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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ONE IN, ONE OUT: HAWKS GAIN MAX LYNCH

7:19pm: Former Pie Max Lynch is heading to the Hawks to replace outgoing ruckman Jon Ceglar, who has been traded to Geelong.

Collingwood has sent the 23-year-old to Waverley Park along with a future third-round selection (tied to Fremantle) and a future fourth-round selection (tied to Gold Coast) in exchange for a future third-round selection (tied to Brisbane) and its own future round-three selection.

SWANS LAND LADHAMS

7:13pm: Sydney has bolstered its ruck stocks, acquiring Peter Ladhams from Port Adelaide.

The Power will receive pick No.12 and a future third-round selection and part with Ladhams and pick No.16.

CLARK HEADING WEST AFTER PROLONGED NEGOTIATIONS

6:51pm: Young Cat Jordan Clark's wish has been granted, with the 20-year-old traded to Fremantle.

Geelong and the Dockers reached a deal after prolonged negotiations, with the Dockers parting with pick No.22 and a future third-round selection (tied to Carlton) in exchange for Clark and a future fourth-round selection.

Check out the full story here

CEGLAR LEAVES THE HAWKS' NEST, LANDS AT THE CATTERY

6:50pm: Jonathan Ceglar is now a Geelong player, with the former Hawk traded to the Cats along with a future fourth-round selection in exchange for a future third-round selection, which is tied to Brisbane.

Check out the full story here

DONE DEAL: FORT TRADE FREES STUCK RUCKS

6:25pm: Darcy Fort is now a Brisbane player, after a trade was struck between the Lions and Geelong.

The Cats parted with pick No.41 and Fort in exchange for pick No.50 and the Lions' future third-round selection.

Check out the full story here

DEAL OR NO DEAL, HILL WANTS OUT

6:00pm: Bobby Hill is adamant that he doesn’t want to return to Greater Western Sydney next season.

AFL.com.au’s Cal Twomey has told Continental Tyres AFL Trade Radio that Hill is back in Western Australia with his family, all but pleading with the Giants to greenlight the deal to Essendon, where he will have more family support.

"He is adamant that Bobby Hill is not wanting to go back to GWS, even if a deal is not struck,” Twomey said after speaking with Hill’s manager Colin Young.  

Hill’s camp is urging Greater Western Sydney to agree to release the speedster to Essendon, citing concerns about Hill's welfare.

“I’d hate to see him go back, train and do all that and not be able to play his best footy for Greater Western Sydney if it doesn’t work out. But I’d hate to see this opportunity go to waste,” Hill’s manager Colin Young told Continental Tyres AFL Trade Radio.

"This is not a trade for five years on 800k, it's a trade for Bobby's best interests ... my concern is that I've gone through this before with Cam McCarthy."

“We don’t have a lot of time. So, it is disappointing that it’s at where it’s at. He has to go back (to GWS), he is contracted.”

Former Giants list manager Stephen Silvagni has some empathy for Hill. "If you can't get (the welfare) right, his performance isn't going to be great. There are certain players who can carry it, but there are others who just can’t.”

The Giants have told Hill they will create a support network for him in western Sydney.

Young’s colleague, Andrew McDougall, earlier expressed his hopes that a deal would be struck between Essendon and the Giants.

If the Giants can somehow convince Hawk Luke Breust to join their club in the next two hours, then everything changes.

ROOS HOLD FIRM ON XERRI ASKING PRICE

4.51pm: North Melbourne is adamant that a second-round selection must be involved if it is to trade ruckman Tristan Xerri to St Kilda.

AFL.com.au's Riley Beveridge revealed the Saints have offered up a future third-round selection and a swap of later picks for the contracted 22-year-old, but the Kangaroos won't budge.

DAWSON DEAL WAS ALWAYS GOING TO GET DONE, CROWS SAY

4:40pm: Walking Jordan Dawson to the pre-season draft was never an option for Adelaide, after it secured the exciting Sydney midfielder late on Tuesday night.

Crows list and strategy manager Justin Reid told Continental Tyres AFL Trade Radio on Tuesday night that a trade with the Swans was always on the cards and in the end, they handed over their 2022 first-round pick.

“In good faith the pre-season draft was never something we discussed with Sydney. We were always keen to do a deal. It was never entertained.”

Now that they have the 24-year-old, the Crows need to determine where he best fits in the side. “Over the summer he’ll build relationships with the coaches and his teammates, but certainly, through the wing and the midfield where we can use his kicking inside 50.

“We’re certainly excited about what he can bring to the group,” he said.

