The views in this article are those of the author and not the North Melbourne Football Club. 

Join AFL.com.au's rolling news story as they bring you all the action from the Continental Tyres AFL Trade Period every day right up until the the close of play on Wednesday, October 13.

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ALL OVER: FREE AGENCY PERIOD ENDS

5:00pm: The Free Agency period has ended. 

Five players exercised their free agency - this is how it all played out.

Friday: Unrestricted free agent Jake Kelly moved from Adelaide to Essendon; unrestricted free agent Mabior Chol moved from Richmond to Gold Coast.

Saturday: Restricted agent George Hewett moved from Sydney to Carlton.

Wednesday: Unrestricted free agent Luke Dunstan moved from St Kilda to Melbourne.

Thursday: Unrestricted free agent Tim O'Brien moved from Hawthorn to the Western Bulldogs.

'SQUEEZED OUT': DELISTED BLUE A CASUALTY OF YOUNG TALENT INFLUX

4:38pm: Former Blue Michael Gibbons has spoken of his frustration the reasoning given behind his delisting.

Gibbons said the arrival of new recruits Adam Cerra and George Hewett led the club to tell him he was being squeezed out of the midfield.

The issue is, Gibbons has almost exclusively played as a small forward despite dominating in the middle at VFL level for Williamstown.

"I think in the end they were probably waiting on getting a couple of recruits they were waiting on and I guess the writing was on the wall a bit, as a player, you get a feeling," Gibbons told Continental Tyres AFL Trade Radio.

"When the review came out, discussions were put on hold, then I had a few issues with my hamstrings, so it just kept getting pushed further away. In the end, I got a sense or a feeling, I was more hopeful than anything, and then … once the Cerra deal went through, that was it for me in the end.

"The justification I got was that they saw me as a midfielder, and the fact they got two (new) midfielders, I was the one being squeezed out. It was probably the bit I don't really agree with it, I played a lot of midfield at VFL, and I probably haven't played one minute of midfield at Carlton, to be honest with you. I've played 100 per cent forward.

"It was frustrating to hear that justification, but if that's what they're going with, that's what they're going with."

Gibbons said he still took part in the Blues' "Do it for Doc" campaign today, with players and former teammates of Sam Docherty shaving their heads to fundraise for the Peter Mac Cancer Foundation.

DONE DEAL: TARRANT, COLEMAN-JONES SWITCH CLUBS

4:38pm: Callum Coleman-Jones is a Kangaroo after a deal was struck with Richmond on Friday that saw Robbie Tarrant become a Tiger.

North Melbourne handed over a future-second round pick, pick No.40 this year and veteran Tarrant in exchange for Coleman-Jones, picks 42, 47 and a future-fourth round pick.

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HAS WINGARD PUT TRADE RUMOURS TO BED?

3:35pm: The day after Hawthorn president Jeff Kennett warned supporters to brace themselves for big-name departures and amid reports that new coach Sam Mitchell is personally hawking his star players to rival clubs over the phone, Chad Wingard has taken to Instagram with a post that seems to indicate that he won't be leaving the club.

Wingard posted an image of Leonardo DiCaprio's character from The Wolf of Wall Street with his IYKYK ("If You Know You Know") pose and a crying with laughter emoji.

It has been interpreted by Hawks fans as meaning that he believes he won't be part of a possible exodus of top-flight Hawks out of the club in exchange for early draft picks.

Wingard, who polled Brownlow votes in each of the last four games of the season and would appear to be on the verge of returning close to his Therabody AFL All-Australian form from his Port Adelaide days, would likely attract a late first-round, or early second-round pick if the Hawks chose to move him on, depending on how much of his salary the club was willing to pay.

He said in a recent media appearance how invested he was in Hawthorn and how keen he was to remain, and still has two years remaining on his contract at the Hawks.

Whether Wingard is correct might not be known until the trade period finishes on Wednesday evening.

DAWSON TRADE TALKS HEAT UP

3pm: Sydney remains engaged in talks with Adelaide on a deal for outgoing wingman Jordan Dawson, with two new offers with the Crows, reports AFL.com.au's Cal Twomey.

The Swans are in dialogue with their Adelaide counterparts over the trade after earlier this week knocking back a proposed deal involving pick 17.

Check out the full story here

SWEET SIGNS ON AT DOGS

2:08pm: Jordon Sweet has put an end to any trade speculation by signing a new two-year deal with the Western Bulldogs.

The ruckman's signature will see him remain at the Whitten Oval until at least the end of 2023.

