Edmund: Carlton cannot accept "sexy" Cats offer for Curnow

Just as we were thinking no genuine offers had been tabled for Curnow, Geelong came from the clouds with an offer of three first round picks.

One of the three picks is No. 19 in this year's draft, which had originally been tabled to St Kilda for Rowan Marshall on Monday.

But with no movement on that deal, the Cats decided to dangle it in front of Carlton alongside two other picks to try and bring Curnow, who hails from the Geelong region, back home.

While the deal may look "sexy" on paper, Sam Edmund insiss it's not something the Blues should be entertaining.

"There is no way, and I have not spoken to the Blues yet," Edmund said on Trade Radio. "But I would be shocked if they accept three picks – and they will be in the 20s - for Charlie Curnow when they have said consistently, they want star players coming back the other way.

"If they turn around and accept three picks – which will inevitably be in the 20s – the third year of that, 2027, Tassie is coming in so who knows where that will be.

"That looks good on paper, history making, all sexy, all dressed up, never been done. They’re not going to accept that."

6:53pm - Aleer's manager fires up at Saints

Leek Aleer's manager Dylan Smith of Centimetre Perfect Global admits that the GWS defender is livid after St Kilda pulled out of talks to bring him to the club.

As first reported by Trade Radio's Damian Barrett, Aleer was left shattered after the Saints told the Giants they wouldn't trade a future second-round pick for him.

Now, Smith has fired up at the Saints, calling out the club for pulling out at the eleventh hour having tried to win him over for two years, ultimately leading to a trade request last month.

"This came as an absolute shock. They've been whining and dining for him for two years. They loved where he was at and finally turned his head," Smith said via a statement.

"They got him in, had the meetings and convinced him that the Saints was where he should be. It was a good fit. It was a career move and a four-year playing alongside Jack Silvagni and others.

"Today they backflipped because they don't have the picks for him. It's disappointing. They should be prepared for this after two years. They couldn't get a future second rounder for him. Leek is not happy and to be honest, livid with the situation. Clubs have rung me and said 'it's a disgrace, what have they done?' Nobody from the Saints has spoken to him."

6:00pm - Blues speak to two rivals about Curnow trade

Carlton have spoken to both Geelong and Sydney over the last two days about a potential trade for Charlie Curnow, reports Trade Radio's Riley Beveridge.

While early talks have been held, neither club has tabled a genuine offer at this stage.

Even though Carlton haven't completely shut down a Curnow trade, it appears that the Blues will hold the contracted star forward to his deal unless a godfather offer comes from a rival club.

Curnow has informed the Blues that he'd like to explore his options away from the club.

Beveridge told Trade Radio earlier that he now expects a deal to be done for the 28-year-old after considering a move only a 50/50 prospect at the start of the week.

5:05pm - Another done deal

Melbourne have acquired 22-year-old ruckman Max Heath from St Kilda.

The Dees parted with a 2027 4th round selection in exchange for the four-gamer.

It's the second deal using a 'Future Future' pick after the Liam Ryan deal earlier today.

3:10pm - Liam Ryan is a Saint!

🚨 Deal done! 🚨

West Coast premiership forward Liam Ryan is officially a Saint, with St Kilda and the Eagles agreeing on a deal involving future picks.

The Saints have sent West Coast a 2026 second rounder in exchange for Ryan and a 2027 third-round pick - the first trade in AFL history to incorporate a 'Future Future' draft pick!

Ryan gets his wish, and will suit up for St Kilda in 2026!

2:20pm - Saints pull interest in Giants' defender

St Kilda has rescinded its interest in Giants' defender Leek Aleer.

As reported by Cal Twomey, the Saitns will no longer pursue 24-year-old out-of-contract defender, despite keeping a keen eye on Aleer for the better part of two years.

Aleer requested a trade to St Kilda ahead of this year's trade period, however it now appears that the club will no longer pursue the deal.

Twomey has gone on to say that the Giants are keen to retain Aleer's services, having offered the defender a contract during the 2025 season.

This is the second time that a fringe out-of-contract Giant has lost the interest of a rival club, with Wade Derksen requesting a move to the Demons before Melbourne pulled out prior to Trade Period.

