Charlie Curnow … Zach Merrett … AND Christian Petracca!?
We might be set for an all-time AFL trade period with some huge names potentially on the move.
It’s rare for one superstar to be traded, so for three to be a live watch sets up for a fascinating few weeks ahead.
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But getting the deals done won’t be straightforward, particularly with each player contracted at their respective clubs. This is where their managers come in.
We run through each situation, the likelihood of a trade happening, and if so, where they could land.
Could Charlie Curnow, Zach Merrett and Christian Petracca all get traded?Source: FOX SPORTS
CHARLIE CURNOW (Carlton)
Will he be traded?
The first domino that dropped. And probably the most complicated.
Curnow appears determined to find a new home amid rumblings the star forward no longer wants to play for Michael Voss and general frustrations with the management of his knee injury that’s required multiple surgeries.
There’s been links to Gold Coast, Sydney, who’s touted as the frontrunner, and Geelong.
But crucially, Carlton holds the whip hand.
Curnow is contracted until 2029, so the Blues could very easily hold him to that, but risk bringing back an unhappy player at a club already under pressure next season.
Carlton would only entertain offers if the price is right. You sense the club is prepared to part ways with the dual Coleman medallist if something comes across their desk that really excites them. And that might need to be a player, particularly with Tom De Koning and Jack Silvagni already out the door.
But suitors would be hesitant to start talking hypothetical names they could put in a deal given how that could disrupt their locker rooms.
Plus would clubs be prepared to meet the asking price for a player with some injury question marks? Even if he’s a two-time Coleman medallist. You can see it from both sides.
It feels like the Blues maxed out with this list with that preliminary final run two years ago. That doesn’t mean they have to have a fire sale, but this could be the ideal time to recalibrate the list and target a promising young player and long-term assets to set them up for their next flag tilt.
Targeting Jagga Smith over Dan Houston last year already suggests the Blues are thinking bigger picture instead of going chips in on win now.
And it’s not like there’s heaps of young potential A-graders currently on the list, despite the looming addition of father-son draftee Harry Dean.
Still, you could see how this one falls through.
Buckley keen on Tassie job | 03:48
If so, where does he land?
The Suns have the most obvious assets to get a deal done. But Sydney still feels the most likely option here.
Foxfooty.com.au revealed last week Curnow’s name was raised when the Blues and Swans’ list bosses met at the Pullman Hotel in a gathering between a range of clubs, but there was no movement as such in talks.
The question is this. Outside of the Swans’ top-line superstars — Errol Gulden, Isaac Heeney and Chad Warner — who else would both they and Carlton be open to making the centrepiece of a deal?
That’s assuming draft picks alone won’t get it done.
You feel like Nick Blakey is also off limits. How about Logan McDonald? Or would there be any interest in the likes of Will Hayward, Oliver Florent, Braeden Campbell and Justin McInerney?
The Suns are well stocked with emerging key position forwards, hence why they might be better served looking elsewhere in terms of improving their list with a player like Jamie Elliott.
But don’t tell us Damien Hardwick wouldn’t want a ready made-superstar like Curnow to spearhead his forward line alongside Ben King (assuming he’s not available) and instantly catapult the club into genuine flag contention.
The Suns have an OKC Thunder feel to them in that surely Gold Coast wouldn’t want to break up such a promising young core. And reigning NBA champion OKC showed you can have your cake and it too with the team arguably best placed for the now and the future.
Jed Walter is a name that’s been linked to Curnow trade talk. But the Suns seem keen to retain their academy products Walter and Ethan Read.
And they have another couple more highly-rated academy players on the way in Zeke Uwland and Dylan Patterson that the club will prioritise getting draft points for.
If Sam Flanders wanted to join Carlton, that could help facilitate a Curnow deal. But it’s unlikely the Blues would prioritise Flanders over simply getting the best package for their man.
Fagan backs Neale to play in Grand Final | 01:38
ZACH MERRETT (Essendon)
Will he be traded?
He has to now, right?
It’s hard to see Merrett returning to Essendon with the way the saga has taken an ugly turn in the fallout from his meeting with Hawthorn. It includes teammates expressing disappointment with their skipper and the potential for Merrett miss the best fairest.
And it’s not the first time Merrett has pursued an exit from Tullamarine in pursuit of success elsewhere.
Frankly, it might even be the ideal time for the Bombers to move on from Merrett, who’s contracted for two more seasons including having his deal restructured last year after interest from St Kilda.
Essendon has retooled its list in the last few years and is evidently planning for the long term and setting itself up for a sustained run. The club is already set to have four picks inside the top 25 in this year’s draft as well as whatever compensation it gets for Sam Draper.
Following the emergence of Jye Caldwell, Sam Durham and others, you no longer could say the midfield would be completely bare without Merrett. Particularly if Nic Martin can graduate into an on-ball role and Darcy Parish can overcome his brutal injury run along with others developing with increased opportunities.
