The views in this article are those of the author and not the North Melbourne Football Club.
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PICK NO.25 NOT ENOUGH FOR CLARK AS DOCKERS EYE SUNS MID
Geelong has indicated Fremantle will have to climb higher than pick No.25 to secure a trade for Jordan Clark after choosing not to accept the Dockers' initial offer of pick No.27.
Swapping their No.27 with Carlton's No.25 is one of several options the Dockers are working through as part of the Adam Cerra negotiations, which continued smoothly on Monday.
But that pick would not be considered a sufficient improvement for the Cats, whose broad request for the contracted Clark is a selection between the Dockers' two current picks (No.8 and No.27).
As reported by Inside Trading, Dockers' midfielder Darcy Tucker is set to extend with the club, with sources insisting he would not form part of the Clark deal.
Meanwhile, the Dockers have an interest in Gold Coast midfielder Will Brodie if they can secure the inside midfielder without needing to negotiate a trade.
The 23-year-old, who was recruited with pick No.9 in the 2016 NAB AFL Draft, is contracted and not considered a lock to make his way to the Dockers, who are keen to add a ready-made midfielder.
Brodie featured in four senior games this season but was prolific at the lower level, winning the Suns' VFL player of the year award. – Nathan Schmook
HAWTHORN YOUNGSTER SET TO RE-SIGN
Hawthorn youngster Finn Maginness is poised to knock back rival interest to agree to a new two-year contract with the Hawks.
Maginness, who is a third generation Hawthorn player, has played three games for the club – one in his debut 2020 season and two last season.
He remained out of contract but is understood to have netted a two-year extension through to the end of 2023.
Maginness joined the Hawks as a father-son at the 2019 NAB AFL Draft, following father Scott and grandfather Norm as Hawthorn players.
The hard-running midfielder has garnered interest from other clubs while remaining without a deal at the Hawks but is set to stay under new coach Sam Mitchell. – Callum Twomey
MATURE-AGE MIDFIELDER IN CLUBS' SIGHTS
Six years after he was overlooked at the NAB AFL Draft, West Australian midfielder Greg Clark is attracting interest as a mature-aged prospect.
Clark's hopes of making it to an AFL club received another boost on the weekend when he won the Simpson medal as the best player in the WAFL Grand Final in Subiaco's premiership win.
The 193cm midfielder had 26 disposals, 14 tackles and kicked two goals in the win and is understood to have had multiple club interviews this year.
Clark knocked back interest mid-year, believed to have included from West Coast, to not nominate for the NAB AFL Mid-Season Rookie Draft so to finish his season with Subiaco where he is vice-captain. But the 24-year-old now looms as perhaps the first genuine mature-ager who could be selected at November's national draft.
South Australian intercept defender Leek Alleer, 19, and VFL swingman Charlie Dean, 20, were the only non-under-19s players to be included in the draft Combine lists.
Clark, who was a member of the NAB AFL Academy and Western Australia's under-18 captain in 2015, was overlooked for the draft that season. – Callum Twomey
ROOS TARGET COLEMAN-JONES
North Melbourne has made its first move to land Richmond's Callum Coleman-Jones, offering the Tigers a future third-round pick for the tall forward.
The pick would fall around the No.40 mark in next year's NAB AFL Draft if the Roos finish around the bottom-four after their wooden spoon campaign in 2021.
The Tigers will want more for the 22-year-old key forward/ruck given their investment and belief in him however the Roos are likely to use the leverage of the pre-season draft, where they hold the first selection.
North's list manager Glenn Luff last week told Trade Radio that the Roos' pick 20 was not going to form part of the deal for Coleman-Jones, with the Kangaroos also chasing Gold Coast's pick 19 as part of a deal to take Suns forward Darcy Macpherson and his salary off the Suns.
The Tigers already have perhaps the strongest draft hand of any club this year, holding picks 7, 15, 26, 28, 38, 42 and 47 inside the top-50.
