Melbourne could be one of the busiest clubs in the upcoming trade period.
While they’ve still got a finals series to worry about first, there could be a handful of Demons that leave the club next month.
Brodie Grundy appears a near certainty to join Sydney and SEN’s Sam Edmund expects a few other Demons to follow him out the door.
Edmund believes free agent James Jordon is highly likely to leave, potentially to a Victorian rival, while the club would also like two senior players to find new homes despite them having a year to run on their contracts.
“James Jordon is highly likely to leave, possibly to St Kilda,” Edmund said on SEN's Whateley.
“Then you've got the contracted James Harmes, Melbourne would like his cash off the books as they would Adam Tomlinson who like Harmes also has a year to run on his Demons deal.
“Those two could need to find new homes. Melbourne would preferably like them to move on.”
The Age’s Sam McClure is certain that Harmes has played his last game for the club given that he’s now sidelined with a hamstring injury.
McClure says four clubs have contacted his management showing interest in the 27-year-old and he analysed where he felt his best landing spot could be.
“James Harmes is leaving Melbourne,” McClure said on Tradies Podcast.
“He’s basically been frozen out from the team. He won’t play for Melbourne again and hasn’t been in consideration for the senior squad for several weeks (and has now injured his hamstring).
“He’s got four clubs that have enquired about him through his management – Richmond, Carlton, Sydney and Essendon.
“He can’t go to Essendon, how many small midfielders do they want? What are they doing … he doesn’t fit their need. I couldn’t imagine him going to Essendon.
“He can’t go to Carlton. How is he going to get a game? This is no disrespect to James Harmes, I think he’s going to be a good AFL player wherever he goes. But who is he pushing out of Carlton’s midfield?
“Richmond makes sense I reckon. He’d play every week for Richmond, he’s an experienced mid who can play inside and outside alongside (Jacob) Hopper and (Tim) Taranto and let them go to work.
“He makes sense at Sydney, for 12 weeks they’ve been 18th in contested footy … they just need help in the midfield.
“For me, he’s Richmond or Sydney bound, those would be my two cents… look out for James Harmes in either those two colours next year.”
Harmes is contracted until the end of 2024 having originally inked a five-year deal with Melbourne in 2019.