GOLD Coast is playing an unexpected 'facilitator' role in trade week with other clubs keen to take advantage of its ability to pre-list players.
As part of the new club's concessions, Gold Coast can sign up to 10 players who have previously nominated for the NAB AFL Draft or been on an AFL list before 2010.
Football manager Marcus Ashcroft said Gold Coast had fielded plenty of phone calls from other clubs looking to gain an edge ahead of this year's draft.
Andrew Krakouer (Collingwood), Peter Faulks (Fremantle), Rohan Bewick (Brisbane Lions) and John Ceglar (Collingwood) have all found AFL homes in the last two days.
"Initially it was just a vehicle [for us] to get a different type of player, one who is a bit more experienced, onto our list," Ashcroft said.
"I guess as trade week has evolved other clubs have seen it as a chance to get a more experienced player, in the mould of a Michael Barlow, onto their list who can play at the level right away.
"We've had a lot of interest from other clubs with that, who are coming to us and saying that they wouldn't mind being able to get access to some of these players.
"Obviously a few of those trades have already gone ahead, so if clubs are interested in trying to acquire a player in that category, then we've been able to facilitate a deal."
By essentially acting as a broker between Collingwood and Krakouer's management, Gold Coast allowed the Pies to snap up their desired player without the risk of him being taken by another club higher in the draft order.
Promising Murray Bushrangers ruckman John Ceglar, who is still only 19 but was old enough to nominate for last year's national draft, went to Collingwood as part of the same deal.
The Suns received the Pies' first-round pick at No.25 overall, but has since sent it to the Brisbane Lions as part of a complicated deal for Jared Brennan.
Bewick, the West Australian nephew of Essendon premiership player Darren, has joined the Lions.
North Ballarat's Cameron Richardson is another highly-rated player eligible to be pre-listed, but Ashcroft was tight-lipped on any such development.
"A lot of clubs have been interested in Cam but nothing has been worked out yet," he said.
With four of its 10 pre-list spots already used, Ashcroft said Gold Coast was still considering whether to keep a few picks up its sleeve for its own list.
The Suns have until November 30 to claim a player this way.
"We've still got until the end of November to nominate all our pre-listed players so we still may well list one or two of those guys," Ashcroft said.
"We're still to work through that process, but being trade week a lot of clubs have been interested and have come to us to see if they can get something done.
"[But] you still need to be able to facilitate a deal that's commercially viable for both clubs. If they want access to a particular player and we can facilitate a suitable deal. then there's a benefit for each club involved and not just ourselves.
"It's great that there's a vehicle that's allowed that to happen."
Follow our complete coverage of the 2010 AFL exchange period from October 5-11. No trades are official until paperwork has been accepted by the AFL and formally recognised after 2pm on Monday, October 11.
Join the AFL trade conversation on Twitter: use #tradeweek in your tweets.
