AFL trade news: Eagles urged to consider moving on star duo

“Surely no one’s off the table if you’re having a rebuild?”

EDITOR | August 2, 2021 - 4:54pm

West Coast have been encouraged to make "tough calls" and consider moving on midfield duo Andrew Gaff and Elliot Yeo for profitable returns.

Despite preparing for a seventh straight finals campaign, the Eagles have been hit by calls for the club to consider rebuilding before their next premiership tilt.

Veterans Shannon Hurn, Josh Kennedy and Mark Hutchings are yet to ink new deals past the 2021 season, while a growing crop of youthful prospects continue to knock on the door for selection.

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PERTH, AUSTRALIA - JULY 22: Josh Kennedy of the Eagles kicks on goal during the 2018 AFL round 18 match between the West Coast Eagles and the Western Bulldogs at Optus Stadium on July 22, 2018 in Perth, Australia. (Photo by Daniel Carson/AFL Media/Getty Images)

The Eagles currently boast an impressive field of young stars, with the likes of Oscar Allen, Liam Ryan, Liam Duggan, Tom Barrass and Josh Rotham all showing promise and are yet to reach their peak.

The Eagles also currently hold a plethora of star midfielders who could warrant large returns should their services be fielded to the open market.

With this in mind, Fox Footy's Tom Morris suggested the Eagles should look to use Gaff and Yeo as trade bait amid prospects of a rebuild.

“They’ve got to make some tough calls at the end of the year. I’d be going to Andrew Gaff and saying: ‘Do you want to go back to Victoria? We can get something for you now,’” he said on First Crack.

“He’s contracted until the end of 2024 which makes it hard, but these are the tough calls you need to make if you’re going to rebound and actually get some young talent in.

“Elliot Yeo – he’s contracted for another two years – what can you get for him? Surely no one’s off the table if you’re having a rebuild?”

Gaff triggered a four-year extension last year after turning his back on a return to Victoria, where North Melbourne were understood to be showing interest in the gun midfielder.

Yeo, an East Fremantle product, signed a five-year deal with the Eagles in 2017, keeping him at the club until the end of the 2023 season.

The Eagles will look to further strengthen their push for a top-eight finish as they host Melbourne at Optus Stadium on Monday.