The Giants’ Bobby Hill (left) is off to Collingwood and Tim Taranto (right) to Richmond
The annual AFL trade period is underway and there was no shortage of action on the opening day with a couple of player movements and plenty of intriguing storylines developing across the competition.
It was a familiar tale for Greater Western Sydney at this time of the year, with a couple of their players the first to swap colours.
Star on-baller Tim Taranto joined Richmond shortly after livewire forward Bobby Hill became a Magpie.
The Giants received picks 12 and 19 from the Tigers in return for Taranto, while they also snared pick 43 and a future second-round pick from Collingwood for Hill, giving up pick 40 in the process.
“I can’t wait to run out in the yellow and black next year in front of all the fans,” Taranto said.
“Thank you so much to the Richmond Football Club for the opportunity, I am so excited.”
Hill said he would be “forever grateful” to GWS for giving him his first opportunity at AFL level.
“I have a lot of friends and people at the Giants who have supported me through a very difficult period of my life,” Hill said in reference to his testicular cancer diagnosis this year.
“I thank the club for their overarching support and care they gave me and my family.
“Those who know me understand that Collingwood is the right place for me to take my career.
“There is a special dynamic with this group, and I am really looking forward to meeting the boys and being guided by (coach) Craig (McRae) and his coaching side.”
There was another player switch completed late in the day, with Melbourne’s Jayden Hunt joining West Coast. The unrestricted free agent will move west to join Adam Simpson’s side after playing 114 games for Melbourne.
The Demons will receive a round-three pick, currently No.52, in return.
But some of the biggest developments throughout the day involved potential trades, with North Melbourne’s No.1 pick Jason Horne-Francis grabbing most of the attention.
After the teenager stunned the footy world on Sunday night by declaring he wanted to be traded back home to Port Adelaide, it didn’t take long for both the Kangaroos and Power to draw battlelines.
North are steadfast that they will need more than Port Adelaide’s pick No.8 and a future-first round pick to get the deal done.
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After all, Horne-Francis is contracted, so the Kangaroos do have the upper hand in that respect.
North list and recruiting manager Brady Rawlings told AFL Trade Radio they were willing to negotiate.
“When the pull of home is so great as it is with Jason, we will entertain it, but as I’ve said a number of times already, the deal will have to be one that’s significant,” Rawlings said.
“He’s now 12 months into his career, still in contract and only 19 years of age.”
In response, the Power stated that youngsters Zak Butters, Xavier Duursma, Josh Sinn and Miles Bergman would not be involved in a trade.
“Not one of those players has suggested that they want to leave Port Adelaide, nor have we contemplated those guys leaving Port Adelaide so I know there’s been a number of names that’s been suggested around the place – generally it’s Victorians who you might consider might want to come back to Victoria,” Port Adelaide football manager Chris Davies said.
“We want to leave the trade and draft period with a better list than what we’ve got so right now we’re certainly not thinking about ay players leaving our club and certainly not any of those you’ve listed there, all of whom have contracts with the club, who have suggested they want to stay and most of whom have been regulars in our AFL team.
“Right now, our preference would be to deal from a draft selection perspective but you never say never through this period do you. You’ve got to keep your eyes open to all the possibilities and that’s one thing that our guys do really well.”
While the aforementioned quartet are seemingly off limits, defender Riley Bonner is reportedly open to a move.
And while Adelaide is a chance to snare Horne-Francis, given it is the other SA team, the Crows are more focused on securing Gold Coast forward Izak Rankine, which will almost certainly cost them their pick No.5.
“Our focus is obviously on Izak and getting Izak throughout the trade period,” Adelaide list manager Justin Reid said.
“(Gold Coast list manager) Craig (Cameron) and I caught up again today, so between now and the end of the week that (getting the deal done) would be ideal.
“Pick No.5 is obviously on the table and we will work through the rest.”
In some good news for Carlton and Sydney, star duo Harry McKay and Jake Lloyd have shunned free agency and re-signed with their respective clubs.
Meanwhile, Collingwood expect Brodie Grundy to wind up at Melbourne eventually, and after recently denying Brownlow medallist Tom Mitchell was gettable, the Hawks say they’re “open” to trading him to the Pies.
Elsewhere, Fremantle has poured cold water on Rory Lobb’s desire to be traded to the Western Bulldogs, North reaffirmed its interest in St Kilda’s Hunter Clark and Liam Jones is set to return to Whitten Oval.
Fremantle’s Blake Acres is on the verge of joining Carlton, Collingwood and Geelong are a long way apart on any potential deal for young Pies forward Ollie Henry, Esava Ratugolea looks set to stay at Geelong and Paddy Dow wants to be traded from Carlton.
Essendon, Geelong and Hawthorn remain interested in Gold Coast’s Jack Bowes “salary dump” offer which would also include pick No.7.
PLAYER MOVEMENTS
1. Karl Amon (PA) joined Hawthorn as an unrestricted free agent. Port Adelaide receive pick 27 (AFL) as compensation.
2. Bobby Hill (GWS) and pick 40 (GWS) traded to Collingwood in exchange for pick 43 and future second-round pick
3. Tim Taranto (GWS)traded to Richmond in exchange for pick 12 and pick 19
4. Jayden Hunt (Melbourne) joined West Coast as an unrestricted free agent.
