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GREATER Western Sydney tall Kristian Jaksch appears unlikely to get to his preferred club Carlton during the NAB AFL Trade Period, with talks between the Blues and Giants grinding to a halt.
AFL.com.au understands the door has opened for St Kilda and another Victorian club to ramp up negotiations with GWS, which has not made any progress in talks with Carlton.
The Blues, who are also negotiating with the Western Bulldogs to secure tall forward Liam Jones, hold draft selections No.7, No.28 and No.46, which has restricted them in talks with the Giants.
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The Saints remain a viable option for Jaksch in the event the Blues can’t finalise a trade, and they are well placed to negotiate for the key position player after missing out on GWS midfielder Jono O'Rourke.
O'Rourke nominated Hawthorn as his preferred club on Tuesday and it is understood the Giants and Hawks will meet on Wednesday morning to open negotiations.
AFL.com.au understands the Hawks' first pick in the 2014 NAB AFL Draft (No.19 overall) will need to be in play as a starting point, but the Hawks may need to pay more to secure the midfielder, who was a No.2 draft selection in 2012.
Carlton forward Mitch Robinson's future remains up in the air, with clubs yet to approach the Blues about a trade.
It is understood the Blues proposed including Robinson in a trade with the Western Bulldogs for Jones and Jason Tutt but the Dogs weren't interested.
It seems Robinson's best hope of finding a new home will come if, as expected, Carlton delists him at the end of the trade period. If that happens, he can move to the club of his choice as a free agent, with the Brisbane Lions a possible destination.
Meanwhile, Carlton remains committed to getting a deal done for Jones but it is yet to make any real progress with the Bulldogs.
Daniel Merrett's future at the Lions also remains unclear. The Bulldogs and, to a lesser extent, Gold Coast have expressed interest in the key defender.
If a suitable trade cannot be arranged, Merrett, who has two years remaining on his existing contract, is open to remaining at the Gabba.
It is believed Merrett, 29, would prefer to explore opportunities with clubs likely to be in premiership contention before he retires.
There has been little opposition interest in run-with midfielder Andrew Raines, who amicably parted ways with the Lions at the end of the season.
North Melbourne remain open minded as to whether a player or picks or a combination or both will satisfy it as Collingwood works to come up with a suitable trade for Levi Greenwood.
Greenwood, who finished third in the Kangaroos' 2014 best and fairest, has agreed to join the Magpies for a four-year deal understood to be worth $1.8 million.
St Kilda remains open to the possibility of trading selection No.1, with industry sources suggesting Greater Western Sydney would be the club most likely to find a way of getting a deal done.
The Saints see exchanging several picks for the No.1 selection as one way a deal could happen but have not closed off any prospects.
The Giants are well-placed to collect a selection of picks in exchange for Jaksch and O'Rourke, which could be passed on in a swap for the No.1 selection.
Sydney Swans midfielder Shane Biggs has attracted some interest from other clubs after playing just three games in 2014 to make it six games for his career. He is understood to be open to exploring his options.
The deals to get Mitch Clark from Melbourne to Geelong and Heritier Lumumba from Collingwood to Melbourne are not expected to happen quickly, but both will get done.
The Demons are more hopeful the trade to secure small forward Jeff Garlett will happen relatively quickly, however, after the 25-year-old declared on Tuesday his intention to join Melbourne.
