Essendon and GWS are both hopeful they can secure the signature of unsigned Giants utility Conor Stone, who is weighing up his future in New South Wales.
Stone remains without a deal for next year and is understood to have better opportunities at the forefront of his thinking as he nears a decision on his playing future after a four-game season at AFL level.
The East Malvern product could find more minutes in a half-back role under coach Adam Kingsley if he was to re-sign at GWS given the recent departures of Harry Perryman, Isaac Cumming and Nick Haynes, who all held defensive flank roles in 2024.
Equally, the Bombers are keen to add some run-and-dash to their rearguard and see Stone as "a player of interest" this off-season, with Essendon's backline also undergoing change after bidding farewell to senior trio Dyson Heppell, Jake Kelly and Nick Hind since the cessation of their campaign.
Rookie Archie Roberts showed promise in his four appearances late into the season, while gun Nic Martin managed a second-placed finish in the club's best and fairest in his first season as an attacking outlet in defence alongside Andrew McGrath.
The Bombers plan to strengthen their depth options and are keen on Stone, who could come cheap and wouldn't significantly impact their draft hand.
"Conor is a player we have been tracking," Essendon list boss Matt Rosa said.
"We're doing our due diligence on a lot of players that have been out of contract. One of our main aims out of this period is to improve our draft hand or hang onto our picks that we currently have.
"So we're looking at a player like Conor. We're always looking to balance out our list, and he's got speed and repeat speed. He's a player of interest, but we're doing work on a lot of players.
"Conor did go to half-back late in the VFL season and played some really good footy. That's an area of the ground we are looking at. We're looking to add some more run and speed to our list.
"We'll certainly keep looking at all of those players."
GWS have a contract tabled to Stone as he ponders a potential return to Victoria four years on from being selected as a first-round pick by the Giants.
Having lost three defenders via free agency, the Giants view Stone as an important piece going forward, however the club doesn't believe the 22-year-old decision will be heavily influence by monetary factors.
"We definitely are really keen to keep Conor. We see him as a valuable part of the future," GWS list manager Adrian Caruso said of the situation.
"Especially given that Harry and Isaac have departed, there's an opening there for Conor to take one of those spots. Based on how close he wants in the back half of the year, we're confident he will take one of those spots.
"We've had an offer on the table with him for a while. He's obviously wanted to wait till the end of the season, see how his year finished, see what opportunities he was given. He was in our side late in the year, but unfortunately got sick and then was just on the cusp [during] finals.
"He's probably wanted to wait and see what interest levels he got from other clubs. So we're still working through it with him and his manager. We're confident, but there's no decision made.
"I don't think it's a money thing. I think for Conor, there's other factors at play. I don't think that increasing our offer is going to be the reason that he stays with us. From his conversations with us, it's purely about opportunity and we understand that."
The Giants have confirmed they are weighing up moves for Essendon pair Jake Stringer and Dylan Shiel, who are contracted at the Bombers for the next 12 months.
A trade request from Stone to join the Tullamarine club could strengthen GWS' hopes of adding one or both of Stringer and Shiel, who could be open to opportunities elsewhere.
Their departures would also see Essendon strengthen their draft hand, with Rosa keen to add more picks for this year's draft to the club's package of assets.
