AFL
2 months ago
Trade wrap: Elliott commits, Petracca and JUH fly north and more
By SEN
Presented by
The 2025 AFL trade period is here and there is plenty to talk about.
AFL Trade Radio is up and running and hitting the airwaves every day.
Follow us live throughout the trade period and we will bring you all the breaking news.
5:52pm – Father-son and Academy prospects set to shape Collingwood draft plans
Collingwood’s draft plans are set to be shaped by Next Generation Academy and Father-Son picks in 2025 according to Trade Radio’s Cal Twomey.
The Magpies have access to three players who will be on draft boards, Oakleigh Chargers duo Zac McCarthy and small forward Jai Saxena as Academy options and Western Jets midfielder Tom McGuane, the son of Magpies great Mick McGuane.
While McGuane was the big name heading into this season, Twomey expects McCarthy to be Collingwood’s priority when it comes to the trio with the forward/ruck rated as the 27th best prospect in his August edition of his Phantom Form Guide on AFL.com.au.
Beveridge: “Will Collingwood be looking at picking up all three of Zac McCarthy, Tom McGuane and Jai Saxena in this year's draft? They’re all eligible to go to the Pies as Academy or father-son.
Twomey: “Yeah, I think McCarthy will be the priority.
“McGuane, I think, can probably be a later or rookie pick, and Saxena again is probably more of a rookie opportunity.”
Collingwood currently hold picks 35, 53, 65 and 71 in the 2025 Draft, prior to this year’s trade period.
3:57pm – Elliott knocks back rivals to re-sign with Pies
Jamie Elliott has turned down significant rival interest, re-signing with the Pies on a two-year deal.
With Gold Coast presenting as serious contenders for the 33-year-old’s signature, Elliott has re-committed to Collingwood, signing a deal that will see him at the club through until the end of 2027.
Elliott said he was excited to remain a Pie.
“Collingwood has been my home for the past 14 years and I can’t wait to continue running out in front of the Magpie Army,” Elliott said via a club statement.
“I look forward to seeing what we can achieve as a team over the coming years and creating many more memories.”
3:21pm - Petracca headed to Gold Coast amid Suns interest
Just yesterday, Christian Petracca was spotted in Adelaide ahead of a meeting and medical with Matthew Nicks and the Adelaide Crows.
Today, Trade Radio's Cal Twomey has reported that the Demon is headed north, set for an in-person meeting with Damien Hardwick and the Gold Coast Suns.
It was earlier reported by Tom Morris that Petracca's future was a "50/50" between the Suns and the Crows, capping off two meetings with the sides ahead of a huge decision. - See 9:32am update.
2:22pm - Richmond defender requests trade to West Coast
Richmond's Tylar Young has requested a trade to West Coast, reports Trade Radio's Cal Twomey.
Young was weighing up whether to ink a new deal or take up a three-year offer at the Eagles, and Twomey says he's now chosen the latter.
The 27-year-old has played 35 career games, but only featured 7 times in 2025 after coming back from an ACL injury late in the season.
As Young isn't a free agent, West Coast will have to satisfy Richmond in a trade deal.
1:14pm - Hawk turns down Eagles' interest
Hawthorn mid/forward Sam Butler has rejected interest out west, re-signing with the Hawks on a two-year deal.
The 22-year-old has hardly endured a linear career, having been ruled out of football for 418 days after snapping his leg during a VFL contest in 2024.
However, Butler returned to football in 2025, starring for Box Hill in the VFL before earning a spot in the senior side, playing six games including all three of Hawthorn's September contests.
The West Coast Eagles showed significant interest in securing Butler's talents, with the WA-side prepared to table an offer for the out-of-contract midfielder, however Butler has today re-signed with the Hawks until the conclusion of the 2027 season.
12:45pm - Blues weighing up shock move for Magpies star
Carlton is preparing a shock free agency move, asking the question of Collingwood’s out-of-contract star Jamie Elliott, reports Seven's Mitch Cleary.
Elliott, 33, has continued to weigh up his future in weeks past, with a deal on the table from both the Magpies and the Gold Coast Suns, eager to secure his services ahead of 2026.
However, according to 7News journalist Mitch Cleary, the race for Elliott’s talents may expand beyond just the two sides, as the Blues have reportedly approached the forward to investigate any potential interest.
11:55am - Delisted Dog would love another AFL chance
Anthony Scott would love to play on in the AFL if another club wants to give him a chance.
Scott was delisted by the Western Bulldogs last week just days after helping Footscray win the VFL premiership.
Despite the axing, the 30-year-old would love to remain in the AFL system if the opportunity arose.
“It was a bit of a weird week, winning a VFL flag and then getting told a couple of days later that the club doesn’t want you anymore,” he told AFL Trade Radio.
“It was a strange feeling walking out of that meeting.
“But now that I’ve absorbed it a little bit I’ve definitely still got the drive to keep playing AFL footy. I believe I’m good enough.
“I’m now exploring options, but absolutely keen to continue my career in the AFL.”
Scott, who played 59 games over four seasons with the Dogs, says he’d like to keep his career in the finance sector as a Treasury Analyst on hold for the time being.
“It’s an interesting one as I’d have to go back to sitting at a desk and it’s very different to running around on an oval Monday to Friday,” he added.
“I don’t know just yet. I loved my time at Telstra and learnt heaps there, it’s a good organisation to work for.
“But I don’t think I’ve got the desire to be sitting down just yet, I still want to be running around kicking and chasing a footy.”
