AFL trade period LIVE: Blakey’s future uncertain; Suns to land Hawks forward pair in wake of King deal as trade period reaches final stretch

Of all the names that have been mentioned in this year’s trade period, Dan Houston’s remains one of the most intriguing.

Collingwood list manager Justin Leppitsch said any talk around the defender leaving the club was “confusing”, yet at least three rival clubs believe he is being openly shopped around by the Magpies.

Houston hasn’t enjoyed the best start to his Collingwood career since moving from Port Adelaide as a dual All Australian. Having said that, he did, rather curiously, finish fourth in their best and fairest voting this year.

The Magpies are trying to bring in premiership Tiger Jayden Short, but haven’t been willing to entertain using their first or second round picks to secure him. Richmond, therefore, are digging their heels in.

Hawk forwards Aidan Schubert and Sam Butler will become Gold Coast players as early as Monday as the Suns bolster their forward line following the loss of Ben King to Hawthorn.

Schubert agreed to a five-year deal last week as the Suns brokered a deal which enabled them to accept compensation for the loss of King, while a Friday visit to the Gold Coast convinced Butler, whose brother Dan played in the 2017 flag at Richmond under Suns coach Damien Hardwick, to also make the move.

Butler is looking for more opportunities after being unable to cement a spot in the Hawks’ line-up during his six seasons at the club.

A shocking broken leg in 2024 hampered his progress as Nick Watson, Dylan Moore and Jack Ginnivan became Hawthorn’s dynamic trio of small forwards.

The Hawks will enter 2027 with Ben King, Jack Gunston, Mitchell Lewis, Mabior Chol and Calsher Dear as key forwards. Gunston and Chol will be entering the final year of their contracts.

They are likely to receive second-round draft picks in exchange for the young Hawk forwards.

Zak Butters inked a mega deal worth at least $17 million over nine years at the Western Bulldogs, Ben King committed to Hawthorn for $9 million in the next seven years and Nick Blakey told the Kangaroos he wants to take-up their eight-year, $12 million offer on Friday.

The three blockbuster deals were the centre of attention as the AFL’s trade period reached its halfway point in an uncharacteristic flurry of activity.

Trades will not be officially lodged at the weekend, but the focus will be on Blakey’s bid to get to North Melbourne, where his father is a hero of the 1996 and 1999 premierships.

Sam McClure and Jake Niall report the Roos have prepared for all possible scenarios in Blakey’s short-term future, after their board approved the offer made to him; a deal that would make him one of the highest-paid players in the competition.

Hello everyone and welcome to our AFL trade period blog for day eight.

We have plenty of deals still to be completed and teams will be keen to finalise some deals today ahead of Wednesday’s deadline.

Enjoy the day to come.

Nick Blakey’s path to North Melbourne remains uncertain as Sydney and the Kangaroos look to ramp up discussions over a blockbuster deal.

Saturday was the calm before the storm, with neither club holding major discussions over Blakey’s future, according to two industry sources with knowledge of the matter.

The Kangaroos’ pick No.6 in this year’s draft shapes as the key component of any trade to send Blakey to the club where his father John played 224 of his 359 games in the 1990s and early 2000s and won two premierships.

The pressure is on North Melbourne to secure a deal for Blakey, having made many unsuccessful bids to poach rival stars, including Richmond champion Dustin Martin, Collingwood star Jordan De Goey, GWS gun Josh Kelly, and Swans superstar Isaac Heeney.