Trade Whispers – Hawks set to land star in three-club deal

Richmond reportedly hold the key to Hawthorn’s bid to secure Suns’ forward Mabior Chol.

Plus the new Melbourne recruit who won’t be “Grundy 2.0” – despite arriving to fill the big man’s shoes.

Hawthorn is set to do a deal with Richmond that will help the Hawks land ex-Tiger Mabior Chol from the Gold Coast.

The Hawks won the race to secure Chol earlier this month, when the big forward informed the Suns he wanted a trade to Waverley.

Chol had fallen out of favour under coach Stuart Dew, managing just eight games this season as he bided his time in the VFL due to the return of young gun Ben King.

While Dew was handed his marching orders midway through the season, the man to take over, Damien Hardwick, is Chol’s former coach at Richmond.

Chol had departed the Tigers back in 2021 in search of more opportunities.

Now his former club Richmond holds the key to landing him at Hawthorn, according to 7NEWS’ Mitch Cleary.

Cleary believes Hawk Jacob Koschitzke will play a role by moving to Richmond as part of the Chol deal.

“The Hawks are prioritising a deal for Mabior Chol,” he said on Saturday.

“The deal likely to be a three-way trade involving Richmond.

“It would see the Tigers give up a pick to the Hawks for Koschitzke, who on trade it to the Gold Coast Suns for Chol.”

Already Gold Coast has knocked back the Hawks’ first offer for Chol – reportedly a future third rounder with a later pick in return.

According to the Herald Sun, the Hawks have been “optimistically” asking the Tigers for a pick inside the first 25 for Koschitzke.

Richmond currently hold picks 29, 50 and 68 due to the deals for Jacob Hopper and Tim Taranto last season.

The Hawks are also still considering a deal for club great Jack Gunston who last week told the Lions he wants to be traded back to Hawthorn after just one season.

Cleary reports the Lions have asked about a trade for Brandon Ryan in exchange for Gunston.

WHY NEW RECRUIT WON’T BE ‘GRUNDY 2.0’

Brisbane’s Tom Fullarton has officially arrived at Melbourne after a late deal was struck on Friday.

Fullarton, a former basketballer for Brisbane, heads to the Dees in exchange for what is currently pick 47.

The Demons had been searching for a back-up ruck after the trade gamble on Brodie Grundy didn’t pay off and the two-time All-Australian departed for Sydney this week.

Fox Footy’s Nick Dal Santo said Fullarton had “limited opportunities” in his five seasons at the Lions.

But he was expecting the big man to get more game time at Melbourne as back up to skipper Max Gawn.

“That (Melbourne) forward line – 70-odd inside 50s in one of those finals. It gets there but the connection with that forward line is not working,” he said on Fox Footy’s Trading Day.

“If they can get that piece just to support Max for that small breather he needs each game, then it might be this young man.”

Leigh Montagna said he could see “similarities” between Fullarton and premiership Demon Luke Jackson, who left the club on a big deal to return home to Fremantle at the end of 2022.

“There is some similarities with how he plays like Luke Jackson – he’s more of an athletic type, good size,” he praised.

“Still got a fair bit of work to go. But I like it.”

Fox Footy’s David Zita said Melbourne weren’t expecting Fullarton to be a like-for-like replacement for Grundy – who only lasted one season at the club.

“The Dees have been adamant he’s not Brodie Grundy,” he said.

“He has got a bit more forward craft in his arsenal to play with.

“We don’t expect him to be Brodie Grundy 2.0.”