DAY THREE of the NAB AFL Trade Period provided the biggest bombshell yet when Sam Mitchell revealed he was in discussions about a trade to West Coast, so what could possibly be next?
Collingwood also got their man Chris Mayne through free agency and the Hawks and Sydney Swans reached an in-principle agreement to send Tom Mitchell to Hawthorn.
Deals are starting to fall but there's plenty more going on behind the scenes that could throw more curveballs to clubs in the next seven days.
AFL.com.au's Trade Winds will provide a round-up of the latest action every morning until the Trade Period closes at 2pm on Thursday, October 20.
Aish off the market
Collingwood has denied reports it raised midfielder James Aish in trade talks on Wednesday.
The Age reports list manager Derek Hine quashed the suggestion the club could trade both Aish and young midfielder Jordan De Goey.
"Under no circumstances is James Aish getting traded. Nor for that matter is Jordan De Goey," Hine said.
"We've spoken to both their managers after rumours emerged suggesting they could be traded. We wanted to reassure them there was absolutely no substance to it."
Aish's name was said to have been raised in trade talks along with midfielder Levi Greenwood.
The Herald Sun reports the Magpies appear out of the race for GWS forward James Stewart, who has been linked to Carlton and more recently Essendon.
Giants challenge Bombers to bid with pick No.1
Greater Western Sydney says it would not make sense for Essendon to use its No.1 pick to bid on Giants academy gun Will Setterfield unless they are willing to go through with drafting him at that position.
The Bombers have reportedly been planning to bid on Setterfield and also on Gold Coast Academy player Jack Bowes in an attempt to force their rivals' hand.
GWS football manager Wayne Campbell said the move would not make sense unless the Bombers genuinely had the players in their sights.
"If they (Essendon) have Will at one they will pick him at one, but if they have him lower than that just to force us to bid it wouldn’t make sense unless we’ve got him at No.1 ourselves and that is a work in progress," Campbell toldThe Daily Telegraph.
Campbell said clubs that were unhappy with the Giants' Academy system and the growing stocks available to them still had the opportunity to bid for those players.
"It’s not like you can’t get them because they are in the academy players can go anywhere. If Essendon pick Will Setterfield at one he’s not going to say he’s not coming."
Hawks keen to clear salary cap room
The Herald Sun reports that Hawthorn's need to clear up to $600,000 in salary cap space is a key reason behind Sam Mitchell's impending move to West Coast.
Mitchell was 'blindsided' by the suggestion from coach Alastair Clarkson that he should consider playing for at least one season with West Coast before embarking on a coaching career with the Eagles.
It is reported that clearing his contract would allow the Hawks to bring Gold Coast midfielder Jaeger O'Meara to the club on an arranged salary of more than $700,000 a season.
The Hawks have already secured Tom Mitchell and Ty Vickery in deals reported to be worth at least $500,000 a season, further tightening the Hawks' cap.
Meanwhile, Foxsports.com.au reports that Mitchell could play on in 2018, with his deal at the Eagles open-ended.
Pick No.2 on the table
The Age reports that the Brisbane Lions remain open to trading pick No.2 for multiple picks inside the top 10.
As AFL.com.au reported on Tuesday, GWS is continuing to target the prized selection, despite already securing pick No.3 from Fremantle.
The Giants already hold picks No.3, No.15 and No.16 but are well placed to acquire another first-round pick from Carlton for key defender Caleb Marchbank.
