The AFL's trade period is heating up with negotiations to officially begin on Monday. There's been plenty of speculation about players being linked to the Hyundai Centre. Lions.com.au takes a look at the latest AFL Trade Whispers and what List Manager Peter Schwab had to say about them.
Bell headed North:
Schwab told NAB AFL Trade Radio on Wednesday that the Lions are keen to secure Carlton midfielder Tom Bell.
24 year-old, Bell, is contracted to the Blues until the end 2016 but is believed to be considering a return to his home state of Queensland.
Schwab said the Lions had held discussions with Bell and his management about a move back north in recent weeks.
“I'm pretty confident that we'll be able to do a deal with Carlton for Tom,” Schwab said.
“We're really keen to get Tom back to Queensland, so we're hopeful that'll happen.”
Lions halt chase on Suckling:
Schwab said the Lions would no longer pursue Hawthorn premiership player Matthew Suckling despite showing some initial interest in the 27 year-old unrestricted free agent.
“We were interested in Matty but for circumstances around list management, we've had to curtail that,” he said.
“We won't pursue that.”
Lions show interest in Stevie Johnson:
Meanwhile, Schwab confirmed the Lions would explore the possibility of extending delisted Geelong veteran Stevie
Johnson's AFL career, with the prospect of a transition into a coaching role at the Club in the future.
“You always look at a player of that class and quality, and see (whether) he does offer a little bit for a very young group,” he said.
“We haven't ruled out that possibility but we haven't gone that far with thinking in that regard.
“I think the coach (Leppitsch) has shown some interest and might've had a chat.”
Aish decision imminent:
James Aish is yet to inform the Lions of his intentions for next season, but Schwab expects the 19 year-old out-of-contract midfielder will make a decision in the coming days.
“He hasn't indicated one way or the other but he'll have to do that soon, of course, because trading is starting next Monday.
“We're hopeful that he wants to stay and the longer it's taken, the more confident we've been that that might be the case,” he said.
Redden heading West?:
Schwab said the Club will wait and see how midfielder Jack Redden’s request to be traded plays out. Redden is contracted until the end of 2016, but has expressed a desire to move on from the Lions.
“Jack is in contract, but he decided he wanted to explore other options.
“He’s been doing that with West Coast showing the most interest.
“But seeing as he is in contract we’ll just sit back and wait. We don’t have to do much we’ll just see what gets offered for Jack and weigh that up.”
Ruck Option:
Schwab said the Lions were also open to exploring a ruck option in next week’s trade period.
“We’ve got Westy (Trent West) there, but he’s just come off a knee reco. We’re just hopeful he’ll be up and going, he’s certainly a ruck option for us.
“But I think we’ll have a look (at it), it’s just whether we can get the right fit for the right price."
