Cats' monster Curnow offer, Petracca wait to drag on, Saint gets new deal

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CATS LAUNCH HUGE CURNOW OFFER

GEELONG has put forward a massive offer for Carlton superstar Charlie Curnow as the race for the Blues superstar heats up.

On Thursday, the Cats put forward what would be a record-breaking trade offer of three first-round picks (in 2025, 2026 and 2027) in exchange for Curnow.

It came after the Cats had offered their first pick this year, pick 19, to St Kilda on the opening day of the trade period on Monday for Rowan Marshall. But with no movement on that deal, the Cats have made a huge play for Curnow, who has wanted to get to Geelong.

No player has ever been traded for three straight first-round picks. The offer does not include the Cats getting back any draft picks in return.

Sydney has also spoken to Carlton over the past 24 hours about Curnow, but the Swans are yet to put forward a firm offer.

Carlton has been willing to consider its options on Curnow after he expressed a desire to leave the club this off-season, but it has been resolute that it would take a mammoth deal to prise him out of Ikon Park.

Curnow has spent months hopeful of a move to either Sydney or Geelong, with Gold Coast having previously been in the mix before winning a commitment from Melbourne superstar Christian Petracca late last week.

Petracca's call has left the door open for either the Cats or the Swans to pounce.

Carlton has separately held an interest in Gold Coast's Ben Ainsworth as he considers his options, while it also chased Sydney's Will Hayward during his free agency campaign last season before he recommitted on a five-year deal.

The club has elsewhere presented trade options in both this year's draft and next to secure West Coast youngster Campbell Chesser, while talks with the Western Bulldogs over contracted defender Buku Khamis are progressing slowly. – Callum Twomey, Riley Beveridge

'TRAC' TALKS TO DRAG ON

CHRISTIAN Petracca's high-profile move from Melbourne to Gold Coast is poised to go deep into the trade period, with conversations between the two clubs still at a preliminary stage through the first week of the window.

The Suns are now armed with a hand of picks No.7, 8, 15 and 18 inside the draft's first round, but are still weighing up offers to lure Petracca north after he nominated Damien Hardwick's side as his preferred new home late last week.

Gold Coast list boss Craig Cameron said on Thursday that the Petracca deal "will take a little while to work through", with Melbourne's former Norm Smith Medal winner contracted at the club through to 2029.

The Demons are expected to drive a hard bargain for Petracca, with the clubs expected to ramp up negotiations in the coming days but bracing for the talks to potentially go down to the wire.

"Really preliminary discussions only. We won't be going much further into any detail, unfortunately. Very preliminary discussions, that's all they are," Melbourne list boss Tim Lamb told AFL.com.au's Gettable on Thursday.

"As we've said all along, we love 'Trac'. He's expressed a desire to potentially move somewhere else and we've said we'll look at something, as long as it's in the best interests of the club. That's our position.

"We haven't really progressed anything very far at all." – Riley Beveridge

WILKIE LOCKS IN LONGER DEAL

ST KILDA'S potential captain-in-waiting Callum Wilkie has had his contract extended by two more years after the Western Bulldogs' aggressive pursuit of him.

The Dogs launched a $4.5 million tilt at the Saints defender with a lucrative four-year deal, with the backman speaking with Bulldogs coach Luke Beveridge through the process.

Wilkie had two years left to run on his previous contract at the Saints, but the club has extended him by two more years through to the end of 2029.

Saints chief executive Carl Dilena confirmed on Continental Tyres AFL Trade Radio that the club had extended.

"He's such a well-regarded person within the club and well liked and demonstrates great leadership skills and a great player for us. Ross was very keen to keep him and had chats with him," Dilena said.

He wanted that security of tenure and our commitment to him wasn't so much changing what he has got, with two years to go, but adding on at the back end of that so he's got a longer period of contract. He was really good with that process and happy to recommit.

"I think there's a couple of years added on which extends out his tenure." – Callum Twomey

HAWKS' BIG TWO TARGETS

HAWTHORN has confirmed its interest in Gold Coast star Bailey Humphrey, but knows it's going to be difficult to convince the Suns to entertain a trade for the contracted midfielder-forward, while negotiations for Essendon captain Zach Merrett have yet to commence.

Humphrey is contracted until 2028 but has met with multiple Melbourne-based clubs as he attempts to return to Victoria this trade period. Gold Coast list manager Craig Cameron reiterated the club's stance that Humphrey won't be traded on Thursday morning.

The Hawks have been actively pursuing midfielders across 2025, including Harley Reid and Christian Petracca, while Humphrey has been a player of interest for months.

