A West Coast premiership player has officially requested a trade away from the Eagles nest, while an out-of-favour Gold Coast utility is being ‘pushed out’ of the club — and there is a “disaster” his biggest suitor must avoid.
Meanwhile, an untried GWS swingman has reportedly requested a trade amid interest from a Victorian club. Elsewhere, a former top-20 draft pick faces a nervous wait for a new Sydney contract.
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Should Cats bring in Daniher stopper? | 01:32
VETERAN EAGLE FORMALLY REQUESTSTRADE
Premiership Eagle Jack Darling has officially requested a trade away from the Eagles, nominating North Melbourne as his club of preference in 2025 and beyond.
Amid speculation in recent weeks that the 191cm forward would leave his club of 14 years, the rumours have been confirmed by West Coast on Wednesday evening.
“The club will now work with North Melbourne towards facilitating that request during next month’s Trade Period,” West Coast said in their three-line club statement.
“Darling, who sits second on the club’s all-time games played list (298) and second on the club’s goalkicking list (532), has a year to run on his contract at the Eagles but has indicated his desire to finish his career at Arden Street.”
Darling will add plenty of experience to a very youthful Kangaroos outfit in the coming years, as the 32-year-old looks to extend his career until at least the end of 2026.
THE LUKO ‘DISASTER’ CROWS MUST AVOID
First-year Gold Coast coach Damien Hardwick is said to be “on a warpath” this off-season regarding his first lot of Suns exit interviews — and out-of-favour utility Jack Lukosius is considered one in the firing line.
The Adelaide Crows are thought of as the likeliest landing spot for the South Australian product, but there is a “disaster” they must avoid if they do wind up orchestrating a trade for the 24-year-old swingman.
And while the contracted Lukosius might actually want to stay in Carrara, he might not be left with much of a choice, according to Herald Sun journalist Jon Ralph.
“I think Gold Coast will push him out,” Ralph told Fox Footy’s Midweek Tackle on Tuesday night.
“He’s a man in a hurry, coach Damien Hardwick, so I think he (Lukosius) is going to eventually get the message even though he would like to stay.
“Adelaide is the better fit in terms of them saying ‘eventually you’re our third forward — we’ve got (Riley) Thilthorpe there, we’ve got (Darcy) Fogarty, (and), yes, Taylor Walker for another year’.”
Should Port hoodoo worry Swans? | 02:45
However, the fit at Port Adelaide also makes plenty of sense.
“But he’s such good mates with Connor Rozee, so does he want to play with his mate Connor Rozee?” asked Ralph.
“I think it’s interesting, too, the Todd Marshall situation. I think (he’s had) five concussions in recent history, so all of a sudden is there more of a premium for Port Adelaide to say: ‘With (Charlie) Dixon retiring, we probably need another forward there’.
“So, neither of those clubs (the Crows nor Power) have any real idea of which club he wants to go to — in fact, they think he wants to stay, but very rarely does a bloke who’s been pushed very strongly out the door say ‘no, I’m going to stay at all costs’ and have to take a pay cut.”
If the Crows were hypothetically Lukosius’ preferred destination club, the panel broke down what a possible trade could look like.
“Here’s the problem, nobody’s really got any picks that are available,” began Ralph.
“Adelaide’s got Pick 4 — they’ll get a star midfielder in — they have Pick 26, which is the second-rounder which they will use (in a trade with Melbourne for) Alex Neal-Bullen.
“So, it’s not ideal, but what are you giving up? Are you giving up a future first-rounder for Lukosius? Argue the case — he’s 24, he’s durable, he’s got 200 games ahead of him, you ask for a second-rounder back.”
‘Feels like overs’: Port going too hard? | 00:49
Jay Clark thought a first-rounder was too steep a price, while Josh Barnes explained how the value of Adelaide’s first selection could shift depending on its improvement next season.
“You have to be sure you’re going to be a better team than you were this year,” Barnes said.
“If you finish where you finished and have Pick 4 again and you’re handing that over for Lukosius, that’s a disaster — and we’ve seen teams do that in the past.
“But if you believe they can get that to Pick 12, or 14, add some Academy (picks and) it gets up to 18, that’s probably about right.”
Ralph reminded that while he might not be worth a premium first-rounder, the selection can’t be too low or else Lukosius would likely remain in Carrara next year.
Clark added: “It’s somewhere in the middle — it’s around Pick 20, I think. I mean, Jack Lukosius, I’m not so sure he was in Gold Coast’s best 22 by the end. He was dropped by Damien Hardwick … Where does he play? I don’t think he set the world on fire.”
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SWAN’S NERVOUS WAIT FOR DEAL
Jacob Konstanty’s future at the Sydney Swans appears uncertain as he remains without a contract beyond this season.
Sydney picked the untried 19-year-old 20th overall in the 2022 national draft, but the Gippsland product is yet to play a senior game two years into his career amid tough competition for spots in John Longmire’s flag-contending side.
“We’ll sit down with the club after the season — he doesn’t know his future at the moment,” Konstanty’s manager Dave Trotter told AFL Media’s Gettable.
“He might still have a spot at Sydney.
“If not … Sydney has just got a very strong list, and they don’t have a lot of list spots — they want to bring a few players in through the draft and don’t have many guys out of contract.
“Look, I think if it wasn’t Sydney, he’s got a couple of clubs that I think really liked him in his draft year. There aren’t many players that are Pick 20, he’s a great kid, he is super competitive — he actually gets told to take it easy a bit at training.
“So, if you’ve got those traits, I’d hope that if it wasn’t at the Swans — which he hopes it is — but if it’s not, I’d hope he ends up somewhere.”
Konstanty, a 177-centimetre forward, played 12 games for Sydney’s reserves this season for eight goals and averages of 11.3 disposals and 3.9 tackles.
Should Port hoodoo worry Swans? | 02:45
UNTRIED GIANT REQUESTS TRADE
GWS utility Wade Derksen has reportedly informed the club he would like to be traded to a Victorian club for family reasons.
That is according to AFL.com.au’s Callum Twomey, who reported the news on Tuesday afternoon.
The 23-year-old Derksen, who is yet to play a senior game at GWS, is contracted until the end of next season and is thought to be garnering interest from Melbourne.
Herald Sun journalist Josh Barnes had previously reported on Fox Footy’s Midweek Tackle that Derksen, who the Giants picked in the 2022 mid-season draft, was on the radar of a number of clubs but might be leaning towards a Victorian relocation.
“Wade Derksen’s probably not on the lips of many footy fans, but he is on the lips of recruiters and he’s going to be in the trade market,” Barnes recently told Fox Footy.
“He has multiple suitors in Victoria, and WA clubs are after him as well. He’s playing at GWS in the VFL this year, he’s played defence all year — he also thinks he’s a forward, he kicked six goals (in three games) late in the year for GWS.
“The Demons are one club that are after him, he’s about to have twins this week so he’s after a bit more family support — he has that both in WA and Victoria, but Victoria’s probably his preference (as) he has a bit more family support there.”
Source Agencies
