News 2018 Trade News Compendium

[ZoBlitz]

Well it's never too early, unfortunately.

Remember, this thread is for news articles/possibly tweets if half-reputable and discussion posts will be deleted - feel free to chat about the articles in one of the other relevant threads around here. Note that just because I post a story here doesn't mean I don't think it's probably rubbish (Denham, Ralphy, Waldron etc.) but it's worthwhile having a place to keep these stories together.

 

[ZoBlitz]

Lions bank on priority pick and access to unspent money as club steps up bid to return to finals (Andrew Hamilton, Courier-Mail, 24/08)

It is understood the Lions will enquire about the availability of either of midfield duo Seb Ross or Jack Steven.

Beams is repeatedly linked to a return to Melbourne but he has not requested a trade from the Lions and the club say he is a required player.

Brisbane is also looking at Bulldog Mitch Wallis and Kangaroos’ ruckman and Queenslander Brayden Preuss.

Chief executive Greg Swann refused to discuss names, but said the Lions were in discussions with a “very good” player.

“Everything is on the table,’’ he said.

 

[AFLQLD]

Let the madness officially begin!

 

[ZoBlitz]

Damian Barrett: Dayne Beams Is Exploring His Options In Victoria (Damian Barrett, Triple M, 25/08)

Barrett confirmed on Triple M’s Saturday Rub Beams was indeed looking at his Victorian options.

“I don’t care what anyone says, he is exploring options about returning to Victoria, despite having two years to run of a contract,” he said.

“The party line is he’s got two years to run of a contract, we’re not going to engage in talks.

“I know he’s looking and I know the club is well aware of that, too.”

 

[ZoBlitz]

Hawthorn link puts Lions in line for unhappy Docker Bradley Hill ( Greg Denham, The Australian, 27/08)

Brisbane are making a bold move to recruit Fremantle midfielder Bradley Hill, who is contracted to the Dockers for another year.

The Australian understands Hill is open to the move following a mid-season fallout with the Dockers, which was inflamed by an off-field indiscretion that led to a one-match internal suspension.

The proposed bid by the Lions has in part been orchestrated by Hill’s previous Hawthorn association and friendship with Brisbane senior coach Chris Fagan and veteran Lions defender and mentor Luke Hodge.

With the season over for Fremantle and Brisbane, Hill’s Perth-based agent Jason Dover is expected to inform the Dockers as early as this week and put forward a case to deal his client out.

The Lions’ initial bargaining tool in the potential trade will be their first national draft choice, which at this point is pick No 5.

 

[ZoBlitz]

Watson drops Beams and Shiel trade bombshell (Tim Watson, SEN, 27/08)

“I still think Dayne Beams is on the move,” Watson told SEN Breakfast.

“I’m hearing possibly Collingwood. He would like to go back to Collingwood. Whether they can get that deal done, I don’t know, but that’s what I’m hearing.”

 

[ZoBlitz]

Docker Brad Hill laughs off trade rumours (SBS, 27/08)

"I've still got three years left on my contract so I'm not thinking about going anywhere," Hill said on Monday.

"There's no truth whatsoever (to the reports). I'm happy here. I've moved back home to where I'm from and I've just finished building a house.

"The business opening up soon is a Pilates business and my girlfriend is going to be the head trainer so she's enjoying it over here too. So there's no truth at all to the stories."

 

[ZoBlitz]

Brisbane won’t trade Dayne Beams but concedes his long-term future could be back in Melbourne (Sam Edmund, Herald Sun, 28/08)

THE chase for Dayne Beams by Victorian clubs has hit a wall.

The Brisbane Lions were on Tuesday night adamant Beams, the subject of intense speculation regarding his playing future, was not for sale.

Lions chief executive Greg Swann insisted Beams, 28, would not be traded under any circumstances.

Asked if their position could change as the trade period neared, Swann declared: “We are not trading him.

“We’ve told him that and that’s where it sits.”

But in a potentially worrying sign of things to come, Swann conceded Beams’ long-term future was not in Queensland.

“He’s been pretty consistent about this and there’s no problems from our end, but when his two years (on his contract) are up he’ll go home,” he said.

“That’s a given. He says, ‘Once I’ve done my six-year term I’ll be back in Melbourne’.

“He kept his house in Melbourne, his wife’s from Melbourne and that was OK by us … he’s adamant he’s going to serve out his term and we go from there.