2:00pm - Butters’ golf booking sends rumour mill into overdrive

The footy rumour mill went into a spin early on Thursday after an image was circulated showing Port Adelaide’s Zak Butters, his manager Peter Lenton and Essendon duo Darcy Parish and Sam Durham booked in for a round of golf together.

According to the image, the group played at Cape Schanck at 9:24am.

While this could be seen as just a simple golf game, some saw it as a big recruiting push from Essendon, given that the Power superstar has been a name in trade talks this off-season.

Butters reportedly spoke to Port Adelaide a month ago about a trade home to Victoria, one year before he becomes a restricted free agent at the end of the 2026 season.

While Butters may end up moving home next off-season, Trade Radio’s Cal Twomey is absolutely certain he won’t be going anywhere before then, urging Essendon fans not to get too excited.

“We’ve got a lot of questions about Zak Butters having a hit with Darcy Parish, Sam Durham and also Peter Lenton as well,” Twomey said.

“Peter Lenton is the manager of Zak Butters and Sam Durham and has also played rounds of golf with Parish and Durham previously. Parish is a big golfer himself.

“Zak’s a very keen player as well. It feels like every day he’s going to be linked to a Victorian club.

“But there’s nothing in that, don’t get too excited, Essendon supporters, please.”

1:00pm - Demons adamant they're not pushing stars out the door

Melbourne list boss Tim Lamb has provided the latest on the club’s trade plans.

He insists the Demons are not pushing star midfielders Christian Petracca and Clayton Oliver out the door.

The latest on Petracca and Gold Coast's interest

“Really preliminary discussions only at this stage,” Lamb told AFL Trade Radio. “That would be the best way to describe it.

“We’ve said all along that we love ‘Trac’. He expressed a desire to potentially move somewhere else and we’ve said we’ll look at something as long as it’s in the best interests of the club.

“That’s our position and we haven’t really progressed anything at all.

“Christian came to us looking to explore options elsewhere. We have to be open at this time of year to look at everything that comes across the desk.

“We’re open to looking at various things with certain players if that can help us.”

Has Clayton Oliver made a call on the Giants?

“No,” was Lamb’s succinct response.

“From media speculation it appears like he’s going to potentially move to the Giants.

“We haven’t spoken to the Giants, we haven’t spoken to Clayton and there still has to be a deal worked out.”

On the recent meeting: “Out of that has come that he has wanted to explore some options but it wasn’t a direction from us to do that (tell him to move on).”

Risk v reward on trading Petracca and Oliver:

“We’ve got a fair few other handy players running around in Gawn, Pickett, Viney, Salem, Lever, Langdon.

“So we think we’re in a really good spot. But nobody is being pushed out the door, that’s not the case at all.

“You have to have these mature conversations at this time of year and the only way to do these things is to work out the best interests of the club at that time, and what can be the best way to build the next premiership list.”

On the club’s reported interest in Gold Coast’s Bailey Humphrey:

“In these situations you need to be really respectful. Gold Coast have made their position clear publicly on a number of occasions that Bailey is contracted and not on the trade table.

“So you’ve got to respect that. That’s where they sit and that’s their position.”

On the photo taken walking the Tan with Steven King and Nathan Jones: “That’s not ideal. It would be better off for everyone if those things don’t get photographed.

“But it happened and we move forward.”

11:15am - Port fringe ruckman seeking Victoria return

Port Adelaide backup ruckman Ivan Soldo is once again seeking a move back to Victoria.

Having only played one game in 2025 and nine since joining the Power from Richmond, Soldo is eyeing off a shift back to his home state, with eyes on a return to regular football.

In 2024, Soldo pushed for a move but fell short, and according to Tom Morris, Soldo is set for a second attempt at a Port Adelaide exit.

“Ivan Soldo – he tried to get to St Kilda last year; it didn’t end up working out,” Morris said.

“My understanding is, he is keen to get back and play football in Melbourne again in 2026 if he can. I’m looking at clubs that need some ruck depth – Essendon, Geelong, even Carlton. Do Melbourne need a backup ruckman to Max Gawn?

“He has one year remaining on his dela at Port, and he is happy to stay at Port, but he is an excellent option. His knee was the issue, and he didn’t miss one game due to his knee this year.

“He played some pretty good footy in the SANFL throughout the season, so Ivan Soldo is a player to watch.