With their audacious bid to send three first round picks to North Melbourne in exchange for the opening selection at next month’s NAB AFL National Draft having been firmly rebuffed, the Crows are unlikely to be active before the trade period closes at 7.30pm AEDT.

HILL TALKS STALL WITH NEITHER SIDE LIKELY TO BUDGE

4:30pm: Bobby Hill’s bid to join Essendon is looking less likely to happen, with Greater Western Sydney unlikely to agree to the trade unless it knows for sure that a small forward was coming in the other way.

And with Hawk Luke Breust all but certain to remain at his club, the Giants and the Bombers have nothing left to discuss.

The Giants cannot afford to be a small forward short, especially with Toby Greene suspended for the first five matches of 2022.

“They’ve knocked back Essendon’s offer of a future second round pick, which makes it pretty hard to do the deal,” AFL.com.au’s Cal Twomey said on Continental Tyres AFL Trade Radio.

“Breust wants to stay…which leads the Giants to say, ‘We’ve got our small forward, he’s contracted and we want to keep him.”

WALLIS EXTENDS STAY AT THE KENNEL

4.04pm: Western Bulldogs vice-captain Mitch Wallis has signed a one-year deal to remain at the Kennel.

The 28-year-old fell out of favour at the Dogs this year, only managing six games and wasn't even an emergency for the Grand Final.

Wallis qualified as an unrestricted free agent, but didn't have much interest from rival clubs and opted to stay put.

"Signing on for season 2022 is something I’m personally very excited for – I absolutely love being part of this football club," Wallis said.

"I couldn’t be prouder of what we achieved this season, despite missing out on the ultimate prize. I’m looking forward to seeing how we can use that experience to our advantage in 2022.

"I’m going to embrace the challenge of improving elements of my game, as I feel I have a lot to contribute towards the on-field success of the club moving forward.

"I also want to continue to help motivate my teammates to become the best versions of themselves - it’s been amazing to watch my younger teammates develop over recent seasons. I feel I can help guide them to new heights in the future."

GWS EYEING TRIPLE-PREMIERSHIP HAWK

2:46pm: Greater Western Sydney appears to have tried and failed to extricate a player out of Hawthorn for the second time this trade period with veteran goalsneak Luke Breust rejecting a last-ditch bid to move to the club.

Last week it was Chad Wingard, while on Wednesday it was Breust, the 31-year-old, dual All-Australian who indicated he wanted to remain at Waverley with two years remaining on his contract.

AFL.com.au’s Cal Twomey suggested the Hawks and Giants agreed to the trade, which would have involved pick no.13 heading to the Hawks, but it was knocked back by Breust.

The Hawks have been very clear that while they are open to trading big name players in order to boost their draft hand, the players hold the whip hand because they are under contract and their wishes would be honoured.

Breust is from Temora in southern New South Wales and that Giants hoped a return to his home state would have some appeal.

“He wants to stay. They aren’t pushing him out,” Twomey said. “What’s interesting is that the players want to stay (at Hawthorn).”

Fellow AFL.com.au writer Riley Beveridge said he understood the Giants were after a small forward at the start of the trade period and before the bombshell that Bobby Hill wanted out. “The ramifications for GWS will be huge if they’re two small forwards short.”

 

SWANS NOT THRILLED WITH DAWSON DEAL

1:40pm: Sydney wasn't overly thrilled with its deal with Adelaide for Jordan Dawson, but felt it was the best trade available.

A deal was agreed to late last night after "extensive and lengthy negotiations", which saw rising gun Dawson traded for a future first-rounder, which is tied to Melbourne.

"We just felt we'd exhausted those negotiations and it was time to accept the deal that was tabled, which was Melbourne's future first, and get moving on some other things," Swans head of footy Charlie Gardiner told Continental Tyres AFL Trade Radio.

"Whilst we're disappointed to lose a player like Jordan, as we've said from the start, he's 24 and coming into his prime as an elite player of the competition.

"In terms of the trade, we felt like we did all we could, and we weren't going to improve on the offer in terms of the circumstances."

"It was a reality. If we couldn't complete a trade, the prospect of losing Jordan for nothing to Adelaide or another club was a possible scenario. That has happened before, so we couldn't discount it," he said.

"The deal that was tabled early last week involving pick No.17 was not as good a deal as the one we accepted last night. It involved a slide of picks in this year's draft, as well as future selections given up in next year's draft that would have compromised not only this year but next year."

The Swans are also in the market for contracted Port Adelaide tall Peter Ladhams.

"There are talks going on, Kinnear Beatson is leading those discussions, but those talks are underway," Gardiner said.

"Tom (Hickey) has been fantastic for us this year, and we don't see any signs of him slowing down. Peter does bring the added dimension of being able to play forward, but we've got some young developing forwards in Joel Amartey and Hayden McLean, so we'll have some competition for spots there.