“We’re hoping he changes his mind, but he’s always been pretty strong on that, even when he first came here.

“We’re hoping we’re going all right in two years’ time and he says, ‘I’ve been here for six, I may as well stay here and see the fruits of my labour’.

“We’ll see what happens, but he’ll be here next year.”

In an intriguing situation, Beams has been continually linked to former club Collingwood and a host of Victorian rivals despite repeated denials from all parties.

“He’s also never said to us that he wants to go, but the scuttlebutt doesn’t keep going unless something has come out of it,” Swann said.

“We’ve been pretty relaxed and consistent and we’ve had private discussions with him. He’s staying so we just get on with life.”

 

[ZoBlitz]

Dayne Beams to stay in Brisbane (lions.com.au, 30/08)

Brisbane Lions midfielder Dayne Beams has rejected any speculation on his playing future after today confirming his intention to see out his playing contract in Brisbane.

“After having our exit meetings earlier this week, I thought it was a good time to let everybody know I won’t be going anywhere. I love the coach, the playing group, and am excited about where this footy club is headed,” Beams said.

“I have never asked for a trade away from the Lions and would like to put an end to any speculation over my playing future. I will be seeing out my contract here.”

Beams capped off a successful 2018 season this week by being named in the All-Australia squad of 40 players and finishing equal fifth in the AFL Coaches Association Champion Player of the Year Award.

 

[ZoBlitz]

Lions trying to lure star Docker to the Gabba (Michael Whiting, AFL.com.au, 30/08)

BRISBANE is trying to lure Fremantle star Lachie Neale to the Gabba.

AFL.com.au understands there is genuine interest between both parties and that Neale has raised the idea with the Dockers.

He was knocked back at the first attempt.

The Lions are trying desperately to bolster a midfield that relies heavily on Dayne Beams and Dayne Zorko and are prepared to part with their first-round pick in this year's NAB AFL Draft (currently No.4) to do so.

Neale has a year to run on his contract and will be a restricted free agent at the end of 2019.

At 25, the All Australian squad member would be the perfect inside midfielder to complement's Brisbane's younger brigade of Hugh McCluggage, Jarrod Berry and Cam Rayner.

The Lions first made enquiries about Neale when he was last out of contract two years ago.

 

[ZoBlitz]

Brisbane is eyeing Fremantle star Lachie Neale and will give up top draft pick to get the deal done (Greg Davis, The Courier Mail, 30/08)

BRISBANE’S No.5 pick at this year’s national draft is in play as trade bait for Fremantle star Lachie Neale.

The prolific Dockers midfielder is firmly in the sights of the Lions who understand that they may have to part with their top pick in any trade with the WA club.

Brisbane officials were tight-lipped after Melbourne radio first reported the possible link between the Lions and Neale.

It is understood Neale is open to the idea of heading east but Fremantle will demand a high price as the midfielder is the kind of player that can be part of the foundation for a rebuild.

Neale is a much better player than Weller and Fremantle would demand Brisbane’s first-round selection as a starting point in any possible trade for the on-baller.

The Lions’ first pick at the national draft will slide out to No.5 after the Gold Coast gets a compensation pick for losing key forward Tom Lynch and they could be willing to part with it to get a player of Neale’s calibre.

 

[ZoBlitz]

Neale set to meet with Dockers chief as Lions circle (Daniel Cherny, The Age, 30/08)

Lachie Neale was set to meet with Fremantle chief executive Steve Rosich late this week as Brisbane circled in a bid to land the contracted Dockers star in the upcoming trade period.

It emerged on Thursday that Neale, 25, was being courted by the Lions, who have identified the midfielder as a key trade target.

The South Australian is contracted until the end of next year, when he is due to become a free agent.

Neale, the favourite for this year's Doig Medal as Fremantle best and fairest, is understood to have been due to meet Rosich in Perth before the end of the week. Rosich has been taking care of the Dockers' contracts since list manager Brad Lloyd departed for Carlton last week.

“We don’t comment on speculation but Lachie is a valued and respected player at our football club who is contracted for 2019 and, as recently as Tuesday in a media conference, expressed his positivity about the club," Rosich said.

“We are in a mode of bringing players to our football club, not trading players out.”

Neale's manager Tim Lawrence, of Stride, wouldn't expand publicly on his client's future.

"Lachie’s a contracted player at Fremantle, and I’ve got no other comment to make," Lawrence told The Age.

