Rory Lobb faces another battle if he is to depart Fremantle in 2022.
The Dockers responded bluntly to Lobb’s second trade request of the past 13 months, with head of footy operations Peter Bell insisting the club “wouldn’t be able to facilitate a trade” for the key forward.
Lobb has been linked strongly to the Western Bulldogs for a number of months and made his trade request official in the days after Fremantle’s semi-final loss to Collingwood.
Fremantle’s stance on Lobb is due to the fact the 29-year-old is contracted for next year and he was his side’s leading goal kicker with 36 majors in 2022.
But what if the Dockers could secure a like-for-like positionally?
Former Fremantle star Paul Hasleby threw up Bulldog Josh Schache as an option in a trade for Lobb, given the talented forward has primarily been a depth player at Whitten Oval.
“I think Fremantle would like to bring in one more forward,” Hasleby told SEN WA’s The Run Home.
“You’ve got Luke Jackson coming in but I think they’ll target someone else. Whether it’s Josh Corbett they’ve mentioned at the Gold Coast Suns, but what about this one?
“I’ve thought about this for a few weeks and I didn’t mention it because I didn’t think he was going well enough, but somebody alerted me to that again on social media.
“Josh Schache from the Western Bulldogs, who was a pick 2 to Brisbane going back six or seven years now. He struggled there, came to the Western Bulldogs and struggled there, but has kicked a lot of goals in the VFL.”
While Hasleby admitted he wasn’t yet sold on Schache’s abilities, it could be a trade that satisfies all parties.
Schache has booted 45.23 in 18 VFL games since the start of 2021, including 17 goals in his last three games.
The 25-year-old only managed seven AFL games in 2022, and Hasleby suggested a move west could be the right call for Schache as well.
“His last three games in the VFL: seven, seven, three (goals). If that was in the WAFL, if we had a player kicking those goals throughout the finals series and the last couple of rounds, we’d be saying, ‘well, maybe there is something there’,” Hasleby continued.
“He is a player that I’m not saying they should target, but maybe it’s an option as part of that trade or even if the Western Bulldogs don’t want him.
“Because if Lobb goes there, they’ve got (Sam) Darcy, they’ve got (Aaron) Naughton, they’ve got (Jamarra) Ugle-Hagan, there is no spot for Josh Schache.”
Lobb is just one of a number of headaches for Fremantle. The club released a statement on Thursday evening stating Lobb, Blake Acres, Griffin Logue and Darcy Tucker had all requested trades away from the club.
However, the Dockers are expected to land Melbourne ruckman Luke Jackson after he requested a trade to Western Australia early this week.