Geelong made the first move in the hunt for Charlie Curnow, but do the Cats have anything up their sleeve that could snatch pole position back from Sydney?
A bundle of three first-round selections for the Carlton spearhead was a strong starting point in negotiations from Geelong, but nowhere near enough to sway the Blues towards letting their two-time Coleman medallist walk.
So what would it take from Geelong?
CODE Sports experts Glenn McFarlane, Josh Barnes and Ed Bourke discuss whether the Cats have any more to give in the chase for Charlie – and whether they could backflip on their decision to withhold Shannon Neale from the trade table.
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Meanwhile, the noise will not subside about Sydney’s apparent willingness to float Will Hayward and James Rowbottom in a deal for Curnow.
Rowbottom’s manager says he would like to remain at Sydney, but clubs have been asking the question of the inside midfielder nonetheless – would he suit Carlton though with its existing on-ball brigade?
The hosts also ran the rule over a hive of Friday trading activity, including the Blues bringing in Gold Coast forward Ben Ainsworth and West Coast speedster Campbell Chesser.