The Western Bulldogs are reportedly keen on acquiring the services of Adelaide small-forward James Rowe.
Rowe is out-of-contract with the Crows and has been in and out of the side all year, and could be picked up by Western Bulldogs as a delisted free agent if not offered a new contract.
The lively forward had previously caught the eye of the Dogs' recruitment team, and is understood to have been a target of theirs in 2020.
However, with the Crows selecting Jamarra Ugle-Hagan at Pick 1 and forcing the Bulldogs to bid on him, it left the club without enough points to acquire Rowe and Adelaide ended up stealing him later into the count.
According toย SEN SA'sย Andrew Hayes, the Dogs are ready to come again for the young Crows forward.
"James Rowe is probably not going to get a contract at the Crows, that's the word," Hayes said.
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"This is a bloke who has played 16 games this year, averaging 13 touches which is marked as above average for a small forward.
"He kicked two goals against North Melbourne on Saturday as a late inclusion for Wayne Milera.
"The Dogs are red hot into him, they were going to draft him, hence why the Crows had to nominate Ugle-Hagan to get rid of most of the Dogs' points.
"But Nnow it looks like they are going to pounce on James Rowe."
Rowe would add to the healthy competition of small forwards at the Bulldogs, with Mitch Wallis, Laitham Vandermeer, Rhylee West, Jason Johannisen and Cody Weightman all competing for a spot in the side.
Weightman is the obvious first pick, and West is having a breakout season. With the out-of-favour Wallis injured and out of contract, it could mean Rowe would replace Wallis' spot on the list.
Johannisen is another one out-of-contract at the end of the season and has an uncertain future, while Vandermeer still has another year left on his contract and will be healthy competition for Rowe.
The Dogs are accustomed to playing three small forwards in their side each week, so the opportunity would definitely be there for Rowe if he was to secure a move to the Bulldogs.
In other news, former top 10 draft pick Fischer McAsey is also likely to be off-loaded at the end of the season, with Carlton showing firm interest.
Unlike Rowe, McAsey is still contracted to the crows until the end of 2023, so the two sides will need to facilitate a trade if McAsey was to leave at the end of the season.
