Could Fremantle make a big play for Hawthorn star forward Jack Gunston? Club great Paul Hasleby believes it could be on the cards.
The Dockers look likely to lose key players in the trade period as they attempt to bring in Melbourne ruckman Luke Jackson, including key forward Rory Lobb to the Western Bulldogs.
Hasleby does not see Jackson as a Lobb replacement, saying Freo needs to target other forwards to replace him.
“They have to be up to something right now the Fremantle Dockers,” Hasleby told SEN WA’s The Run Home.
“We know Rory Lobb is likely to exit the club and it doesn’t make sense just to replace him with Luke Jackson. They need somebody else from a forward perspective.
“I’m not ruling out somebody like Jack Gunston from Hawthorn.
“He’ll be 31 next year, he’s an unrestricted free agent, so the Dockers can get him without compensation, with a nice offer of maybe two years, maybe even three years.
“He’s that mid-sized player, he’s not the traditional key forward, but he’s the missing piece for Fremantle taking their game from sixth position to maybe having a real crack next year at the premiership with his experience.
“Jackson then comes in, hopefully a fit Matthew Taberner, another pre-season in the gym for Jye Amiss, it makes a lot of sense for them to be targeting that type of player and asking the question ‘would you like to move West’.”
Out of contract swingman Griffin Logue is likely to depart the Dockers at the end of the season, according to Hasleby.
The former midfielder believes bigger offers have come Logue’s way while Freo was busy dealing with contract conundrums elsewhere.
“I think he’ll be out. I think he’ll go to another club, and you can’t blame him,” Hasleby said.
“My understanding is at the start of the year he was happy to sign a modest two-year deal. Fremantle at that stage were still taking in all the information around Luke Jackson and the compensation and they said ‘let’s just wait a bit’.
“As with every player that just sits there and is unsigned, interest from other clubs comes forward.
“I think Logue has shown in his short time in the AFL that he’s a very good defender against the key forwards, but also some of the mid-sized forwards.
“As that unfolded, I reckon he’s now got big contract offers in front of him from four or five clubs – and I’m talking four or five year deals, maybe up around $500,000-$600,000 for his services.”
Fremantle will be hoping to lock in a top four finish following Round 23’s clash with GWS.