For the second time this week, the Western Bulldogs were on the end of another trade request - this time from premiership onballer Jack Macrae.
Macrae's request sees the veteran ball magnet prepare to depart Whitten Oval three years prior to the end of his contract, with his desired departure following the same request made by off-contract youngster Bailey Smith.
And much like Smith, Macrae could cost a keen suitor a first-round draft pick given his pedigree as a three-time All-Australian. There's no doubt his 2024 season has taken some shine off the product fans have come to know Macrae to be, but at his best he is one of the leading ball winners and distributors in the competition.
Macrae will be 31 next year and it'll be a mighty gamble for any club willing to cash in on the inside-outside midfield threat with high-end draft capital, but sides in the window - or at least looking to make the leap - will be sure to consider it.
We assess five clubs that could make a move for Jack Macrae...
1. St Kilda
The Saints might be the best match for Macrae, who can walk into a midfield group that has an abundance of inside ball-winners and a lack of outside options to move the ball into attack.
He would slot into an engine room alongside the defensively astute Jack Steele and help mentor the emerging ranks of Mattaes Phillipou, Marcus Windhager and Mitchito Owens for 2025 and beyond.
There's set to be a void in Ross Lyon's midfield stocks, with Seb Ross departing and the future of Brad Crouch clouded due to injury.
Steele struggled to find a right-hand man in the absence of Crouch this year and Macrae could be a better fit as a damaging option on the outside.