"I think just recently it came out that a number of clubs have interest in Bailey. It's not unusual when we've said right from the start that the area of our list build we need to do a little bit of work in is in that midfield-forward space," Hawthorn GM Rob McCartney said on Continental Tyres AFL Trade Radio.

"He's a player that could possibly make us better. We joined the line of a few that have interest in him. I must admit I listened to Craig Cameron this morning … he has been a little bit like Essendon in the sense that the messaging is that he is a required player."

With the clock ticking on the trade period, Essendon is yet to entertain a trade for Merrett, who became a six-time Crichton Medal winner last week. McCartney said negotiations haven't started yet between the two clubs.

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"I'm not going to go into the personal calls that we make around this one and whether they're answering or not. In these cases, both clubs have to find where their position is and sometimes that opens the door for a conversation and then the negotiation starts," he said.

"Obviously both clubs want to feel like the outcome of those negotiations, if they reach a deal, is one that they can go back to their club and their members to say this is going to be something that's going to be good for us." – Josh Gabelich

HAWKINS MULLS MELBOURNE INTEREST

MELBOURNE has interest in getting Geelong champion Tom Hawkins to the club as a part-time forwards coach.

The Demons have approached Hawkins about a role within their football department that sees him work with their group of key forwards on a part-time basis.

Hawkins is weighing up his plans for next year, with a burgeoning media career and other interests, with his Cats links to new Demons coach Steven King the contact point of Melbourne's interest.

The Dees are also keen to get King's 2007 premiership teammate Matthew Scarlett to the club in a part-time defensive position, with those talks more progressed.

The club on Thursday nabbed Jared Rivers as an assistant coach after he had one season at St Kilda, while AFL.com.au reported earlier in the week that the Demons had spoken with former Carlton and St Kilda assistant Aaron Hamill.

Collingwood, Essendon and Geelong are all in the market for assistant coaches, while Brisbane (Stuart Dew) and now St Kilda (Rivers) have also got to fill prominent departures. – Callum Twomey

NEW DONS LEADER'S DRAFT LENS

ESSENDON president Andrew Welsh was part of the Bombers' Draft Combine interviews last week as the club readies itself for a significant draft period.

The Bombers currently hold five picks inside the top 30 – No. 5, 6, 21, 27 and 30 – and are also looking at options to shift up the draft board.

Welsh was at the draft interviews last year while being vice-president of the club and was again there over the weekend as the Bombers conducted more than 30 interviews.

Welsh, who took on the presidency in Grand Final week after Dave Barham stepped down, was the only club president in attendance and has been keen to get a look at the players and characters in the sights of the Bombers' scouts.

The 162-game former Bomber has taken a hands-on approach at the club in recent weeks and met with captain Zach Merrett shortly after the midfielder's catch-up with Hawthorn coach Sam Mitchell. – Callum Twomey

SUN DECIDES TO STAY

YOUNG Sun Jake Rogers was considering exploring a move from Gold Coast but has decided to stay at the club and not pursue a trade.

Rogers' name had been floated to clubs but after thinking about a move he has decided to stay at the Suns, with Gold Coast list boss Craig Cameron also confirming on Thursday that Rogers would be staying.

Malcolm Rosas jnr has been traded to Sydney, Brayden Fiorini will join Essendon, Connor Budarick is chasing a trade to the Western Bulldogs and Ben Ainsworth is weighing Carlton's interest.

But Rogers, who was a first-round Academy pick for the Suns in 2023, when they had four players join in the top-30 picks via their local zone, is keen to stay. He is contracted until the end of 2026. – Callum Twomey

DOCH'S YEAR OFF

SAM DOCHERTY has been pursued by a range of clubs for football department roles, but the retired Carlton star is planning to have a year away from clubland.

The 31-year-old retired at the end of the season after playing 15 games in 2025 to finish on 184 AFL appearances for the Blues and Lions.

Docherty underwent a third knee reconstruction in 2024 and also underwent chemotherapy in 2020 and 2021 for testicular cancer.

Some club figures view Docherty as a future head of football or coach and have approached his manager, Matt Bain from TGI Sport, in recent months to see if he is interested in discussing roles.

But the 2017 All-Australian is writing a book and set to spend some time working in the media in 2026.

"He wants to take a bit of year off football to reenergise himself. The last three or four years have been really tough going through cancer into the ACL, trying to get back and play," Bain told Continental Tyres AFL Trade Radio on Thursday.

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"He has obviously had his challenges this year with his body as well. I think for him a well-earned break is best.

"He is working on a book at the moment, which I think is going to be really interesting. He will do some media work next year around some corporate speaking gigs."

Docherty sits on the board of the Peter MacCallum Cancer Foundation and will be a man in-demand when he chooses to return to the AFL. – Josh Gabelich

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