ALL THE ACTION of the Telstra AFL Trade Period finally kicks off on Monday, while free agency period has already seen several players move clubs.
AFL TRADE HUB All the latest news
AFL.com.au's Trade Winds will provide a round-up of the latest developments each morning until the end of Trade Period on Wednesday, October 16.
Harley defends August catch-up
Much has been made of the get together between Essendon key forward Joe Daniher and Sydney CEO Tom Harley in August, especially now the Bomber has requested a trade to the club.
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But Harley reiterated the meeting was simply a catch-up between two friends, with the pair having worked together at the AFL Academy back before Daniher was drafted.
The Bombers are expected to "play hard ball" with the Swans, as Daniher is contracted until next year and he is the focal point of their forward line when fit.
"It (the meeting) was exactly what it was, what I stated earlier. I'm sure plenty has obviously transpired since then, a lot in the last week or so, probably two weeks," Harley told reporters at Melbourne Airport on Sunday.
"But that [meeting] was back in August and I can hand on heart say that was what the conversation was.
"We've certainly acknowledged that Joe has a desire to get to the Swans, that's pleasing, but clearly, he's a contracted player, we respect that. We also respect Joe through this process, plenty of water to go under the bridge I imagine."
Sydney wants Tom to stay, confirms interest in Crow, Lion
Harley also told Telstra AFL Trade Radio on Monday morning the Swans wish to hang onto contracted small forward Tom Papley.
"Tom's got four years on his [existing] contract, he had a trigger which was enacted late in the year, an incentive-based trigger. We would prefer not to talk about contracts, but that is the fact," Harley said.
"We also know Tom has a desire to get to Melbourne (the city), we also know as part of Tom's desire to get to Melbourne, his preference would be Carlton.
"But as it stands right now, there haven't been any conversations – to the best of my knowledge – between us and any other clubs as to what that may look like.
"Our overarching position is clear through the Trade Period is to do the best thing for the club. As that stands right now, that's Tom being a contracted player to us. That's our position."
Harley confirmed Sydney has interest in Adelaide's Riley Knight and Brisbane's Lewis Taylor, but said the pair aren't an immediate priority.
Make me a Saint
Sydney hard-nosed midfielder Zak Jones has confirmed a long-expected move, nominating St Kilda as his club of choice.
Jones, who is out of contract, has played 90 matches for the Swans since being selected with pick 15 in the 2013 NAB AFL Draft.
The younger brother of Melbourne veteran Nathan, Jones has been linked to the Saints for a number of weeks now.
Richmond reportedly showed some interest in the pacy midfielder, but he now appears destined to end up in Moorabbin, along with Bradley Hill and Paddy Ryder.
VFL premiership Tiger on the move?
Richmond midfielder Connor Menadue has struggled for senior opportunities the last few years, despite showing some very strong form in the VFL this season in particular.
Fremantle football boss Peter Bell confirmed AFL.com.au's report that the Dockers are keen on the speedster.
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"I won't give a narrative on names, but clearly Richmond is an exceptional team with a very deep list," Bell said on ABC Grandstand when asked about the Tiger.
"Looking at the quality of player who was running around for Richmond in their VFL premiership, you've no doubt spoken about some of the other players who are in there.
"Connor's a player that has been clearly persistent, he's been durable, he's got that rare mix of speed and endurance and he's really hard to find.
"There's no doubt there'll be interest in Connor, but again, I'm not going to be running a narrative on individual players."
With at least Bradley Hill and Ed Langdon on the move, Bell flagged the Dockers could throw a few curve balls in this coming trade period.
"We'll be really active. We've got some plans in place and looking forward to getting into the thick of negotiations over the next few days. Potentially there might be some surprises, but if it ends up we're going to have a number of draft picks, I think that's a really positive space to be in.
Happy Telstra AFL Trade Period
With the first day of the Telstra AFL Trade Period officially upon us, clubs will meet at Marvel Stadium to start thrashing out deals.
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It's a routine that's been in place for several years now, with the aim of assisting teams in kicking off negotiations.
The Telstra AFL Trade Period for players will conclude on the evening of Wednesday 16 October at 7:30pm AEDT, while free agency offers will be finalised by this coming Thursday.