Sweet arrived at the Kennel with pick No.23 in the 2018 NAB AFL Rookie Draft. He broke through for his AFL debut in round five this season against Gold Coast, collecting eight disposals, a goal and 31 hitouts.

Bulldogs list manager Sam Power said keeping Sweet at the club was important for the future. 

"His ruck craft and ability to give midfielders first use has come on in leaps and bounds, and we saw glimpses of what he can do at AFL level earlier in the season," Power said.

"We know Jordon still has plenty of growth to come, so we're looking forward to seeing his development continue to evolve."

LATEST ON LOBB

12:45pm: The manager of Fremantle ruck/forward Rory Lobb joined the show to provide an update on his potential trade to GWS. 

DO BLUES HAVE ANOTHER MOVE UP THEIR SLEEVE?

12:20pm: Carlton has already traded in Adam Cerra and Lewis Young and traded out Sam Petrevski-Seton out, but they still might not be done before the Trade Period is finished. 

PSD FOR LIPINSKI? 

11:55am: Collingwood is not ruling out the pre-season draft as the mechanism to bring Western Bulldogs midfielder Patrick Lipinski to the club.

Magpies general manager of football Graham Wright told Continental Tyres AFL Trade Radio on Friday that there is yet to be any real clarity with the Bulldogs about a deal for the 23-year-old.

“It’s always there, but to be honest I’ve never done that before,” said the long-time football administrator, before adding, “I haven’t been second last in the ladder either.”

It is Collingwood’s preference to arrange a trade for Lipinksi between now and the close of the Trade Period next Wednesday. “We’d like to feel comfortable for Pat to come to the club and not go down that route.”

The Pies have yet to speak to Hawthorn about ruckman Max Lynch, who is thought to be looking towards a move to Waverley in order for more playing time, while the club is also yet to field enquiries about fellow tall Mason Cox. 

At least one of Lynch or Cox will remain at the club next year, with Wright hinting that Ciox might need to work on his ruck skills to become a true back-up to Brodie Grundy.

Veteran small forward Josh Thomas has yet to be offered a contract for next season. 

“We have been upfront and honest with him to get through the Trade Period and see what we have available in list." 

VFL YOUNG GUN ATTRACTING INTEREST

10:40am: Williamstown defender Charlie Dean looms as a draft bolter after proving himself against Ben Brown early this season and later being named the VFL's best young player of 2021.  

Dean is a strong chance to follow in the footsteps of the past 14 winners of the VFL's Fothergill-Round-Mitchell Medal who all went on to be drafted, and has already been talking to AFL clubs.

The 19-year-old used his debut VFL season as an opportunity to test himself against players from the elite level including a premiership-winning full-forward.

“We played Melbourne in a practice game and their forward line was Majak Daw, Ben Brown, Mitch Brown and Sam Weideman, so I cycled through each one of them and got some great learning experiences,” Dean said on Continental Tyres AFL Trade Radio.

"Majak and Ben Brown were super strong and then Weideman was great in the air. I’ve just had a lot of great experiences on AFL-quality players.”

The intercept defender models his game on Steven May and Jordan Ridley, and has sparked interest from AFL clubs after averaging 15.1 disposals and 7.3 marks in nine VFL matches.

“I think I can defend my man one-on-one then also come off and take some intercept marks,” Dean said.

“I’ve been lucky enough to have a few conversations [with AFL clubs]. In my under-18s year, I hadn't been having interviews, so it’s pretty refreshing to have a bit of love this time of year.”

HAWKS ON NOTICE: IF YOU'RE 26YO OR OVER, LOOK OUT

8:55am: James Sicily, Chad Wingard and Jarman Impey are among a host of Hawthorn players aged 26 or above who are available for a trade. 

The Hawks are reportedly open to trading players aged 26 and above as they embrace a rebuild and look to add first-round draft selections to their picks No.5, 21 and 24.  

"It's my information that Hawthorn players above the age of 26, if you're above the age of 26 at the Hawthorn footy club, you've been told that no one is off limits," former Port Adelaide great Kane Cornes told Continental Tyres AFL Trade Radio.

"We're all questioning what is happening at the football club. Jeff Kennett has alluded to it, if you're above the age of 26, I think you'll find the Hawthorn players in that bracket have been told they're not off limits.

"James Sicily is 26. We speak a lot about Tom Mitchell and [Jaeger] O'Meara and [Jon] Ceglar and others, but they're older. [Chad] Wingard is 28, [Jarman] Impey is 26.

"Maybe Hawthorn are planning to be a lot more savage than what we have even been speaking about. Perhaps that is the 'surprise' that Jeff is speaking about. Maybe it is a Sicily or an Impey or anyone else that is above the age of 26."

