Burton joins Giants staff
Former Port Adelaide and Hawthorn defender Ryan Burton has joined the GWS Giants as a development coach.
Burton retired at the end of 2025 after 162 games and he spent this year playing with Southport Sharks in the VFL.
Burton joins the Giants coaching staff along with long-time Fremantle assistant coach Adam Read.
“Ryan brings a wealth of experience from his time in the AFL and we’re really pleased to have him joining our coaching group for 2027,” Giants football general manager Jason McCartney said.
Could North be in the box seat to snare Blakey?
North Melbourne has pushed their way to the front of the queue for Sydney star Nick Blakey, as the Swan moves closer to the exit door, despite his preferred club, Geelong, using its first round draft selection on St Kilda ruckman Rowan Marshall.
Blakey flew into Melbourne on Wednesday night to meet with a host of clubs before the weekend.
North Melbourne, Gold Coast and Essendon all remain firmly in the frame for the All Australian half-back flanker.
Blakey and his family have close ties to North Melbourne.
Dons will ask question about Blakey
Essendon list and recruiting general manager Matt Rosa hasn’t ruled out a move for Nick Blakey but only if his management makes it clear he wants to leave the Swans.
Blakey has five years left on his contract and the Swans have described the prospect of trading the star defender as “significantly challenging”.
Rosa said on Thursday that the Dons had discussed a potential overture as Blakey has close ties with new coach Mark McVeigh and John Longmire.
“We have discussed it internally. He has a really strong relationship with ‘Spike’ and John,” Rosa told AFL Trade Radio.
“We will continue to have ongoing discussions and if his management indicates he wants to leave Sydney, we will move forward from there.”
Dees, Lions to talk over McLachlan
Melbourne will sit down with the Brisbane Lions on Thursday afternoon to continue talks over young forward Will McLachlan, who wants to move to the Demons.
Demons list manager Tim Lamb wouldn’t be drawn on what the offer for McLachlan would be, but they have tracked his progress at the Lions for several years.
“Every club in Victoria would have tracked Will’s development in Brisbane,” Lamb told AFL Trade Radio.
“He has a pretty serious quad injury that kept him out and he did have some strong form in the VFL.”
Saints wanted Marshall to “see out his career” with them
Traded ruckman Rowan Marshall has farewelled St Kilda following his successful move to Geelong, 12 months after his first failed attempt.
In a statement released by the Saints on Thursday, the 30-year-old, who was drafted as a mature-age pick in the 2016 rookie draft, said he leaves with great memories after 177 games.
“I have loved my time at the Saints and always wanted to leave the club in a better place through my contributions on the field,” he said.
“The club’s passionate supporters have shown me so much love and support over the past decade, which always made me determined to make them proud.”
Suns to consider Blakey pitch
Gold Coast have now met with disgruntled Sydney star Nick Blakey and are considering a pitch for him.
Coach Damien Hardwick and football boss Craig Cameron had flown to Melbourne to meet on Thursday with the defender who is also entertaining Geelong as a new home.
A pitch for Blakey would likely need to be ticked off by the Suns’ board, as is the case with most clubs, given the ongoing investigation into the Pullman Hotel scandal.
If the Suns don’t match Hawthorn’s offer for forward Ben King, as seems likely, they will receive pick seven as compensation.
Blakey’s partner, Australian sprinter Ella Connelly, is based on the Gold Coast as she prepares for the Olympics in Brisbane in 2032.
Saints get high pick for Marshall; Cats face tough task to get Blakey
St Kilda have secured pick 14 from Geelong for ruckman Rowan Marshall after the Cats decided to get the deal done, having failed to land the big man during last year’s trade period.
Marshall had made clear his desire to leave the Saints in the past two seasons but doubled down on Monday night when he refused to attend the Saints’ best and fairest.
He felt the club was not being fair in requesting a first-round pick and a player from Geelong, having said at the end of last year’s trade period that they would agree to trade him if he wanted out if they could secure a fair price.
The Cats’ call makes it harder for them to pursue Sydney’s Nick Blakey as they do not have significant draft capital after trading out a future first-round pick for Jordan Ridley on Wednesday.
St Kilda also handed over their 2028 third-round pick along with Marshall to finalise the deal.
Rampe call could be weeks away: Keane
The Swans continue to wait on whether veterans Dane Rampe and Harry Cunningham continue on in 2027.
Swans head of list strategy Chris Keane said Rampe was still considering his future after chatting with coach Dean Cox during the offseason while Cunningham had received a contract offer.
Rampe finished the season as Swans captain following Callum Mills’ knee injury.
“He [Rampe] will make that decision over the next few weeks. We will hear from him in the next couple of weeks,” Keane said on AFL trade radio.
“Harry is working through his options, he has an offer on the table from us, but I think he has a bit to think through.”
‘He could walk back into our club’: Keane on Blakey
Sydney head of list strategy Chris Keane is confident Nick Blakey could walk back into the club when pre-season begins despite his attempts to seek a trade.
Blakey has reportedly met with Gold Coast and Geelong but Blakey has five years remaining on his contract with the Swans.
Keane said he wasn’t aware Blakey was meeting with clubs until it was in the media, but he still believed the star defender could stay.
“We feel confident he could walk back into our footy club,” Keane told AFL Trade Radio.
Saints ruckman gets Geelong move
St Kilda ruckman Rowan Marshall has been traded to Geelong.
More to come
Disclaimer : This story is auto aggregated by a computer programme and has not been created or edited by DOWNTHENEWS. Publisher: www.smh.com.au
