Port Adelaide will have to offer a trade that satisfies West Coast after Eagles forward Junior Rioli requested a move to Alberton.
With Eagles list manager Rohan O’Brien telling SEN WA that he is ready to send Rioli elsewhere if the Power’s offer doesn’t meet their demands, Port Adelaide will need to cough up to get the deal done.
Currently armed with picks 8, 53, 56 and 60, AFL Media’s Riley Beveridge expects the Power’s compensation selection for free agent Karl Amon to come through in the second round.
As that potential second-rounder would likely come through around pick No. 27, Beveridge believes that selection could be shipped off to West Coast in a straight swap for Rioli.
“I think it’ll be really interesting, and I wouldn’t be surprised if Karl Amon is tied up in this at all,” Beveridge said on SEN’s Whateley.
“Obviously, Karl Amon is a free agent and he’s made his intentions known that he’s going to go to Hawthorn.
“I reckon whatever the compensation is for Karl Amon could be used from Port Adelaide and sent back to West Coast for Junior Rioli.
“At the moment, I’d probably expect the Karl Amon compensation to probably come after Port Adelaide’s second pick (based off ladder position) which washes out at about pick 27.”
Given that Rioli has the talent to be a star but missed the 2020 and 2021 seasons due to a doping ban, Beveridge feels a second-rounder is an appropriate return for the 27-year-old.
“I reckon to me that probably sounds about right for Junior Rioli who is a really talented small forward,” Beveridge said.
“He’s had a few injuries throughout the season but he’s a really classy player on his day.
“I reckon that’s probably about his worth at the moment, I reckon around pick 27, whatever that Karl Amon compensation is will probably be about right.
“I think there’ll be some haggling but that’ll be about what is used.”
Although the Power traded away their 2022 second-round selection at last year’s draft, a compensation pick would come through immediately after where it would have been.