The views in this article are those of the author and not those of the AFL or its clubs.
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.
Billy Longer's nomination of St Kilda as his preferred destination is expected to clear the way for several deals to get done at the start of the final week of the Gillette AFL Trade Period, chiefly involving the Brisbane Lions.
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.
Billy Longer's nomination of St Kilda as his preferred destination is expected to clear the way for several deals to get done at the start of the final week of the Gillette AFL Trade Period, chiefly involving the Brisbane Lions.
Officials from the Lions will spend the start of this week finalising deals that will see Elliot Yeo join West Coast, Sam Docherty to Carlton and Jared Polec to Port Adelaide.
They spent the weekend sifting through all sorts of scenarios to send a bunch of their younger players to their preferred destinations, which should result in a bunch of draft picks coming back the other way, and which will leave the Lions well placed to be active as the trade period winds down.
Already, the three-way arrangement involving Collingwood, the Sydney Swans and the Eagles, which included the move of Jesse White from the Swans to the Magpies, has seen the Eagles end up with pick 27, which they will send to the Gabba for Yeo.
The other deals should be completed by Tuesday, giving the Lions 72 hours to move before the 2pm Friday close of business.
Meanwhile, despite no movement on the weekend and the appearance of a stalemate, Collingwood will release Heath Shaw to Greater Western Sydney in the coming days, while Taylor Adams will leave the Giants to become a Magpie.
While the clubs are still haggling over whether there should be some sort of swap or two separate deals, there is goodwill among all parties concerned to get it done.
While the clubs are still haggling over whether there should be some sort of swap or two separate deals, there is goodwill among all parties concerned to get it done.
Nick Dal Santo's departure from North Melbourne to St Kilda on Friday clears the way for the two clubs to finalise the transfer of North defender Luke Delaney the other way, from the Kangaroos to the Saints.
Delaney's manager Greg Size told AFL.com.au on Sunday that he expects the deal to go through within 48 hours.
Bernie Vince's three-year deal with Melbourne, consummated late Friday afternoon, means that fellow Crows midfielder Jarryd Lyons will be remaining in Adelaide.
"Melbourne presented Jarryd with a great opportunity but he loves Adelaide and is really settled there," said Lyons' manager, Winston Rous.
There was no progress over the weekend for deals to send Stewart Crameri from Essendon to the Western Bulldogs and Scott Gumbleton from the Bombers to Fremantle, however the pair's manager, Paul Connors, expressed supreme confidence that both players will get to their new destinations.
There was no progress over the weekend for deals to send Stewart Crameri from Essendon to the Western Bulldogs and Scott Gumbleton from the Bombers to Fremantle, however the pair's manager, Paul Connors, expressed supreme confidence that both players will get to their new destinations.
"Nobody is getting too stressed," he said. "The right things will get done and everything will pan out."
Andrejs Everitt should have a new club by the end of the week, with both the Eagles and the Giants in play, although he hasn't ruled out a return to the Swans.
