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WESTERN Bulldogs premiership hero Joel Hamling is set to leave the Kennel after deciding to return home to play for Fremantle.
The 23-year-old defender, who shut down Sydney Swans superstar Lance Franklin in the Dogs' epic Grand Final triumph, had been weighing up his options since the season ended.
Fremantle on Saturday confirmed AFL.com.au's report that Hamling will seek a trade to the Dockers, who have reportedly offered a three-year deal.
"I think Joel's been considering coming back throughout the year and then obviously with the way the Bulldogs went clouded the decision a bit more," list manager Brad Lloyd told 6PR.
"I presume he's agonised over the decision over recent weeks, but with the Grand Final celebrations it's been more difficult to come to a decision.
"But he's indicated to us he'd like to get back to Western Australia and play for Fremantle, which is fantastic news."
Hamling's decision clouds the future of fellow Dogs backman Marcus Adams, who is also hoping to move back to Perth.
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The mature-age recruit played 11 games in his debut season and West Coast has confirmed its interest in the homesick 23-year-old.
Hamling's stocks have skyrocketed since the Grand Final.
The Broome product was a bargain-basement recruit for the Bulldogs as a delisted free agent after failing to play a game at Geelong, who took the gangly 194cm defender with pick No.32 in the 2011 NAB AFL Draft.
Hamling made his debut in round nine last year and has played 23 games for the Bulldogs, including all four finals this season in the club's fairytale run to a drought-breaking flag.
He held Franklin, who injured an ankle early, to just the solitary goal from 16 disposals in the Grand Final.
If the Dockers can organise a deal for Hamling, he will be their third recruit of the NAB AFL Trade Period following swaps for Hawthorn speedster Bradley Hill and ex-Giants forward Cam McCarthy.
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Hamling's best mate Shane Kersten is also set to head west to join the Dockers from Geelong.
"They both want to get to Fremantle so I think we can work through and get something done for sure," Lloyd said.
"They are certainly best mates, they're inseparable. Every time I've spoken to one, the other one's been there.
"They're really, really close from their Geelong days and have a really tight relationship.
"They came over to Perth during the week and had a bit of a look around and they were there together."
Lloyd said securing Hamling and Kersten could finish the Dockers' NAB AFL Trade Period business, with Freo not planning to pursue Adams or Collingwood defender Jonathon Marsh, who also wants to return to WA for personal reasons.
"It will be worth having a bit of a look and working through it, but it's unlikely I would suggest," he said.