 

[ZoBlitz]

Fortunes of Eagles and Dockers take opposite directions ( Greg Denham, The Australian, 31/08)

The surprised Lions confirmed to The Australian yesterday they had been approached out of the blue by Neale’s management to organise a trade for the midfielder, who becomes eligible for free agency at the end of next season.

Neale, 25, is a member of Fremantle’s leadership group, won the club’s best and fairest award in 2016 and was nominated in the 40-man All-Australian squad this week.

The move by Neale is a smack in the mouth for the rebuilding Dockers, who are certain to request Brisbane’s first national draft selection, which appears likely to be pick No 5, in exchange.

 

[ZoBlitz]

Still sons of the west: Mitch Wallis and Tom Liberatore to sign on (Anthony Colangelo, The Age, 31/08)

Western Bulldogs midfield duo Tom Liberatore and Mitch Wallis are close to re-committing to the club.

Wallis' future has been the subject of intense speculation with the 25-year-old receiving tempting offers from rival sides including Essendon and the Brisbane Lions, while Liberatore has spent the last year of his contract in 2018 recovering from a ruptured ACL he sustained in round one.

The Age understands the pair, who were taken with father-son selections in the 2010 national draft, will soon sign on with the Western Bulldogs with contract terms being finalised. Their commitment represents a significant boost for the fledgling side's midfield stocks.

 

[ZoBlitz]

AFL trade whispers: Lachie Neale ‘wants to be at Lions’, Braydon Preuss linked to Melbourne (Fox Sports, 31/08)

THE Brisbane Lions want Lachie Neale — and Lachie Neale wants to play at the Brisbane Lions, according to AFL 360 co-host Mark Robinson.

Shock reports emerged on Thursday that the Lions were in hot pursuit of Neale, to the point where they were prepared to put their first-round draft pick on the table as part of a possible deal with the Fremantle Dockers.

Gerard Whateley said the tea-leaves suggested that Neale is “very much up for a move to Brisbane” from the Dockers.

But co-host Robinson went one step further.

“I think you can replace the tea-leaves and put it in concrete,” Robinson told Fox Footy’s AFL 360.

“He wants to be at the Lions, he has told the Lions, through various people if not himself, that he wants to be at the football club next year.

“There’s a lot of water to go under the bridge. He’s contracted for another year, but he is up for free agency at the end of next year and that always complicates matters.”

 

[ZoBlitz]

Lachie Neale trade talk a ‘red-flag’ moment for Fremantle Dockers (Mark Duffield, The West Australian, 01/09)

Brisbane’s audacious plan to poach Lachie Neale was hatched at a meeting with him in a Darwin cafe in July around Fremantle’s round 16 clash with Melbourne at TIO Stadium.

It should lead to some very serious meetings in cafes and meeting rooms at the Dockers’ Cockburn headquarters.

Fremantle are outwardly adamant that Neale will not be traded and, barring a “Godfather” trade offer from Brisbane, that may well stay the case.

Inwardly they should acknowledge that this is a red-flag moment for the club. Why was Neale even exploring a shift a year out from the end of his contract?

 

[ZoBlitz]

Fremantle Dockers make lucrative four-year pitch to keep Lachie Neale (Braden Quartermine, The West Australian, 02/09)

Fremantle have offered midfielder Lachie Neale a lucrative four-year contract extension, as the Dockers attempt to convince the clearance star to remain a one-club player.

The club’s most powerful figures have launched a desperate bid to hold onto Neale in the wake of news the Doig Medal favourite met with Brisbane during the season and is weighing up a substantial offer to move to the Lions.

Captain Nat Fyfe phoned Neale this week, while The Sunday Times understands club legend and current board member Peter Bell met with Neale late on Friday.

Chief executive Steve Rosich, who is also acting as Fremantle’s list boss in the wake of Brad Lloyd’s departure for Carlton, also held a meeting with Neale on Friday.

Neale has one season remaining on his current three-year deal and is due to become a restricted free agent at the end of 2019. The Dockers are likely to have to offer Neale an immediate pay rise for next season as part of any deal for the 25-year-old to re-commit.

Rosich said yesterday he was “extremely positive” about Neale signing a new long-term deal to remain at Fremantle and he had not contemplated what the onballer could net the Dockers at the trade table.

