THE wins keep coming for Geelong, with the reigning AFL premiers set to secure midfielder Jack Bowes and pick seven from Gold Coast.
Bowes has declared he wants to be traded to the Cats after the Suns were happy to let the 2016 top-10 draft pick explore opportunities elsewhere.
Gold Coast are determined to get rid of Bowes’ hefty contract and told rival clubs they would also be willing to part with their first-round draft pick.
Hawthorn and Essendon were also vying for Bowes’ services, but the 24-year-old has elected to move from his home state of Queensland to the perennial powerhouse in Geelong.
The Cats and Gold Coast, who are yet to play finals in their 12 seasons in the AFL, will now look to finalise a deal for Bowes before the end of the trade period.
The last player Geelong drafted inside the top-10 was recently retired legend Joel Selwood back in 2006.
Meanwhile, former No.1 draft pick Bryce Gibbs has defended Jason Horne-Francis’ character following the talented teenager’s bombshell request to leave North Melbourne.
Horne-Francis is intent on returning to his home state of South Australia to play with Port Adelaide next year, after just one season at Arden Street.
The contracted 19-year-old has come under fire for wanting out of Victoria after being selected by the Kangaroos with the top pick in the 2021 draft.
But former Carlton and Adelaide star Gibbs, who played with Horne-Francis at South Adelaide in the SANFL before the youngster’s ascension to the top-flight, believes the teenage midfielder is being unfairly criticised.
“Some guys can hop up and leave and go do it … in other cases, kids don’t get to experience that before they’re drafted, and it affects everyone differently,” Gibbs told SEN SA on Wednesday.
“It’s been well documented and well publicised that he is close to his family, and he’s had a little bit of homesickness throughout the year.
“But to question his character and things around that space, I don’t agree with that.”
The midfielder’s work ethic and attitude while at North have come under question, and he was even dropped for one game after refusing to complete a recovery session as directed.
Horne-Francis, who was taken as a No.1 draft pick 15 years after Gibbs, has also clashed with teammates on the field.
North won just two games this year to collect a second-straight wooden spoon, with David Noble sacked as coach.
In better news for North, Fremantle pair Griffin Logue and Darcy Tucker were traded to the Kangaroos on Wednesday.
Versatile tall Logue is coming off his most productive season in the AFL, but the former No.8 draft pick chose to leave the Dockers after North offered him a lucrative deal.
Tucker was also offered better opportunities with the Kangaroos after 108 games at Fremantle.
Elsewhere, Western Bulldogs premiership player Zaine Cordy has finalised his move to St Kilda.
The Saints have signed the 25-year-old, who made his AFL debut in 2015 and played 118 games for the Bulldogs, as an unrestricted free agent.
The key defender played in the Bulldogs’ drought-breaking 2016 premiership, with the grand final being his 11th AFL game.
The Bulldogs, who have brought in veteran defender Liam Jones after he opted to retire ahead of the 2022 season rather than comply with the AFL’s vaccination policy, will not receive any compensation for losing Cordy.
(C) AAP 2022