Richmond is one of the clubs chasing the Western Bulldogs' pick 17 via bundling selections together to move up the board and satisfy the Dogs' need for more points to pay for father-son prospect Sam Darcy.
Coleman-Jones, who also had interest from Gold Coast, played eight games this season for a career tally of nine, has been offered a four-year deal by North Melbourne. – Callum Twomey
SAINT'S YOUNGER BROTHER A COMBINE STANDOUT
SAM BUTLER impressed at the Vic Country NAB AFL Draft Combine last week, finishing in the top-two in all bar one test.
The state-based Combine saw regional-based prospects test at Bendigo last week, with potential first-round pick Butler a standout.
The younger brother of St Kilda forward and 2017 Richmond premiership player Dan claimed the best 20-metre sprint time with a run of 2.97 seconds, was second in the standing vertical jump test (71cm) and second in the running vertical jump (87cm).
Bendigo prospect Cooper Hamilton won the 2km time trial with a run of 5:48 minutes ahead of Hamish Sinnott and Mitchell Knevitt and Tom Brown, the son of former Geelong player Paul, claimed the standing vertical jump with a leap of 72cm.
Possible top-10 pick Josh Gibcus took out the running vertical jump but his result of 89cm was shorter than he jumped due to the circumstances of the testing outdoors under COVID-safe protocols.
Due to the inclement weather the jumps had to be conducted under an awning, with Gibcus jumping higher than the awning device. The flying defender's personal best is 95cm, which was recorded at the NAB League testing day earlier this year. – Callum Twomey
20m sprint
Sam Butler (GWV Rebels) 2.970 seconds
Tom Brown (Murray Bushrangers) 2.983
Kai Lohmann (GWV Rebels) 2.986
2km time trial
Cooper Hamilton (Bendigo Pioneers) 5:48 minutes
Hamish Sinnott (GWV Rebels) 5:58
Mitchell Knevitt (Geelong Falcons) 6:18
Standing vertical jump
Tom Brown (Murray Bushrangers) 72cm
Sam Butler (GWV Rebels) 71
Josh Gibcus (GWV Rebels) 68
Running vertical jump
Josh Gibcus* (GWV Rebels) 89cm
Sam Butler (GWV Rebels) 87
Jai Serong (GWV Rebels) 86
EAGLES PAIR SIGN ON AS ROOKIES
WEST Coast midfielder Connor West has secured a one-year contract extension and will move onto the rookie list after joining the club through the Mid-Season Draft this year.
The Eagles have also confirmed a new one-year deal for half-forward Jamaine Jones, who will remain on the rookie list in 2022.
The extensions leave West Coast with premiership captain Shannon Hurn, champion forward Josh Kennedy and young defender Luke Foley as their only unsigned players for 2022.
Tall prospect Jarrod Brander is also out of contract but seeking a new home after 22 games in four seasons. The Eagles have been waiting on Carlton to indicate if they will pursue the Victorian.
West Coast is in talks to secure Carlton's Sam Petrevski-Seton and Western Bulldogs ruckman Jordan Sweet in exchange for late selections in the NAB AFL Draft.
The club will have several list spots to fill after seven players were either delisted or retired. – Nathan Schmook
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IN OTHER NEWS
- AFL.com.au revealed Western Bulldogs utility Lewis Young had requested a trade to Carlton after weighing a two-year contract offer from the Dogs.
- The Dogs will now cast their eye to Hawthorn free agent Tim O'Brien, with AFL.com.au reporting the club is looking at the versatile tall to replace Young as a defender.
- Gold Coast and Collingwood have engaged in a pick swap. AFL.com.au reported the Magpies have secured picks 22, 46, 58, 79 and a future fourth-rounder to match the bid for father-son Nick Daicos in a deal for future second, third, and fourth-round selections, with the Suns better placed to use the picks next year given their full senior list in 2021.
The views in this article are those of the author and not the North Melbourne Football Club.
