Carlton have secured the No.3 AFL draft pick from West Coast and Dan Houston’s move to Collingwood is confirmed as the AFL trade period finally kicked into gear.
But several prominent players, including Bailey Smith and Tom Barrass, remain in limbo ahead of Wednesday’s 7.30pm AEDT deadline.
Eagles fans are fuming over the trading of their No.3 AFL draft pick and chief executive Don Pyke concedes it’s “not going to be popular with everyone”.
That three-way deal also involved Richmond star Liam Baker and Carlton goalsneak Matt Owies heading west.
Also on Tuesday, the five-player mega trade, with Houston at its centrepiece, was finalised after Port Adelaide initially baulked at the deal on Monday night.
It is essentially the same five-player deal that was revealed on Monday, with the two-time All-Australian defender as its key figure, plus Gold Coast sending an extra draft pick to the Power.
Fringe Brisbane player Harry Sharp is the other player on the move, going to Melbourne in a deal that involves draft picks.
The main features of the Houston trade trade involve Port sending the two-time All-Australian defender to Collingwood and receiving Gold Coast’s No.13 draft pick, as well as Suns players Jack Lukosius and Rory Atkins and Magpies youngster Joe Richards.
Collingwood defender John Noble will also join Gold Coast, with several other current and 2025 draft picks also in the deal. Houston joins the Magpies on a six-year deal.
Pyke called for patience and perspective after his club’s big trade, saying West Coast were honouring their commitment to Baker and noting that this year’s draft is rated highly for its depth of talent.
As part of the West Coast deal, Carlton give up pick No.12, plus the No.14 selection they secured last Friday in a trade with Hawthorn.
That trade of the No.14 pick had put Baker’s move to the Eagles in some doubt, with Fremantle making no secret of their interest in him.
But he will end up at his preferred destination – the club Baker supported before joining Richmond – with the Tigers receiving the 14th selection from Carlton.
Fellow Richmond players Shai Bolton (Fremantle) and Daniel Rioli (Gold Coast) also have asked for trades.
The Eagles receive Baker, Owies, pick 12 and a later draft pick in return for sending the No.3 selection to the Blues.
“If you look at the deal in isolation, the slide from three to 12 and using 14 to get Liam Baker looks a bit odd,” Pyke told SEN, as the airwaves were lighting up in Perth with talkback calls from aggrieved Eagles fans.
“But for us it was part of a bigger play we had around Liam and the commitment we made to him to bring him to the club. So we were fulfilling and honouring that commitment as well as sliding back in a draft we believe has got some depth.
“I guess it’s not going to be popular with everyone. But we’re going to get a good player, we believe, at 12. Not as good as we would get at three, we recognise that.”
Baker is looking forward to playing alongside Eagles young gun Harley Reid.
“His on-field stuff speaks for itself. I’ve got a couple of holes in my chest from round nine when he buried that big fend-off into it. I’ll have to work on that over the pre-season,” Baker told AFL Trade Radio.
The Blues are expected to use the No.3 pick to recruit midfielder Finn O’Sullivan, a highly-rated midfielder who has made a big impression on recruiters despite an injury-marred year.
Owies is another big winner in the deal, securing a multi-year contract, while the Eagles slide from No.3 to No.12 in the draft.
Smith hopes to join Geelong from the Western Bulldogs, but there has been no breakthrough on those talks. Likewise, Hawthorn are trying to bring Barrass across from the Eagles.
