AFL Trade 2023: All the Port Adelaide News As Standoff With Essendon And Geelong Continues

Port Adelaide is still at odds with Essendon and Geelong over crucial deals, and football coach Chris Davies has issued a threat as the AFL trade deadline approaches. This is the most recent update.

If Port Adelaide is unable to reach an agreement with a stubborn Geelong on the penultimate day of the transfer period, the club has vowed to select Esava Ratugolea in the national draft that will take place the following month.

The Power have put their first draft selection, which is presently pick 25, on the table for the out-of-contract Cats key defender, who has been the club's No. 1 priority as it attempts to strengthen its defense. The Cats are currently in the process of negotiating a new contract with the player.

However, Geelong is asking for a higher price for a player in whom the club believes it has invested a significant amount of time and effort into developing.

The Cats believe that Ratugolea should have a "premium" price tag attached to it because of the "market forces" that are in action this year.

Chris Davies, the head of football operations at Port Adelaide, stated on Tuesday that the club was "hopeful" of reaching an agreement with Geelong, but that it was also looking into alternative options in the event that negotiations failed.

According to Davies, "there is the possibility that another club will take any player that ends up being selected in either the national or pre-season draft."

"I'm still really hopeful that we'll be able to strike a deal with Geelong... because what has become evident throughout the trade season is that Esava wants to leave Geelong and he wants to play for Port Adelaide. So I'm still really confident that we'll be able to work something out with them. Therefore, that is something that we need to figure out how to deal with.

Ratugolea celebrated his 25th birthday in July and has played 75 games for Geelong in the AFL over the course of seven seasons, including 16 games so far this season.

The 197-centimeter defensive back scored above average this season in intercept marks and spoils but below average in one-on-one situations.

While insisting there was no bad blood between the clubs, Davies will go to Melbourne on Wednesday to assist list manager Jason Cripps with the challenging negotiations.

My connection with the Geelong lads is fine, but it's not about friendships in the end, Davies remarked on Trade Radio.

At the end of the day, "it's about being able to strike a deal whether you like each other or not."

"The trade period lasts for about a week and a half, and the timing of when deals are finalized is less important than finalizing them at all."

Will Port blink on Duursma-Zerk-Thatcher swap?

Even though Chris Davies, the head of the Port Adelaide football team, thinks that a straight trade of Xavier Duursma for Brandon Zerk-Thatcher is doubtful, Essendon is still optimistic that they will be able to make it happen.

If an agreement cannot be made with Essendon regarding the defender, Zerk-Thatcher may be selected by the Power in the pre-season draft. However, Davies stated that he "definitely" expected that a deal for Bulldogs ruckman Jordon Sweet would be finalized by the conclusion of the trade period.

"He's made it very clear to Essendon that he doesn't want to go back there," Davies said, "and he's desperately wanting to come back to Adelaide."

If we are unable to reach an agreement within the upcoming time frame, we will be forced to resort to the preseason or national drafts. Those guys' presence on our team will remain a top priority for us. Therefore, we will have to consider all of the potential solutions, one of which is guiding them through the draft process.

Davies stated that the fact that Duursma was under contract made the situation more difficult, despite the fact that Essendon considers Zerk-Thatcher and Duursma to be of equivalent value and would be pleased to engage in a straight trade.

In the pre-season selection, the Bombers will pick before the Power, and as a result, they have the opportunity to throw Port Adelaide's threat back at them by claiming that they are interested in re-selecting the defender.

He was given a three-year deal by the Dons, who view him as a required player. However, he has chosen to return home to South Australia rather than accept the offer, citing the need to be with his family.

Despite Davies's assertion that the value of the pair is skewed due to Duursma's contract, Essendon is confident that it can complete a trade without draft picks before Wednesday's deadline.

The fact that Zerk-Thatcher is free from his contract while Xavier is not is the primary distinction between the two players, according to him.

Therefore, there is no obligation for us to engage in behavior that we do not consider to be equitable.

"I understand that for everyone who just wants transactions to be completed, you will look and say that players merely moving clubs is the easiest way for it to happen. I also understand that you will look at it that way. It's possible it will turn out to be the case, but I can guarantee you that it won't be the case in the next 24 hours."