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Five-club deal could hinge on young Lion
Versatile Brisbane Lions youngster Jack Crisp has loomed as a potential circuit-breaker in the stalled negotiations to get Collingwood midfielder Dayne Beams to the Lions.

The Age has reported that Crisp is open to returning to Victoria to continue his career after 18 games with the Lions, including six in 2014.

The Lions hope he may attract enough interest to provide them with enough currency to get the five-club deal that stalled on Friday afternoon back on track.

That deal - that would have seen Beams and Allen Christensen go to the Lions, Levi Greenwood and Travis Varcoe head to Collingwood, Mitch Clark join Geelong and Heritier Lumumba move up the road to Melbourne - is understood to have fallen over because picks 30 and 48 did not satisfy Geelong's loss of players.

At this stage it looks most likely that deal drags on and Christensen joins the Lions for pick 21.

Beams' desire to get to Queensland may not eventuate, however, with the Pies calling off negotiations with the Lions late on Friday.

Kangaroos contemplate Cooney deal
North Melbourne is understood to be interested in Adam Cooney but it would not be willing to hand over much more than a fourth-round draft pick to get the 29-year-old veteran. The Brownlow medallist has battled injury in the past three seasons but still played 51 games in that time.

Boost for Bombers' backline
Essendon has signed former Saint defender James Gwilt while veteran defender Dustin Fletcher has agreed to play one more season, which with any luck will take him past 400 games.

Ryder's future still uncertain
Essendon's main focus this week will be the decision on ruckman Paddy Ryder, who wants to join Port Adelaide. If a deal does not get done, Ryder will have to go through a grievance tribunal process to prove a breach of contract arising from the Dons’ controversial supplements program. If he was successful, Essendon would receive nothing in return. At the moment, Port Adelaide has pick No.17 on offer.

Dees holding firm on Frost
The Herald Sun is reporting Melbourne might be able to bolster its defensive stocks by acquiring GWS youngster Sam Frost through the pre-season draft.

The 21-year-old played 16 matches in 2014, bringing his career total to 21. He was the Giants’ first pick in the 2011 rookie draft and is the brother of emerging Collingwood defender Jack Frost.

The Demons are keen on acquiring Frost but negotiations with the Giants haven’t progressed. Melbourne will have pick No.2 in the pre-season draft which could be used to snare Frost if a deal is not made, and St Kilda pass on Frost.