He continued: “I would go anywhere. I’ve still got the passion and desire so I would absolutely go anywhere.”
11:00am - Buckley comments on Elliott and Mihocek trade talk
Collingwood great Nathan Buckley says Jamie Elliott has always been loyal and never thought he would entertain leaving the club.
Buckley coached Elliott at the Magpies earlier in the forward's career and believes shifting to the Gold Coast Suns at this stage could be seen as a risk.
"Common sense would suggest that the Pies without Elliott in 2026-27 are less of a chance of winning the premiership than if they had him," he said on SEN Mornings.
"He’s had the best year of his career. Knowing Jamie, he is not a player that Collingwood would have thought was a flight risk which is maybe why he was lowballed – if in fact he was.
"This builds up over a number of years. I think Jamie would have built over some months. Jamie, I wouldn’t have thought would ever leave Collingwood.
"I knew him as a young man, he is loyal and committed. He enjoys safety, security and predictability. Moving clubs at this stage is a risk that I haven’t seen him take as an individual. He is very private. It seems like it’s got to a position that he has looked over the fence."
Buckley also commented on Elliott's fellow Pies forward Brody Mihocek who is believed to be weighing up a three-year offer from Melbourne.
"This year was really different for him. He normally gets banged up anyway but you don’t normally see it," said Buckley.
"He usually dusts himself off. He wasn’t shrugging them off this year. He and the club will be aware of the injuries he was carrying.
"They have Charlie West underneath. Successful clubs know when to roll over, they don’t always get it right.
"If I had the job at Melbourne, for example, he is a player I would get over. The way he trains, his attitude his selflessness. Collingwood will miss him if he goes and whoever gets him will get great benefit."
9:32 - Petracca's future a "genuine 50/50"
Tom Morris provided an update on Christian Petracca, recapping his trade desire up to this point and lifting the lid on the difficulty in his future decision making.
“For some, this may just be semantics,” Morris told Trade Radio.
“Christian Petracca didn’t request a trade last week. He didn’t walk in and say, ‘trade me’, as the Demons would have you believe.
“I can understand why the Demons have done that, because they needed their bargaining power to stay high.
“It’s a matter of nuance but in the meeting last week, it was the club and the player essentially staring each other down, both knowing they were working towards the same outcome, but neither willing to say it.
“Make no mistake, until recently Petracca would have been okay to stay at Melbourne this year, when he played the last game of the season, he was happy to stay for 2026.
“His feeling for the last few months is that Melbourne has been pushing him out. At the very least, the club gave him the green light to have a look, and there was another chat on Sunday that solidified this.
“On Monday, he spoke to Damien Hardwick in the morning via Zoom, then he flew to Adelaide in the afternoon to meet with Matthew Nicks and the Crows.
“He will soon choose between the Suns and the Crows, and I’ve been told it is a genuine 50/50.
“Damien Hardwick has sold the vision to Petracca amazingly, not just about Gold Coast the club, but Gold Coast the city.
“The key questions are, where is he more likely to play in a flag, which city does he and his partner prefer to live in, and the big one, which is big for Melbourne, is which club is more likely to get a trade done?”
9:00am - Delisted Blue reveals his surprise at Curnow trade request
Delisted Blue Alex Cincotta has stated his surprise in Charlie Curnow’s desire to leave the football club.
“Yeah, I was a little bit surprised,” he told Trade Radio.
“We all love Charles, he offers so much to the football club and for our culture, obviously on and off the field.
“I grew up with Charlie, we went to the same school, so I know him quite well. He’s a good man, and he’s obviously got to do what’s best for him.
“If that’s at the Blues or not, nothing really changes from my point of view. A little bit surprised, but hopefully it will all work out for him.”
Given his close relationship with the wantaway star, Cincotta revealed that Curnow would be certain to knuckle down if his request falls through.
“Yeah absolutely, he’s a professional.” Cincotta said.
“He’s one of the best key forwards in the competition, so whatever happens, Charles will put his head down and bum up and get to work regardless of where he’s playing next year.”
Cincotta, who was informed that he would not be kept on at the Blues into 2026, also expressed his desire to play on at AFL level.
8:30am - Saints are relevant again
Kane Cornes has backed what St Kilda is doing this off-season
The Saints will bring in Tom De Koning and Jack Silvagni as free agents while there are a raft of other names heavily linked to the club, including Gold Coast's Sam Flanders.
"They have gone from an irrelevant club, to being relevant again, they are relevant now, Ross (Lyon) makes them relevant," Cornes said on AFL Trade Radio.
"This period has made us talk about them more and more, I don't hate what they are doing. Will it work? Time will tell, but they are having a crack.
"I don't think it's going to make or break them as a footy club because they're still investing at the draft."
7:30am - Four clubs jockeying for Flanders
Gold Coast’s Sam Flanders remains an in-demand player as the trade period begins to heat up.
SEN’s Sam Edmund has reported the money on offer from the clubs who are keen on the 24-year-old Sun who is contracted until 2027.
St Kilda has put forward massive numbers for Flanders, but Edmund says Essendon’s offer trumps that from a financial perspective.
“He’s met with four clubs over the weekend - Carlton, Essendon, St Kilda and Melbourne,” Edmund said on Channel 7’s The Agenda Setters.
“The money is massive. Five years by $900,000 at the Saints who have put Pick 7 on the table.
“Even more money at Essendon who have tabled their two picks in the 20s.
“He plays down here in Melbourne next year, absolutely, and he’s blessed with choice.”
