Melbourne coach Simon Goodwin has dismissed suggestions Bayley Fritsch could be moved on, adamant his club is in a much better place than it was leading into last year’s trade period.

Fritsch’s name has been floated in the media this week as a possible trade candidate, the 2021 grand-final hero having had an inconsistent season in attack.

But Goodwin declared Melbourne’s focus is firmly on adding to their list in pursuit of success, rather than paring it back for a full-scale rebuild.

It comes after the club held on to Christian Petracca and Clayton Oliver last year during a turbulent trade period, when the contracted midfield stars explored their options.

“We’re in a mindset of getting better, and at the end of the year we’ll sit down and work through what all that looks like,” Goodwin said on Thursday.

“We feel as a footy club we’re very stable, both off the field and now on the field, from 12 months ago.

“So we feel like we’re in a really, really strong position to make some really strong and good decisions moving forward about how we get to where we want to as quick as we can.”

Fritsch, 28, sits third on Melbourne’s goal-kicking list this season with 22 majors in 16 appearances.

Speaking of trade talk surrounding Fritsch, Goodwin said: “I’m not sure where that came from. That’s certainly not the case.

“I’ve spoken a lot about our group and how we’re transitioning, and we’ve been able to do that through the draft in the last three years.

“But part of our transition into the next team that we want to be is we need experience, and Bayley’s a big part of our future.

“He’s a big part of what success will look like for us moving forward.”

Meanwhile, Goodwin said he had not specifically addressed Tom Sparrow’s concussion with the playing group after the midfielder was knocked out by North Melbourne’s Tristan Xerri.

Xerri was handed a three-match ban and Sparrow will miss at least a week under concussion protocols.

“It was a pretty nasty sort of incident, a pretty confronting one, especially for family and teammates and everyone that loves Tom,” Goodwin said.

“But the pleasing thing is he’s back around the footy club, he’s feeling healthy and is obviously in the protocols.

“He’ll work his way through those, but initially it’s good signs.“
- AAP

North Melbourne coach Alastair Clarkson has hosed down the prospect of luring Collingwood star Jeremy Howe, saying his club can’t keep on chasing veterans forever.

The rebuilding Kangaroos recruited former Swans captain Luke Parker, premiership Eagles forward Jack Darling and ex-Bulldogs defender Caleb Daniel at the end of last season.

Daniel, 29, is averaging 26 disposals per game, 32-year-old Parker is averaging 22.8 disposals and 4.8 clearances, while 33-year-old Darling has kicked 16.5 in attack.

Howe, at 35 years of age, is yet to be offered a contract at Collingwood for next season, leading to talk a move to North Melbourne could be a good way for him to finish his decorated 268-game career.

Clarkson isn’t ruling anything in or out when it comes to list management, but gave a strong hint Howe wouldn’t be a priority recruit for them.

“We’ll look at any player that we think will help our list, but I think he’d be pretty content at Collingwood,” Clarkson said on Thursday.

“They’re chasing the flag. I don’t think we’ll be in that space (of chasing Howe), but who knows.

“We had that strategy at the end of last year when we brought in Luke Parker and Jack Darling and Caleb Daniel, and they’ve given us some really good assistance and sturdiness.

“But we can’t just keep going down that line either, because otherwise we will become too old.“
- AAP

Craig McRae is adamant his top-of-the-table Magpies are locked into a team-first approach despite having at least four players in contention for high-profile awards and record–breaking achievements.

The Magpies are in the rare territory of having the Brownlow Medal favourite in Nick Daicos, Jamie Elliott sitting equal second in the Coleman Medal race, Scott Pendlebury closing in on the games record and Jack Crisp continuing to stretch his streak of consecutive games.

But McRae said there was no conflict between individual goals and Collingwood’s pursuit of a second premiership in three years.

“It is fascinating, because I’ve had a conversation with Jack Crisp about this,” McRae said.

“The record is one thing, but him being fit and well for the finals is another. So if there ever is a grey, we’re on the side of what’s best for the team.”

The Magpies coach said his playing group were invested in each other.

“I’ve had constant conversations with Pendles and Steele [Sidebottom] and Howie [Jeremy Howe] and others about what’s best for them when we need them most,” McRae said.

“I’m not saying we don’t need them most this week, but we certainly have conversations deeper than just, ‘How are you feeling?’ and, ‘What’s going on, mate, how are you playing?’

“The team comes first here.”

Collingwood will again need to call on their reserves as they prepare to face Fremantle at the MCG on Sunday without defenders Howe and Dan Houston.

McRae said the need for new magnets in the backline would make it hard to leave regular half-back Josh Daicos in the midfield after his brilliant, late-game cameo in last week’s six-point loss to the Gold Coast.

“I honestly think you could play him anywhere, and he’ll have an impact,” McRae said.

“But it’s about what the team needs, what the team needs for Josh’s best skill sets, and this week, we might need him a bit back.”

McRae was more buoyant about the return of Beau McCreery to bolster his fleet of small defensive forwards.

“I’m surprised not many have talked about us as a forward line without [Lachie] Schultz, McCreery and Bobby Hill,” he said.

“It’s been a challenge for us to put the same amount of pressure on and [we’re] looking forward to having Beau back to play alongside Schultz this week.”

McRae said Hill and tall defender Billy Frampton would be considered for a return next week.

“[Hill’s] missed three or four weeks of training now, so this is his first full week of doing most of the session,” McRae said.

“We are rapt to have him back around the place, see him smiling in the meetings, and he’s an infectious character.

“We intend to get some load into him now. Ideally, you know, he gets another week of training in and we see where that lands.“
- Danny Russell

Hawthorn will revisit their Gather Round shocker and address a poor recent record against Port Adelaide ahead of their must-win AFL clash.

While the Hawks will start favourites on Saturday in their Launceston home away from home, they have lost their last four games to the Power.

In a round-six game laden with storylines, Port bounced Hawthorn with 12 goals to three to halftime at Adelaide Oval.

What was billed as the highlight of Gather Round, given Port coach Ken Hinkley had taunted Jack Ginnivan after their epic semi-final last September, was a fizzer.

The sixth-placed Hawthorn are coming off a loss to Fremantle and must regroup immediately, given someone will finish ninth in the tight finals race.

“They’ve had the wood over us lately, they’ve won certainly the last three,” Hawthorn coach Sam Mitchell said before Thursday morning training at sodden Waverley.

“We haven’t handled a couple of situations well. It’s a big end to the season for every club and they’re in the way of what we’re trying to achieve.”

Mitchell was asked if they would revisit their Gather Round failure or simply get on with business.

“A bit of both - we’ll prepare the players as best we can to get the outcome we want,” he said.

“There’s a whole range of things in our kit bag that we can use for that. The last couple of times we’ve played Port is part of that.