Geelong is reportedly readying themselves to make an offer to out-of-contract Demon Angus Brayshaw, with the Pivot City club seeing the helmeted premiership-winner as the prize on the free agent market.
With the 2022 season acting as 8th in the red and the blue since joining the club with the 3rd pick of the 2014 National Draft, the 26-year-old will soon be able to exercise his contractual rights.
Currently enjoying a campaign in which many believe he has eclipsed the form that saw him claim a podium finish during the 2018 Brownlow count, Brayshaw is already viewed as hot property by rival suitors.
Given his family ties back in Western Australia, including his brother Andrew who is cobbling a Brownlow calibre season with the Dockers, past reports have linked the eloquent Demon with potential shifts to Cockburn and Laithlain.
However, as 7News' AFL reporter Tom Browne stated on Friday night, Brayshaw is ner-certain to field another offer from the Cats.
“Angus Brayshaw clearly is the game’s hottest restricted free agent,” Browne said.
“We know that West Coast and Fremantle are coming hard (for his services). He’s got links back to Western Australia through family, but another club, a Victorian club, Geelong, is also interested in a big way.
“The Cats are famous for staying competitive (and are) a destination club with the Surf Coast. Brayshaw could join other high-profile recruits in recent years.
"There’s no sign at the moment of an imminent decision, but Geelong, I’m told through sources, they are very, very interested in making a big play for Angus Brayshaw.”
While the nuts and bolts of any offer have not been made public, Brayshaw's flexibility to proficiently play roles on all three lines of the ground should see him stand to earn a substantial windfall prior to the 2023 season.
Yet, after claiming another 29 disposals during the Demons' demolition of the Lions on Thursday night, the Sandringham Dragons product told CODE Sports that seeing his side go back-to-back remained his sole priority at this point of the season.
"I bet you'd like to know," Brayshaw said of the latest queries regarding his future.
"I'm conscious of not giving everyone the headline. But I love the club. I love my teammates. That's something (contractual negotiations) that will take care of itself."
Brayshaw also quashed any links with the Eagles earlier in the year, suggesting colourfully that he had no interest in joining his older brother Hamish's former club.
“I would rather eat a steaming plate of my own .... it’s crazy, I think that stuff will dry up pretty quickly once we start playing footy and the rest will take care of itself,” Brayshaw told the Gus and Gawny podcast in March.
Brayshaw and his teammates will have their eyes glued to screens across the course of Saturday as fellow finals aspirants in Geelong, Richmond, Carlton, Fremantle, Sydney and St Kilda all do battle in an effort to dethrone the Dees this September.
After returning to the winner's list at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on Thursday, Melbourne will next face Adelaide in the City of Churches next Saturday evening.