“Based on what we know about Lachie, the comments that Lachie made publicly as recently as Tuesday in his media conference about his love for the club and belief that we’re on the right path — and my conversation yesterday (Friday) with him — I feel extremely positive about Lachie continuing on beyond his current contract,” Rosich told 6PR.

The Neale saga is unlikely to be resolved quickly. News of Brisbane’s pursuit could now trigger the interest of a third party, particularly Victorian clubs that have targeted West Coast free agent Andrew Gaff and could switch that money to Neale as a back-up midfield option.

 

[ZoBlitz]

Fremantle's Lachie Neale to weigh up options (Daniel Cherny, The Age, 02/09)

Lachie Neale will spend the early part of this week weighing up his options with his fiance as Fremantle continue to publicly play down talk he could leave the club in the upcoming trade period.

The Fremantle star has not yet requested a trade from the Dockers despite keen interest from the Brisbane Lions, but it’s understood Neale is open to the idea.

Despite reports of fresh a four-year deal offered by the Dockers to keep Neale at the club, it’s understood no formal contract extension has been tabled, with Neale preferring to consider his next move before entering into negotiations with Fremantle.

 

[ZoBlitz]

Negotiations continue to keep Lachie Neale at Fremantle ( Kim Hagdorn, WA Today, 03/09)

Neale held urgent meetings on Friday with chief executive Steve Rosich and former Fremantle playing great and board member Peter Bell as talks expanded into potential of up to a four-year extension on his existing deal.

Neale is likely to jump from around $600,000 to at least $850,000 to stay at Fremantle.

A Dockers offer is understood to still be short of a Lions lure in the region of $900,000 a season for as much as six years.

Dockers management appear confident they can persuade the highly regarded ball-winner and leader on-and-off the field to stay at Fremantle.

Fremantle will demand Brisbane’s first pick at number four and one ahead of Fremantle in November’s national draft.

And more selections, as well as a player is on the cards in Fremantle's demands in any reluctant swap for Neale if the 135-game clearances expert continues with his intentions to leave the Dockers.

 

[trikster]

NEALE MET WITH LIONS COACH FAGAN OVER THE WEEKEND (Sam McClure, SEN, 03/09)

“Lachie Neale has spent the weekend in Queensland, he flew in on Sunday and he met with Brisbane Lions coach Chris Fagan,” McClure told SEN’s Time On.

“If he is meeting with Chris Fagan on the weekend, just 24 hours after meeting with Steve Rosich where he was offered a lengthy new contract extension at good money by Fremantle, then clearly he is more than just considering playing for the Brisbane Lions in 2019.”

 

[ZoBlitz]

Out-of-favour Tiger mid meets with Gold Coast (Callum Twomey, AFL.com.au, 04/09)

Brisbane midfielder Ben Keays is believed to have an interest in heading to the Suns for further opportunities after playing just two games for the Lions this year.

Keays, 21, is a Queenslander and joined Brisbane in 2015 as a product of the Lions Academy, but is unlikely to be a priority for the Suns during the exchange period.

 

[ZoBlitz]

Young Dog pens fresh deal to stay at Kennel (Mitch Cleary, AFL.com.au, 04/09)

Free agents Luke Dahlhaus, Mitch Wallis and Jordan Roughead have received interest from rival clubs ahead of a busy off-season at Whitten Oval.

Dahlhaus has headed away on holidays to contemplate a long-term deal from Geelong, while Wallis is weighing up offers from Brisbane and Essendon.

 

[ZoBlitz]

Fremantle Dockers star Lachie Neale tight-lipped about future after return from Brisbane (The West Australian, 04/09)

Seven News spoke to Neale at Perth Airport today after his trip to Brisbane to meet with the Lions amid significant trade interest from the Queensland club.

Neale still has a year to run on his current Dockers contract, but a reportedly substantial pay increase looms should he look to make the switch east.

The 135-gamer said he had “no idea” when he would be in a position to decide his future.

“I’m just working through it at the moment,” Neale said.

“It’ll probably take a while.”

 

[ZoBlitz]

Mark Stevens: Saint Jack Lonie in demand, believe Brisbane very keen ... so keen whispers of a 3 year deal

 

[ZoBlitz]

Lyon didn’t take kindly to Neale exit meeting (SEN, 05/09)

“The whisper is that Ross Lyon, in that exit meeting, didn’t take too kindly,” Edmund told SEN Breakfast.

“He might have been heard down the corridors there at the Fremantle Football Club. Not too happy with Lachie Neale’s decision.”