North Melbourne will not always confirm or deny trade rumours and the details relating to the club in this article have not been approved or ratified by it.
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There was some real movement on Friday as the Gillette AFL Trade and Free Agency Period formally got underway.
Fremantle got into gear quickly, waiting little time to lodge the paperwork to bring Melbourne utility Colin Sylvia to the club while Fremantle did the same with Richmond speedster Matt White.
And later on Friday, livewire Carlton forward Eddie Betts moved to Adelaide on a four-year deal reportedly worth $2 million.
White's exit from Punt Road was quickly followed by that of key defender Luke McGuane, who hopes to return to his native Queensland to play for the Brisbane Lions, under new coach Justin Leppitsch, who was formerly his line coach at the Tigers.
Lance Franklin's move to the Sydney Swans continued to inch along. The Swans lodged the paperwork with the AFL on Friday for the spectacular nine-year, $10 million deal, but its structure is still being reviewed by the AFL.
Friday marked the first day of the free agency period, whereas the trade period formally starts on Monday when representatives of the 18 clubs meet at Etihad Stadium.
Sydney Swan Andrejs Everitt will be up for discussion on Monday as a casualty of the salary cap squeeze brought on by the club's determination to secure Franklin.
The 24-year-old struck good form late in the season and was solid in the second half of the preliminary final against Fremantle playing behind the ball.
After 20 games with the Swans in 2013, including three finals, Everitt will be on the market. He has played 76 games (36 with the Western Bulldogs and 40 with the Swans) and shapes as a mature performer who would slot into any system.
One of the most highly sought after names in the trade period will be Greater Western Sydney's Taylor Adams. Collingwood is very keen on the 20-year-old who has played 31 matches in two seasons with the Giants. He has also attracted interest from Carlton and Richmond.
Essendon were keen and Adams, a one-time Bombers supporter, was impressed with the club but they look unlikely to be able to get a deal done.
Collingwood's Heath Shaw continues to attract interest from a raft of clubs with Essendon, Melbourne, Geelong, Hawthorn, Carlton and Greater Western Sydney all happy to entertain the prospect of securing the 27-year-old premiership player.
Shaw, who is contracted to the Magpies, has an open mind about where he might end up but he is expected to nominate a preferred destination after going through a process with interested clubs.
Some clubs are expected to be in a better position than others to facilitate a trade for Shaw, who is regarded as a quality player with big-game experience.
West Coast's bid to sign Brisbane Lions midfielder Elliot Yeo on a three-year deal is expected to push through early next week, although the Lions are hoping to speak with Yeo before the move is confirmed.
At Essendon, midfielder Travis Colyer is in discussions with a rival club, while David Myers is speaking with the Dons about where the club sees him playing in 2014.
A required player at Windy Hill, Myers is keen to spend more time in the midfield.
Luke Delaney's desired move to St Kilda is unlikely to be done early in the first week of the trade period. It is understood the North Melbourne key defender could be involved in the Roos' negotiations with the Saints for star midfielder Nick Dal Santo, which still seem to be in their preliminary stages.
Carlton continues to lead the race for Brisbane Lions defender Sam Docherty, but Essendon also remains well in the mix to secure 2011's No.12 draft pick.
Port Adelaide small forward Cameron Hitchcock is understood to be close to re-signing with the Power for 2014, while Fremantle defender Lee Spurr is negotiating with the Dockers to extend his contract beyond next season.
Young NSW midfielder Jake Barrett will be selected by the Giants in next month's NAB AFL Draft.
Barrett is from Temora in the Riverina and will be taken as a zone selection. The 17-year old is a tough on-baller with a great work rate and endurance and played rugby league until the age of 15 before switching to AFL.
Barrett is the first cousin of Hawthorn premiership player Luke Breust and is a second cousin of former Dally M medallist and NRL star Trent Barrett.
Meanwhile, in coaching news, Adam Simpson settled in for his first day as coach of West Coast by expressing the hope that Scott Burns, an assistant to John Worsfold for five years and an unsuccessful applicant for the senior job, would remain.
Simpson's former club Hawthorn is expected to look from within to find his replacement and could elevate either Cameron Bruce or Adem Yze from a development position to an assistant coach.
Collingwood's hunt for a new sports science director is understood to include St Kilda high performance manager Bill Davoren.
Davoren, who remains under contract, has been with the Saints for 12 months but is believed to be exploring a move to reunite with Magpies football manager Rodney Eade.
Before moving to St Kilda, Davoren spent four seasons with the Western Bulldogs, including 2009 when the club played in a preliminary final under Eade.
The move is yet to be finalised and Davoren would not comment when contacted by AFL.com.au.
The Magpies lost sports science director David Buttifant when he resigned and moved to Carlton to work along long-time ally Mick Malthouse.
