Port Adelaide are reportedly at loggerheads with Carlton over a potential trade for defender Dan Houston, with the Power deeming the Blues ‘delusional’ over what they consider to be a lowball offer.
The two-time All-Australian defender is set to be one of the biggest stories of the upcoming Trade Period after he requested a trade to a Victorian club last week, despite having three years to run on his Power contract.
Carlton and North Melbourne are seen as the frontrunners, with Collingwood and the Western Bulldogs also showing interest – but according to SEN’s Sam Edmund, negotiations are off to a tense start.
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Edmund reported on AFL Trade Radio that Port are ‘furious’ with the Blues’ unwillingness to part with their 2024 first-round pick, which currently sits at 11, as part of a Houston trade, owing to a predicted strong draft.
For the Power, that pick is a non-negotiable starting point, given Houston’s superb last two seasons and the fact he remains under contract.
“Port Adelaide are furious with Carlton and don’t even want to deal with them until they are willing to offer up Pick 11,” Edmund said.
“They are talking via Houston’s manager – they aren’t talking directly to each other.
“They are angry at what they perceive to be Carlton arrogance in the early negotiations here… the word that was used from Port Adelaide is, ‘Delusional. Absolutely delusional’.
“Port powerbrokers say that is delusional when it comes to a 27-year-old two-time All-Australian who is contracted for three more years.”
The Blues’ reported offer involved an unnamed third club’s first-round draft pick along with uncontracted small forward Matt Owies, with the Blues to land Houston and only sacrifice their 2025 first-round pick.
With the 2024 draft set to be one of the strongest and deepest on record, the Power are reportedly only willing to part with Houston if it brings them first-round draft picks, as they did in 2018 when offloading Chad Wingard to Hawthorn enabled them to select Connor Rozee, Zak Butters, Willem Drew and now-Bomber Xavier Duursma.
Currently, Port’s first pick sits at 36, having traded their first-round pick to Fremantle last season.
Should they hold firm against Carlton, the Kangaroos’ chances of landing Houston will improve drastically, with the club currently holding picks 2 and 22.
Houston will miss Round 1 of the 2025 season no matter where he lands, as he has one match to serve of his five-ban suspension for a heavy bump that concussed Adelaide’s Izak Rankine in the Power’s Showdown win.
Mark Robinson to depart AFL 360
Herald Sun chief football writer Mark Robinson is set to depart iconic Fox Footy program AFL 360, after 14 years as co-host.
Since launching in 2010, the show, which Robinson hosts thrice weekly with AFL commentator Gerard Whateley, has received critical and public acclaim, winning a string of awards.
However, according to the Herald Sun, Monday night’s final episode of 2024 will be Robinson’s last on the show, while Whateley is reportedly weighing up his future amid heavy interest from the league’s free-to-air broadcaster Seven.
The Herald Sun have reported Robinson has been offered other roles at Fox Footy.
Aside from a severe heart attack in 2021 that saw the then-57-year old replaced as host with a string of other Fox Footy personalities, Robinson and Whateley have consistently led the show, with their unlikely partnership proving a ratings hit.
However, Robinson has not proved consistently popular among fans, with regular calls for him to be dismissed on social media for perceived lack of professionalism and occasionally disjointed speech.