The first day of the official AFL trade period has ended with more questions than answers for WA's two clubs in the national competition.
Just one day after learning All-Australian wingman Andrew Gaff would stay put at West Coast, the 2018 premiers were left scratching their heads as to how to snare Geelong club champion Tim Kelly while also repleneshing their ruck stocks for 2019.
Gaff's decision to remain west – denying the Eagles a valuable first-round compensation pick from the league – leaves the club with no bargaining chip to secure a ruckman or Kelly.
It puts the club in a difficult spot, with the Cats insisting Kelly won't be traded for anything less than a top 10 draft pick.
The impasse means West Coast will consider matching Port Adelaide's five-year, $3 million deal for unrestricted free agent and premiership ruckman Scott Lycett, who performed admirably as the club's lead ruck once Nic Naitanui went down in round 17 with an ACL injury.
West Coast ruckman Scott Lycett has been pivotal for the Eagles this season.Credit:AAP
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The Eagles have until 11am WST on Tuesday to match Port's offer, leaving the club with roughly the same personnel to defend its 2018 premiership, with the addition of the 26-year-old wingman in their starting 22.
West Coast football boss Craig Vozzo said matching the Power's bid would not have a major impact on the clubs total player payments nor Lycett, who he believed would be happy to hang around.
"I think hes been really happy at our club for eight years and, having just experienced a grand final, hes in a really good space," Vozzo said. "I dont think it would be the end of the world for him."
West Coast has targeted Bulldog Jordan Roughhead and Saint Tom Hickey ahead of the trade period as ruck replacements but both would be considered below Lycett as a top-flight ruckman.
"We need a ruckman," Vozzo said.
Lycett's WA-based manager Colin Young said on Monday he would be surprised if West Coast matched Port's bid and retained the ruckman's services.
"He made a decision on Friday and he's going to stick to it, and the main reason was going home to his family," Young told AFL Trade Radio.
"If West Coast change tack and say 'we're going to keep him' and match the offer, there's not much we can do about it.
"But until that time happens there's no use worrying about it. I'd be surprised but, in saying that, you never say never in this industry."
Geelong has said it won't trade Tim Kelly for anything less than a top 10 draft pick.Credit:AAP
Vozzo said the club had expressed its interest in Kelly to the Cats on day one of the trade period.
"It's obviously the early phase of discussions and we'll see what happens from here. We felt that we had a good discussion this morning and we'll see what happens," he said.
Geelong recruiting manager Stephen Wells said no progress had been made with the Eagles on a suitable deal for Kelly.
"West Coast made it clear to us that they would be interested in having Tim join them and we made it very clear to them that we expect Tim to be playing with us in 2019," he said.
"As far as we're concerned, he's playing with us in 2019 and we expect that to be the case.
“He had a brilliant first year and he might be one of our very, very best players not just for next year but for many years into the future. Thats got to be taken into account.
“The West Coast Eagles as the reigning premiers, I dont think any of the clubs would be all that excited about Tim Kelly playing for them at the moment. All those sort of things have to be taken into account.”
Fremantle meanwhile were also none the wiser regarding player movement, with Lachie Neale's request for a trade to Brisbane still up in the air.
The South Australian, who won his second Dockers club champion award on Saturday night, would be buoyed by news his good friend Lincoln McCarthy had landed at the Lions from Geelong.
The Dockers were boosted on day one of the trade period by news ruck target and WA product Rory Lobb had nominated the club as his preferred destination.
How aggressively the port club tackles the trade period – where Lobb and Melbourne full forward Jesse Hogan are prime targets – will hinge on the outcome of the Neale deal.
Hogan has met with the club and undergone a series of medical checks on a partial stress fracture to the navicular bone in his foot that ended his season in mid-August.
"It can develop into a serious injury and we feel weve got it quite early," Demons high performance manager Dave Misson said at the time.
Fremantle's new general manager of football operations Peter Bell said on Monday "there's a lot of complicated factors" involved in the Neale deal and getting Hogan to the Dockers.
"Lachie Neale is a two-times best and fairest winner at our footy club … a quality person that we'd love to keep at the footy club," Bell said from Marvel Stadium in Melbourne, where the talks are being held until the official trade period ends next Wednesday.
"Being a new footy manager on day three, it would be a feather in my cap if Lachie stayed at the footy club, so that's what we're working towards."
Bell wouldn't be drawn into the speculation from Geelong that Kelly could eventually land at Fremantle, which currently has a suitable pick [five] to complete a trade.
"We also met with Fremantle today and they made it clear also that they would like Tim Kelly playing for them," Geelong's recruiting manager Stephen Wells said.
"Home is home, thats the reason he wants to go and play in WA.
"So to us [joining the Dockers] would make sense."
WA clubs – paperwork lodged with AFL
(since 5pm, Monday October 8)
- Fremantle signed unrestricted free agent Reece Conca from Richmond (no compensation)
- Port Adelaide make an offer to restricted free agent Scott Lycett from West Coast, which has until 11am Tuesday to match the offer or receive AFL compensation, likely to be a low first-round draft pick.
Current 2018 national draft picks:
Fremantle: 5, 77
West Coast: 20, 36, 68, 72, 90
David loves a good drop and a cracking yarn.
