A frustrated North Melbourne has vowed to reignite the fight to secure contracted key defender Nick Murray after failing to close a deal with Adelaide in the rundown to Wednesday night’s trade deadline.
It would have closed out a transformational trade period where the Kangaroos brought star running defender Nick Blakey to Arden Street, but list boss Brady Rawlings conceded the club just couldn’t get the picks to tempt the Crows.
The Roos’ final offer for Murray was picks 33 and 49 along with their 2027 first-round and third-round selections.
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Rawlings threw his arms up and stormed out of the Crows’ room at Marvel Stadium after one last attempt to talk Adelaide around to a trade as the clock ran out on the trade period.
He said said he felt like he needed an ice bath after trying to bring in a top-20 selection from a range of clubs, including Port Adelaide, but despite a range of options, he couldn’t secure what he needed by the deadline.
But he said the Kangaroos rated Murray – who is contracted to the Crows for two more seasons – so highly that it will endeavour to chase him in the next trade period.
“We threw everything we had at it,” Rawlings said just after the deadline elapsed on Wednesday night.
“We obviously really rate him as a player and you can probably tell from what we offered today. We have a high price on his value and our need for that position.
“A lot can happen within another 12 months but I think if we are fishing in the same sort of farm for next year.”
Rawlings said it had notably been a “really tough year” to attempt to trade up into the draft due to the new requirements for clubs to only use their first two picks to match bids for academy and father-son players.
It meant Carlton, Port Adelaide, GWS and Brisbane were unwilling to play ball on a pick swap which could have opened up the Murray trade.
“I was actually looking for the ice baths at the end of the evening,” Rawlings said.
“We clearly had to try and look at a few different things to throw to Adelaide, and most of that was trying to get a good pick in this year’s draft.
“With that you are looking at different clubs to try and switch picks with, but it was a really tough market get into this year, to try and get inside pick 20.”
Adelaide list boss Jarryd Roughead said it would have made no sense for the Crows to part with Murray after losing their only other reserve key defender, Jordon Butts, to the Western Bulldogs via free agency.
“We’re in a win-now phase – losing two key defenders is going to be quite hard, that tests our depth,” Roughead said.
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“If we’re in a win-now phase, why would we give away two key defenders?
“(North) did what they had to do on behalf of their football club. That was never our intention to send Nick Murray there to make them stronger. We wanted to keep him.”
Rawlings said the Roos would consider key defensive options through the draft and pre-season supplementary period but could “stick with our boys” if they did not find the right fit.
Delisted Hawthorn defender James Blanck is among the tall backmen with senior experience who the Kangaroos could consider.
“We will look at those options – we feel like we have got a young player that we drafted last year in Blake Thredgold in the early 20s … he had a pretty inactive year. We are excited by him,” Rawlings said.
“We saw that Griff (Logue) and Aidan (Corr) stood up at times this year, and Charlie (Comben) is obviously a staple in our backline.
“Jackson Archer comes back from injury as well and can play a bit taller.”
Out of contract Roos defender Josh Goater got his wish to join Hawthorn in exchange for a future third-round pick tied to Port Adelaide.
Hawthorn list boss Mark McKenzie said 23-year-old Goater had the attributes to become an important part of Hawthorn’s backline.
The Hawks’ back seven during the finals series were all over the age of 28 except for dasher Bailey Macdonald.
“To bring in those younger guys, especially in our backline – we still have to look to the future and those guys who could take us forward, potentially as a rebounding defender or intercept defender,” McKenzie said.
“We think if Josh (Goater) can get his body right to play consistent footy, he can be in a good position to take that spot in the future.”
Originally published as AFL Trade Period: Nick Murray’s deal to get to Roos collapses, Keidean Coleman joins Bombers