SEN Chief Sports Reporter Sam Edmund has the latest update on the trade period.
With just five games of AFL to go in 2022, plenty of attention is being placed on the upcoming trade period.
The free agency window opens later this month, with the trade period kicking off just days later on October 3.
Edmund has the latest on numerous players whose futures are still uncertain, including Jacob Hopper, Junior Rioli, Tarryn Thomas and many more.
See the updates below.
Tim Taranto, Jacob Hopper & Richmond
“What an extraordinary recruiting flex that was from the Tigers yesterday that meeting with the contracted giant Jacob Hoper that Damien Hardwick confirmed on AFL360 took place,” Edmund began on SEN's Whateley.
“They’ve already got Tim Taranto on the hook down there on a very good deal I might add, and a long-term Jacob Hopper as well?
“We’re not privy to the books, we don’t know the bottom line, clearly they can do it financially, but how do they do it in a trade sense?
“We’ve got those figures in front of us. They’ve got their first-round pick, Pick 12 as it stands at the moment. They’ve got two second-rounders, their own but one tied to North Melbourne which is handy, that sits at 19 at the moment.
“So 12, 19, I think there’s a 30, and then you go all the way back. So how do they do it from a trade point of view?
“Taranto is not contracted just Jacob Hopper clearly is, he’s also being courted by Geelong and clearly wants to come home, he’s just got to settle on his destination.
“So what sort of trade for those two prime midfielders would possibly satisfy the Giants? That’s got the whole industry scratching their heads saying, ‘how could they possibly do this’?
“The people that I’ve spoken to - list managers and player managers this morning – are genuinely bewildered as to how it would possibly happen.
“Does another club have to get involved, are there future picks involved? GWS as we know needs to ease the squeeze, but they’re not going to be railroaded into giving up quality players for nothing.
“And do Geelong still have a role to play in Hopper, we know how far down the Hopper path the Cats have gone, they wanted their own double act, they want Hopper and (Brodie) Grundy to come in.
“It’s a good choice to have for Jacob Hopper. Am I going to Richmond or am I going to Geelong? Both want me, I want to come home, great to have options.”
Josh Dunkley
“There’s no more torturous waiting game than that lived by Western Bulldogs supporters at the moment because Josh Dunkley still hasn’t told the Dogs of his intentions for next year.
“(He's) unsigned, being wooed heavily by Port Adelaide. I think that is the club I know Brisbane has bought a ticket to the raffle, but the Port Adelaide offer is the big offer, trumps the Dogs offer, trumps the Brisbane offer, this is exhibit A for temptation for Josh Dunkley.
“I know he’s got a link there, his partner plays netball there… the contract offer in its length and in its financial clout, that is the one.”
Darcy Gardiner
“The other waiting game, Darcy Gardiner is still unsigned at Brisbane.
“He’s taken his time historically with this sort of stuff before, but still Brisbane are none the wiser about what he wants to do, and they have had a contract in front of the defender, their best 22 defender at that football club, for some time and he still hasn’t signed it, so that’s a waiting game.”
Trent Cotchin & Jack Riewoldt
“Trent Cotchin and Jack Riewoldt, listening to Damien Hardwick last night, the waiting game will end on both of these two today.
“Both had wanted to play on, so assuming contract-wise everyone is happy, that celebrated pair go into 2023.”
Jason Johannisen
“Jason Johanissen, not a certainty yet to the Gold Coast, but it’s a solid offer and they have a need there that would see the Norm Smith Medallist reprise his half-back role which he hasn’t been able to do.
“Bailey Dale on the scene, Caleb Daniel pulling the strings there, he (Johannisen) hasn’t been able to do it at the Whitten Oval.
“So the sell for him is yes, it’s a three-year contract and a solid one, but you get to play half back again at our football club.”
Junior Rioli
“He seems destined for Port Adelaide. Nothing official is locked in yet and his camp are at pains to stress that no decision has been made and nothing locked down, but the player himself says he wants to play for the Power
“He’s met with them, he’s had a medical with them, he’s had a contract offer from West Coast. Financially that offer is light, but this is a decision that we said some time ago in this slot that goes well beyond the boundary line.
“He wants to move clubs as much for family reasons as he does for football reasons. His immediate family has never been based in Perth, they’ve always been up north, that’s his kids and partner, so I think Adelaide might very well be different in that regard, Melbourne would have been as well.
“So there’s been some family and personal logistics for him to work through, but all signs point to the Power at the moment.
North Melbourne and Tarryn Thomas
“Tanner Bruhn, wanted by Hawthorn, Kangaroos are really keen, Geelong is too.
“They’re also in the race for Griffin Logue, Jason Horne-Francis is locked in for next year, Todd Goldstein soon to be, the specifics of that one being worked out now, everything pointing to him staying.
“There’s just one other player I want to mention and it’s Tarryn Thomas. Perhaps just one to keep an eye on.
“I know we reported recently he was gettable a couple of months ago and Gold Coast were interested and they’d gone a fair way down the track, there’d been discussions about him being traded up there.
“As we said though, I’d close the door on the Suns. But there are just some murmurings there could still be a twist here. He’s contracted for two more years, I’m just not sure how happy he is there and whether he might act upon those feelings this trade period.
“He might not, but he might, so just a watch on Tarryn Thomas at the Kangaroos.”