Hawthorn was widely questioned for trading away Tom Mitchell and Jaeger O’Meara at the end of 2022 in fears it was cutting too deep. Those players weren’t at Merrett’s level, but it helped the development of the likes of Jai Newcombe and Will Day.
So could this actually be the ideal time for Essendon to cash in on Merrett’s value and accelerate the process of setting up its list?
The looming exit of Draper and potentially Jordan Ridley does make it harder to justify and the general loss of a club great. But the Bombers might suddenly be compelled to with the way things have played out.
You always thought Merrett was a chance to leave Essendon. But not like this.
Pies weighing up Bobby Hill call | 00:54
If so, where does he land?
Merrett seemingly only has one club on his radar — Hawthorn — in what feels like a perfect match.
And yes, that what will make Bombers fans shudder.
Where this is more simple is that there’s at least an obvious destination carved out and two parties that can negotiate.
But where it’s tricky is the fact that Essendon would want a huge haul for its contracted captain and club great. Whereas prelim finalist Hawthorn already has a good thing going and won’t necessarily feel obligated to give away a bunch of assets for a player about to turn 30, as good as he is.
And has the recent drama lessened Essendon’s leverage in a trade? The Hawks might look at it and say: ‘This is your problem, we don’t need to do anything’.
Foxfooty.com.au has already unpacked potential packages Hawthorn could give up for Merrett.
It would clearly centre around the Hawks’ Pick 8, plus more. Cam Mackenzie would surely be a player of interest, while Mitch Lewis might be another name to watch. If Lewis can overcome his injury woes, he could be the perfect long-term option to partner with Nate Caddy up forward.
If Hawthorn couldn’t satisfy the Bombers, however, Essendon could start listening to offers from other clubs or ask Merrett to give them a shortlist of other options.
The Bombers won’t want to be seen as ‘losing’ this trade. Has the potential to get even nastier.
The Couch previews the Prelims | 10:44
CHRISTIAN PETRACCA (Melbourne)
Will he be traded?
This one feels like the most straightforward, as far as progressing from where things currently sit, to a deal being reached. However Petracca doesn’t seem as desperate to move as the other two.
Certainly not to the extent of last year.
The 2021 Norm Smith medallist’s name has always been in the background of trade talk after his failed move 12 months ago as part of a transitional phase at the Demons.
That’s in full effect now after the appointment of new senior coach Steven King as Simon Goodwin’s successor to guide the club into a new era following a successful run at the start of the decade culminating in the 2021 flag.
It important came weeks ahead of the trade period. And King’s first major port of call is working through the unsettled futures of Petracca and Clayton Oliver, though Petracca more specifically.
The new Demons coach suggested finals are on the agenda in 2026 and that he wants to keep both players at the club, but there’s still a lot of water to go under the bridge.
Does Petracca still see his future at Melbourne and is he committed to the new direction? And like with Essendon-Merrett, for all Petracca has done for Melbourne, could the Demons view a trade as an opportunity to help them reload?
The two parties at least appear to be on the same page in terms of working through the next steps in a mature and measured way. The star’s lucrative contract does complicate things, plus we haven’t seen the best of Petracca for a couple of years now.
But if a club emerges with an offer that appeases the Demons, they could shake hands with a favourite son and go their separate ways in a win-win.
If not, Petracca seems happy enough to walk back into the place he’s contracted at until 2029.
King confident of Finals in 2026 | 23:33
If so, where does he land?
All the talk last year was Carlton and Collingwood. But neither had enough time to prepare to get a deal done.
This time, it seems Petracca is more open minded, with reports the four-time All-Australian would be prepared to move to a non-Victorian club.
It surely has to be a contender.
Hawthorn was considered his most likely landing spot, but the Hawks, at least for now, appear more focused on Merrett.
Geelong is another Victorian club that might appeal, but the Cats already have a bit on their plate and surely couldn’t fit Petracca’s mega salary.
Don’t put a line through Collingwood, the club Petracca grew up supporting, either. But the Pies don’t have their first-round pick nor the likely cap space required, potentially pending on the fates of the likes of Jamie Elliott and Brody Mihocek.
That leads us to Adelaide.
The minor premiers reportedly have interest and could clearly use more on-ball firepower and general midfield-forward versatility. If Petracca was open to a move to West Lakes, you could see the Crows making a play.
The other one is Gold Coast.
While the Suns need to prioritise draft points, it’s not often a player of Petracca’s caliber becomes available. Or Gold Coast has been in a position as a destination club.
If Sam Flanders decided he wanted to be traded to Melbourne, that could put the Suns in a stronger position to get Petracca.
We saw Collingwood leverage John Noble and Joe Richards’ trade requests last year to assist the Pies acquiring Dan Houston.
Petracca’s future might be linked to Curnow and Merrett — and vice versa.
For instance, if Curnow was traded to the Suns, there’s no way they could then get Petracca too. And if a Merrett-Hawks move falls through, suddenly Hawthorn might be Petracca’s most likely destination.
Watch this space.