"We're in a different situation to where we were 12 months ago with this one, we would like to bring Peter in and he brings a long-term ruck option for us, but it has to be on the right terms. If it doesn't happen, so be it, but we'll be working to try and strike a fair and reasonable deal to bring him in."

FIRST D-DAY DEAL DONE

1.04pm: In reality, it was agreed last night but Jordan Dawson is now an Adelaide player after the Swans agreed to the Crows' latest offer on Tuesday night. 

Sydney received a future first-round pick (tied to Melbourne) from the Crows in exchange for the sweet-kicking wingman, who enjoyed a breakout season in 2021. 

Read the latest here

STILL HOPE FOR HILL MOVE: MANAGER

12.50pm: Bobby Hill's manager Andrew McDougall has given an update of sorts on the potential trade to Essendon.

"I spoke to Jason McCartney this morning. Neither club is involved really at this point," McDougall told Continental Tyres AFL Trade Radio.

"Essendon tabled a deal which involved a future second as part of the deal, so we're just looking into it at the moment, and hopefully some discussions start ramping up."

Hill is contracted for another year, but with his first baby on the way, the forward and his partner are keen to reunite with family in Melbourne, including Saint Bradley Hill and another cousin Courtney Ugle (Essendon VFLW).

"A young player comes out, says where he wants to nominate and speaks to the club and tells them why, it does hold a bit of weight," McDougall said.

"Bobby's quite stressed and nervous at this point, as you can imagine, and having been involved in a few trades at this time of year, it seems like this will be quite a delicate one for Bobby.

"There's not too much time left, but there is still a little bit, so hopefully things start moving in that direction."

THE PICK THAT PUNCHES ABOVE ITS WEIGHT

12.36pm: Is pick 19 one of the most valuable selections going around?

The reversion to a two-night NAB AFL Draft will see pick No.19 – a selection currently in the mix for the potential Jordan Clark deal – become the first pick used on night two.

It gives the holding club (Fremantle, after it was part of the Will Brodie deal) nearly 24 hours to make a selection, or field trade requests from other clubs for the pick.

Geelong is keen to receive the selection in return for Clark.

"This one stands as the one to watch tonight. One of the clubs has to give a little more or take a little less," Cal Twomey said on Continental Tyres AFL Trade Radio.

"Having the first pick of the second night means the clubs around that part of the night can spend that 12, 16, 18 hours mulling over the players they really like.

"If someone's slipped, like a Devon Robertson-type, we saw the Brisbane Lions offer up a second-round pick just to move up a spot and grab him a couple of years ago in 2019.

"It's a valuable position to hold, so that's where 19 is a target for Geelong and why Fremantle want to keep it."

LET THE TRADING BEGIN...

12.07pm: We've just ticked past the 12pm opening of Deadline Day and AFL.com.au's Cal Twomey says all is ready for a host of ruckmen to change clubs. 

KANGAS, SAINTS 'JUST TOO FAR APART' ON XERRI

11.50am: North Melbourne is holding firm on its demands for a future pick for Tristan Xerri as it doesn't expect to use the selection St Kilda has offered.

The emerging ruckman has requested a trade to the Saints after dropping down the pecking order at the Kangaroos following the arrival of Callum Coleman-Jones earlier in this year’s Trade Period.

But the Saints’ offer of pick No.62 is expected to be wasted at the Kangaroos.

“North Melbourne, if you look at their list size at the moment, they're probably only going to take three or four picks to the draft,” AFL.com.au trade guru Riley Beveridge said on Continental Tyres AFL Trade Radio.

“They've got pick 1, 20, 42, 47, so if they take four picks, that's their first four. St Kilda doesn't have a pick within that bracket, their next pick after pick 9 is pick 62.

“They’ve asked for a future second-round selection, I wonder if a future third gets involved for the Saints, that'll be a pick in the 40s or 50s region.

"I think Tristan Xerri is the man that stays at his club, they're just too far apart in their valuations of him at the moment.”

A SPANNER IN THE RUCK MERRY-GO-ROUND WORKS

11.10am: AFL.com.au's Riley Beveridge has told Trade Radio one reason why the expected flurry of ruck trades hasn't taken off just yet - the Lions' plans to land son-of-a-gun Will Ashcroft in 2022. 

Ashcroft, the son of Lions champion Marcus, delivered a fine mid-year display for Vic Metro in the NAB AFL U17 Championships, stamping him as a potential AFL star when he is eligible to be drafted at the end of next season. 

