Wantaway Western Bulldogs ruckman Jordon Sweet is expected to stay at the Kennel beyond this season, with the unsigned tall believed to be at the bottom of Port Adelaide’s list of trade priorities.
Sweet is one of three players who have asked to be traded to Alberton this off-season, along Geelong’s Esava Ratugolea and Essendon’s Brandon Zerk-Thatcher.
The Power are still needing to work through negotiations with the Cats and Bombers, with both deals unlikely to be resolved prior to the weekend given the former’s high price on Ratugolea and the intricacies of a move that could see two players involved in the Zerk-Thatcher deal, as Port wingman Xavier Duursma seeks a move to Essendon.
Amid the interest in Soldo and the ongoing negotiations for Ratugolea and Zerk-Thatcher, Sweet may have to bide his time before a deal is finalised between the Power and Bulldogs, who were keen to retain the 25-year-old.
That desire could come to fruition if Sweet’s move doesn’t evolve over the next five days, given Port Adelaide could prioritise their other trade moves.
According to AFL.com.au reporter Damian Barrett, there is a live chance Sweet could remain a Bulldog given the other factors still at hand for the Power prior to Wednesday’s deadline.
“It’s going to drag out, this one,” Barrett told Trade Radio of the Sweet situation on Thursday.
“I believe Jordon Sweet and those around him are aware that he will be the last of this trio to finish.”
“Also in the background is the known interest in Ivan Soldo, who is under contract at Richmond and, it must be said, is unlikely to leave.”
“He is aware of the interest in Port Adelaide and there’s a nice offer for Soldo to go to Port Adelaide. (Richmond coach) Adem Yze doesn’t want this conversation around Ivan Soldo.
“But it has filtered down to Jordon Sweet, knowing that he’s behind Ratugolea and Zerk-Thatcher in the order of the way these deals will be done.
“There is a possibility that, weirdly enough, the Dogs may be able to retain someone they didn’t want to lose in Jordon Sweet.”
The Bulldogs would ideally extend Sweet’s tenure into 2024, and potentially beyond, given his dominance at VFL level and ability to step up in the absence of ruckman Tim English if required.
English played a full season this year and would earn All-Australian honours, while recruit Rory Lobb would be his supporting option as a ruck-forward hybrid to leave Sweet to spend his entire 2023 campaign at the state league level.
If English was to get injured, the Dogs could look to Sweet to carry the ruck workload. If he’s traded on this year though, they could be lacking for depth options outside of Lobb.
The Dogs are likely to look to the ruck market via delisted free agency or the draft if Sweet’s desire to move back to his home state of South Australia is met.