The futures of a pair of Collingwood youngsters are uncertain as the end of the season nears.
Meanwhile, Carlton is thought to be plotting a move for a GWS veteran this off-season.
PIES PAIR FACE UNCERTAIN FUTURES AMID RIVAL ‘INTEREST’
Out-of-favour Collingwood duo Finlay Macrae and Reef McInnes have found themselves in trade speculation.
Despite the pre-season hype, forgotten midfielder Macrae hasn’t had the season he was envisioning, managing just eight senior games this season.
Meantime, McInnes — who has shifted into defence at reserves level — has appeared in just nine AFL matches in 2024.
While the 22-year-old Macrae is contracted for another season, there is “some interest” from rivals to lure the Oakleigh Chargers graduate elsewhere at season’s end.
“He’s in a little bit of bother in the sense that he’s still racking up huge numbers in the VFL — I think a few rival clubs are keeping a really close eye, at this particular stage, on the two high-end draft picks from Collingwood from a number of years ago,” Herald Sun journalist Glenn McFarlane told Fox Footy’s Midweek Tackle.
“Fin Macrae and Reef McInnes; they can’t get a game at the moment. They’ve played 20 games in four seasons, the both of them.
“Macrae is contracted for next year, Reef McInnes is not, so quite a few clubs are actually enquiring about McInnes at the moment. He’s playing down back (in the VFL).”
Both were taken in the 2020 national draft — Macrae at No. 19 and McInnes at No. 23.
Finishing on Macrae, McFarlane said: “There is some interest — it’s limited interest at the moment — but he can change that quickly with a big back end (of the season).”
GWS VETERAN ‘WILL LAND AT CARLTON’
Amid a season where its defensive credentials have continually been questioned, Carlton “will land” an established veteran defender.
GWS defender Nick Haynes, at 32 years of age and in his 13th season, is considered a highly likely chance to play for the Blues next season.
“This is what the (insiders) are saying at clubland; Nick Haynes will land at Carlton next year,” said Herald Sun journalist Jay Clark on Fox Footy’s Midweek Tackle.
“(And I) think St Kilda, if they lose Josh Battle to Hawthorn — the Saints are still very confident of keeping Battle on a five-year deal — but if they do lose him, Nick Haynes could be the man there.
“But Carlton, I think, with these defensive issues … we know how smart (Haynes) is aerially.”
Clark noted Haynes’ lucrative, back-ended contract that expires at the end of this year.
“He’s been paid massive bucks at GWS … his last two years have been on more than a million dollars, so he’s been on a seven-figure salary over the past 24 months,” he continued.
“He’s been well-paid, he’s been looked-after, (but) now he wants the flag — and I think (about) GWS’ backline, they’re rock-solid … he’s surplus to demands, he’s playing VFL … at IKON Park, that makes a lot of sense to me.”
The former Dandenong Stingray is an unrestricted free agent this year, meaning he can walk to the club of his choice at season’s end.