Here's AFL talent expert Kevin Sheehan's take on Ashcroft's effort against Vic Country in June.

PORT'S BIG-MAN DEPTH CAN COVER LADHAMS EXIT

9.40am: Port Adelaide has the depth to handle the departure of Peter Ladhams and should make sure a deal is done with Sydney before the 7.30pm AEDT trade deadline, according to Nick Dal Santo.

Ladhams has requested a trade to the Swans but they have so far been unwilling to hand over a first-round pick as demanded for the 23-year-old forward-ruck.

The Power brought in key forward Jeremy Finlayson from the Giants early in the Continental Tyres AFL Trade Period and already have Charlie Dixon, Mitch Georgiades and Todd Marshall as talls that can hit the scoreboard.

They also have emerging 205cm ruck Sam Hayes hoping to breakthrough for a debut next season after winning the reserves best and fairest this year.

"Sam Hayes is a young man waiting in the wings, has played some really good SANFL football. You need to see what you've got with him," former St Kilda star Dal Santo said on Continental Tyres AFL Trade Radio.

"If they do move on Ladhams, and we think that it will eventually go through by tonight, you've got Sam Hayes who is capable of playing ruck and maybe can go forward as well.

"But this group at Port are ready to go, they're going back to the well next year."

HILL SHOULD GET TRADE WISH, ANOTHER OPTION EMERGES

7.46am: Wantaway Giant Bobby Hill should get his desired outcome and move to Essendon despite GWS football boss Jason McCartney saying yesterday that it was "highly unlikely".  

The Bombers have improved their offer for the contracted small forward and centred it around their future second-round selection.

The Giants selected Hill with pick No.24 in the 2018 NAB AFL Draft but the 21-year-old wants to move to Victoria to be closer to family, including St Kilda's Bradley Hill.

"I feel he leaves," AFL.com.au's Damian Barrett said on Continental Tyres AFL Trade Radio.

"As much as there is a reluctance from GWS to engage meaningfully to this point with Essendon over Bobby Hill, I feel that's how it will play out.

"Collingwood I felt yesterday, just in a few calls I made around the situation, was a clear second option."

THE PRICE IS NOT RIGHT, HAWTHORN

7.42am: Hawthorn needs to drop its asking price for some of its stars or risk ending the Trade Period without the additional draft pick that it craves.

The Hawks have been unable to spark suitable interest in established players such as Chad Wingard, Jaeger O’Meara, Tom Mitchell and Jack Gunston despite the club making it known they are available to other clubs.

"They've overplayed and overcooked the value of those players on the market. They're just not wanted," AFL.com.au’s Damian Barrett said on Continental Tyres AFL Trade Radio.

"I still expect something to potentially happen today for one of those guys, Wingard, O'Meara, Mitchell, Gunston.

"Gunston is almost the asterisk. If his back is OK, he's going to be absolutely in demand. But there must be some issue with his back because there has been no obvious taker.

"Wingard, as much as he's made it very clear that he just doesn't want to leave, I feel that’s the one that the club would most like to, under Sam Mitchell, have out of the club before he starts."

The Hawks currently hold draft picks No.5, 21, 24, 59, 65 and 81.

WHAT TO WATCH FOR ON DEADLINE DAY

7am: Nine players have switched clubs in this year’s Trade Period but just as many could be on the move on deadline day. 

These are the deals to keep an eye on until the trade deadline at 7.30pm AEDT:

- Jordan Dawson: Will the agreed deal for Sydney to trade the winger to Adelaide be the first one lodged at 12pm?

- Jordan Clark: Does Fremantle relent and give up pick No.19 for the speedster or does Geelong buckle and accept pick No.22 on its own?

- Bobby Hill: Will Essendon list manager Adrian Dodoro or GWS football manager Jason McCartney win the latest round of their annual dance, or will Collingwood cut in with a late bid for the small forward?

- Peter Ladhams: Does the ruckman get his wish to be traded from Port Adelaide to Sydney despite the clubs starting deadline day with different views on his value?

- Jon Ceglar, Darcy Fort, Max Lynch: Could the ruckmen be part of a classic three-way trade involving Hawthorn, Geelong, Collingwood and Brisbane?

- Tristan Xerri: Does St Kilda send a future second-round pick to North Melbourne for the developing ruckman or stand its ground on his value?

- Tom Mitchell, Jaeger O’Meara, Chad Wingard, Jack Gunston: Will the four guns still be Hawthorn players tonight or will one or more be the “surprise” president Jeff Kennett’s warned members about last week?

- Jarrod Brander, Trent Dumont, Sam Powell-Pepper, Mason Cox: Will interest in these players – and others – be sparked as the clock ticks down?

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.