KING TO TAKE TIME ON CONTRACT CALL

8:05am: Contract talks are on hold for emerging forward Ben King as he looks to focus on playing with Gold Coast in 2022.

The 21-year-old King comes out of contract at the end of next season and has already been linked with a return to Victoria, including to St Kilda to join up with his twin brother Max.

The athletic 202cm key forward kicked a career-best 47 goals this season and has booted 89 majors in 52 matches since arriving at the Suns with pick No.6 in the 2018 NAB AFL Draft.

"I met with him in round 22 this year and sat down and had lunch with him, it's the first time we spoke really about his footy and what he wanted to do next year. He was really excited about getting back up there [to Gold Coast]," player manager Robbie D'Orazio told Continental Tyres AFL Trade Radio.

"He's really good friends with Noah Anderson and Matt Rowell, they want to get up there and create their own little dynasty or a professional footy club.

"Some players take time to make these decisions, especially when they're from interstate. 

"I see Ben as a third-year player, going into his fourth year, he's really excited. We'll sit down when the time is right and chat about what footy looks like after that."

IT WOULD BE A 'BRUTAL' CALL ON O'MEARA

7:15am: Tom Mitchell and Jaeger O'Meara are the Hawthorn stars most likely to be on the move after Jeff Kennett dropped a hint about Hawthorn's list strategy.

Kennett sent a message to Hawks' members on Thursday that said, "We may be surprised at some of the [trade] decisions made".

The Hawks hold early picks at No.5, 21 and 24 but reportedly would like to find another first-round selection.

Former Port Adelaide great Kane Cornes believes the club president's message was a warning that more is to come from the Hawks.

"Nothing Hawthorn have done now would have me surprised. Telling Jon Ceglar to explore his options and letting Tim O'Brien go, that's very back-ended," Cornes told Continental Tyres AFL Trade Radio.

Co-host Matthew Lloyd named the players he thinks are most likely to be up for grabs.

"If you're surprised by something, it would be that O'Meara or Mitchell moves on. It would be brutal, particularly on O'Meara. He'd be the one that would be devastated," Lloyd said.

"Mitchell, I'm not sure where he sits in that, because you hear things, that he'd be happy if it's a win-win for him and potentially play in some finals next year."

FUTURE SECOND-ROUNDER SHOULD SEAL LOBB DEAL

7:05: Greater Western Sydney should expect to hand over a future second-round draft pick to secure the return of Rory Lobbfrom Fremantle, according to former Essendon star forward Matthew Lloyd.

As first reported by AFL.com.au's Damian Barrett, Lobb is hoping to make a shock return to the Giants after leaving the club to sign a five-year deal with Fremantle just three years ago.

The 207cm forward-ruck has played 45 matches and kicked 43 goals at the Dockers after playing 74 times for the Giants between 2014 and 2018.

"The Giants do need some height. We saw in the finals series that you don't want to be relying on Jesse Hogan, [Harry] Himmelberg. [Jake] Riccardi might be thinking 'Should I have left?' if he hears Rory Lobb is coming," Lloyd said on Continental Tyres AFL Trade Radio.

"The Dockers need to get back in next year's draft. They're in a really tough position next year. It's a blessing if the Giants take Lobb, they take his $700,000 a year for the next two years and it strengthens their hand back in the draft next year. 

"I believe a future second-rounder potentially could seal this one."

FREE AGENCY WINDOW TO SHUT, WHAT TO WATCH FOR

7:00: The trade dominos really started to fall on Thursday with five players switching clubs. Expect plenty more movement with the unrestricted free agency period and restricted free agency bidding period both closing at 5pm AEDT today. These are some of the developments to look out for:

- What will it cost Greater Western Sydney to bring Rory Lobb back to the club three years after he was traded to Fremantle?
- Could the Giants' zippy forward Bobby Hill head home to WA as part of any deal for Rory Lobb?
- Will Richmond finalise a trade with North Melbourne for Robbie Tarrant or snap him up as an unrestricted free agent before the deadline?
- Who steps off the ruck merry-go-round first – Callum Coleman-Jones, Peter Ladhams, Jon Ceglar, Tristan Xerri, Darcy Fort or Max Lynch?
- Will the whispers around Tom Mitchell, Jaeger O’Meara, Chad Wingard and Jack Gunston grow louder after Hawthorn president Jeff Kennett’s message to members on Thursday?
- Who blinks first in standoffs over Jordan Dawson, Jordan Clark and Patrick Lipinski?

Refresh the page for the latest updates. 

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The views in this article are those of the author and not the North Melbourne Football Club.