“I’m not sure he is going to be a part of the ruck merry-go-round, but I do think that clubs will now have a look at him, and see if they can bring him in. Especially if (Rowan) Marshall gets to Geelong, or if St Kilda need someone again this year, they might have a look at the Port Adelaide and former Richmond big man.”

9:40am - Jamarra's return is far from redemption

There is no questioning that acquiring Jamarra Ugle-Hagan involves more than just a simple trade.

Jamarra is set for a medical with Gold Coast today, having met with the club's leadership group in days past.

While the Suns will have no issue in satisfying the Bulldogs in a deal for the troubled star, the club must first ensure that the 23-year-old is right and ready to attack AFL football and its accompanying commitments.

“We believe that he can play again, he can play with our keys because he is a slightly different tall inside our forward 50. We don’t think he is a legitimate key position player, we just think he is a player with high forward craft and IQ, which adds a different mix," Suns' list boss Craig Cameron told Trade Radio.

“The redemption side of things… it’s a nice story, but the number one thing is that he has got to be able to come in and play football for us and play to a level.”

READ THE FULL STORY: The Jamarra checklist: How the Suns can close the deal

9:00am - Suns will not be trading Humphrey

Gold Coast list manager Craig Cameron has made it vehemently clear that Bailey Humphrey will not be traded.

The contracted Suns young gun continues to be linked with a shift back to Victoria and it appears that he is attempting to force a move.

However, Cameron firmly insists he will not be going anywhere anytime soon.

“I find it a head-scratcher,” Cameron admitted on AFL Trade Radio.

“But we’re really clear - we’re not trading Bailey Humphrey. It’s just not something we’re going to entertain.

“The thing we’ve all got to understand is the landscape has changed and is still evolving around contracted players looking to change clubs.

“As an industry we have to accept that’s what the landscape now is. The flip side of that is that players and managers have to accept that they can ask the question, but when players are contracted and the club says no, that’s the answer.

“It’s a two-way street on this. If they want to explore, as much as we don’t like it we have to accept that’s the new world. But once a club is definitive with the answer, then that’s what has got to be accepted.”

Cameron admits this is a very “unusual” situation that has him feeling disappointed.

“I would prefer that this hasn’t played out the way it’s played out publicly, absolutely,” he added.

“It’s unusual. I don’t think I’ve seen it before. I’ve been around for a while and I haven’t seen anything like this play out the way it has.

“It’s been disappointing.”

What is the message to Humphrey?

“The message is pretty clear that we love him. We think he’s still in the development phase to become a really good footballer for this footy club,” said Cameron.

“You’ve got three years to go on a contract, Bailey, and we’re not trading you.”

7:00am - Cashed up Collingwood well-placed to pursue Port star

Collingwood will put themselves in a strong position to go after Zak Butters this time next year.

Tom Morris believes the Port Adelaide star will return to Victoria when his contracted expires and he becomes a free agent at the end of the 2026 season.

“I don’t know for sure but I’m confident that Zak Butters will come home as a free agent in 12 months’ time,” Morris said on Channel 9’s Footy Furnace.

“I don’t think that’s an outlandish statement given, in a colloquial way, he’s had a look this year.”

To provide context, co-panelist Cal Twomey suggested the offer on the table from Port would have been the “biggest deal in football history had he signed it at the time”.

As Morris continued: “He hasn’t signed it yet, so the writing is on the wall that Zak Butters in 12 months’ time is coming.

“When you talk about the Pies, Cal, what are you looking at?”

Twomey says the Magpies, when Scott Pendlebury, Steele Sidebottom and Jeremy Howe retire, will be cashed up to make a strong push for 25-year-old Butters.

“I think they’re going to be cashed up more so next year than this because they’ve got some veterans who will be in their last year next year,” Twomey said.

“These guys tally up to be about $1 million to $1.2 million. The Pendlebury, Sidebottom and Howe deals all add up. Salary cap goes up again next year of course.

“They’re going to be in a strong position and Zak Butters is going to be right on the tip of their tongue as one of their targets.

“By the end of next year you make the room (in the cap) and work it out later.”

Butters has also been strongly linked with the Western Bulldogs while Hawthorn has also been touted as a possible home.