Rory Lobb’s manager Colin Young maintains hope his client will get to the Western Bulldogs despite Fremantle so far denying a trade request.
Lobb was one of a number of Dockers who requested a trade in the week after the club’s semi-final loss to Collingwood, but Fremantle was quick to insist that the tall forward would not be transferred.
“We had a conversation with Rory where we informed him… we wouldn’t be able to facilitate a trade,” Fremantle head of footy operations Peter Bell said at the time.
Despite Lobb also requesting a trade last year, the Dockers say he is a required player given his contract status and importance to the side, but Young is counting on Fremantle’s pursuit of Melbourne young gun Luke Jackson to allow Lobb to depart.
Jackson has requested a trade to a Western Australian club, with Fremantle tipped as his likely destination.
“I will be trying to work with Fremantle, naturally they’re going to say that (the trade is refused) because he has got one year to go, but they’ve been fully aware he was going to ask for the trade one week after the trade period last year,” Young told AFL Trade Radio’s Trade Exchange.
“We know where it sits and we’re just hoping if Jackson goes to Fremantle there’s an opportunity where Rory can help Fremantle land Jackson by way of maybe picks that can help (in a trade).
“It’s going to be great for Fremantle if they can get Jackson because he’s probably going to set them up for the next 10 years, so we’re just hoping there is an opportunity along the way where we can jump on a trade that assists Fremantle.”
Young added: “I’d like him to be (at the Western Bulldogs in 2023) and he wants to be there, we’ll just work with Fremantle to try and get it done.
“I know at this point in time they’ve said no, but we’ve all been through this a fair few times and sometimes there’s a little bit of an opportunity there.
“He’s got one year to go… this could be a win for Fremantle if they get some really good picks that help them get Jackson, so we’re hoping that’ll be the case.”
Young, of Corporate Sports Australia, also manages Lobb’s teammate Griffin Logue.
Logue has requested a trade to Fremantle and is expected to reach his preferred destination.
But Young confirmed Fremantle had advised him that the club wouldn’t let both Lobb and Logue depart given the cross-over in the duo’s attributes.
He added that the two potential trades were unlikely to coincide with each other.
2022 was Lobb’s fourth season at Fremantle and arguably his best in his nine years at the top level, with the 29-year-old booting a career-high 36 goals.
Young said Lobb’s intentions are family based.
“A myriad of reasons (for wanting to leave), but the main reason was that last year his partner was living on the east coast and at that stage, Fremantle probably wasn’t in as strong a position pushing towards a flag that they are now,” he said.
“Obviously his partner is now living in Melbourne and he’s bought a property in Melbourne based on some discussions last year that he might be playing here.
“We’ve bumped into the Bulldogs over the journey when they’ve been in town, and he wants to live in Melbourne. It’s about the postcode and finishing his career with the Western Bulldogs and starting a family over here, hopefully.”
Meanwhile, on the Dogs’ sell to Lobb, Young said: “He’s played a few more games, he’s been around a lot, so from my understanding, he’ll be the main focus point (of the forward line).
“It just frees up (Aaron Naughton) to be the second or third (tall forward) with Jamarra (Ugle-Hagan), it just frees them all up.”
Former Fremantle star Paul Hasleby recently questioned if Bulldog Josh Schache could be the key to unlocking the trade for Lobb, with the talented key forward seemingly on the outer at Whitten Oval.