton Oliver, Charlie Curnow, Christian Petracca, Zach Merrett could find new clubs

Sydney list manager Chris Keane insists contracted pair Will Hayward and James Rowbottom will not form any part of a potential trade for Charlie Curnow.

Keane, as reported on Monday, said Curnow was a “priority” deal for the Swans through the trade period.

On Tuesday, Keane said Hayward, a clever forward, and midfielder Rowbottom will not be involved in any deal.

“Will Hayward is contracted for four more years, and he will see out that contract. There is not much in those rumours to be honest,” Keane told Trade Radio.

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“We have had no indication about James Rowbottom wanting to leave. Contracted for three more years, we expect him to be here for that period. We understand the nature of this time of year.”

Curnow wants to join either the Swans or Geelong despite having four years remaining on his contract. Curnow told the Blues in his exit meeting he wanted a trade, but new Blues football department chief Chris Davies maintains Curnow will be at Princes Park next year.

The Swans can use their top selection in this year’s draft, No.10 overall, as part of any trade, while the Cats have selection No.18.

As reported by this masthead, the Gold Coast Suns are keen on Rowbottom.

Geelong football boss Andrew Mackie says he won’t go into conversations the club is having with Bailey Smith about his behaviour after the Cats’ were forced to apologise for the offence caused during their Mad Monday celebrations last week.

The Cats released a statement last Wednesday after receiving backlash for the social media posts Smith made two days earlier that were perceived as sexist and homophobic.

The issue came after Smith abused a female photographer at training before the club’s preliminary final.

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Melbourne are expected to meet Gold Coast on Tuesday to discuss a trade for star midfielder Christian Petracca, while two new clubs have entered the fray for Clayton Oliver.

On the opening day of trade period, two free agents found new homes while in-demand Sun Brayden Fiorini picked Essendon as his preferred destination. But much of the focus was on the Demons’ premiership midfielders Petracca and Oliver.

The Suns are likely to obtain pick 7 from St Kilda for contracted midfielder Sam Flanders, which could form the basis of discussions between Gold Coast and the Demons for Petracca.

Melbourne are interested in the Suns’ Bailey Humphrey after new Demons coach Steven King met him last week, but the Suns are adamant the 21-year-old will not be traded.

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Gold Coast are already out of the Charlie Curnow race – and Geelong know they are up against it, too. The only reason they haven’t given up is that the Carlton star is a “gun”.

Then, in the red-and-white corner, there is Sydney, the club that famously lured champion key forwards Tony Lockett, Lance Franklin and Barry Hall.

Cats football boss Andrew Mackie would not say whether St Kilda ruckman Rowan Marshall – who has requested a trade to Geelong – or Curnow was the club’s No.1 target, whereas his Swans counterpart, Chris Keane, declared the dual Coleman medallist was their “priority”.

Of course, none of this matters unless the Blues are willing to trade Curnow, whose six-year deal does not expire until the end of 2029.

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Essendon great James Hird says Melbourne is a cautionary tale when it comes to how the Bombers should handle skipper Zach Merrett.

The Bombers insist Merrett will be held to the final two years of his contract, despite the star midfielder having blindsided the club last month by meeting with Hawthorn.

Merrett, however, has yet to request a trade.

Hird said the Hawks needed to show Merrett how a deal could be done.

“If Zach is going to leave or wants to leave, he is going to have to move reasonably quickly. But the message is right - Hawthorn have to actually show how they are going to do it in a reasonable way. It’s on them to do that,” Hird told Trade Radio on Tuesday.

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“There are so many factors that come into play if you are Essendon, too. How far away do you think you are from challenging, how far away from finals, who are the players in this year’s draft or next year’s draft and potentially think can assist you in building a list. Put all that together and say: ‘Is it worth getting a couple of picks and something else, or do we just sit on Zach and see what happens?’”

Hird said the Bombers needed to be mindful of what’s transpired at the Demons with Clayton Oliver and Christian Petracca when it came to Merrett.

The Demons refused to trade either midfielder last year, despite both men keen to start afresh elsewhere. The Demons would also have received a greater return than they now will a year on, with Petracca on his way to Gold Coast, and Oliver told to explore his options.

“I think Melbourne’s story is a really interesting story for Essendon. You don’t want then next year to be giving him away for less,” Hird said.

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