Triple-premiership Lion and two-time Brownlow medallist Lachie Neale has officially joined Collingwood on a three-year deal.
The Lions will receive a compensation pick in return for Neale, a free agent, while the Pies are expected to complete the trade for star forward Jesse Hogan and for the transfer of club legend Scott Pendlebury on Monday.
A source familiar with the situation, speaking on condition of anonymity, said Hogan, who has to be traded because he is not eligible for free agency at the Giants, would likely be swapped for a fourth-round pick. The Magpies have Sydney’s fourth-round choice this year.
Jesse Hogan will give the Pies a genuine focal point deep inside their forward 50.Getty Images
Pendlebury, who is headed to the Gold Coast on a four-year deal (two playing, two coaching), is also likely to be traded for a fourth-round pick from the Suns. This would avoid Gold Coast diluting their compensation for Ben King, who is headed to the Hawks as a free agent.
The Magpies have also been linked with Richmond’s Jayden Short, but sources told this masthead Collingwood and Richmond are yet to have any formal discussions. He is contracted for a further two years.
The Suns have targeted young Hawk Aidan Schubert for a separate deal that would compliment the club’s exchange of King as a free agent. Schubert, who has shown promise at Box Hill, has little prospect of a regular AFL game next year, given King’s arrival, the re-contracting of Calsher Dear for two more years, the four-year commitment of seasoned key forward Mitch Lewis, and veteran star Jack Gunston continuing on.
