That's where I'm going to leave things for tonight. I think it's safe to say we won't have any more deals dropping this evening.

Just the one official move today, that being Rowan Marshall's trade to Geelong, but there was a bit of movement in the Nick Blakey sweepstakes.

Tomorrow looms as a pretty big day in that regard. You'd expect Blakey will decide which team he wants to play for.

Free agency paperwork also needs to be lodged by 5pm tomorrow, so it'll be interesting to see what happens with Zak Butters.

I'll be back opening the play tomorrow, Dean and I have switched ends, and he wants a crack with the old ball.

Thank you for joining us once again and I'll chat to you all tomorrow!

More absolute West Coast melts as we wind things up for today.

The exact details of the mega deal aren't known beyond what I shared earlier from Cal Twomey.

In terms of why the AFL might not tick it off, the league wants every deal to be able to stand on its own merit.

So the mega deal can't be seen as just a means of the Bulldogs sending more assets to Port for Zak Butters because Port deems the compensation pick not enough.

All of that is to say that it appears no certainty at the time of writing that Port will go the compensation pick route.

That is good news for the other teams picking inside the top 10.

A few years ago, we had the West Coast-Freo turf war in the comments.

This year, it's the two LWs going at it.

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Tom Morris seems to think the reported mega deal involving as many as six clubs might fall through.

It certainly has been a dour few years for the Eagles, LW.

For me, it is a couple of trade down options that have left a little bit to be desired.

In 2022, they moved out of Harry Sheezel and George Wardlaw range to drop down and drafted Reuben Ginbey, who to be fair, is a very solid defender.

Then of course we had the now-infamous 2024 trade down which saw them essentially give up the rights to draft Jagga Smith in a deal with Carlton.

They made the right call in holding firm and drafting Harley Reid and Willem Duursma, I just think they should've done more of that than galaxy-braining it by trading down.

I'm just not a believer in trading down in drafts in general. You stay where you are and grab the elite talent, future assets be damned, but that's just me.

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Melbourne has reportedly offered its pick 47 to Brisbane for Will McLachlan after his trade request, per AFL.com.au.

Brisbane is yet to respond to the offer, but expected to ask the Demons for more.

Melbourne has picks 6, 10, 47 and 87 in this year's draft.

I wonder whether a future pick breaks this one open.

I think the Saints are going to have to do some wheeling and dealing to get Sam Marshall across.

They've currently got picks 8, 14, 49, 67 and 85 in this year's draft.

Pick 49 is too low and picks 8 and 14 are too high.

I wonder whether they look to split one of 8 or 14 in order to acquire some picks in the 20s.

Would they trade 8 to Essendon for 15 and 25 and then send 25 to Brisbane for Marshall?

AFL.com.au's Cal Twomey has offered an insight on the reported mega deal that could involve up to seven clubs.

Twomey notes Port Adelaide, Western Bulldogs, Melbourne, Richmond, Carlton, Hawthorn and North Melbourne as the teams involved.

The deal would allow Carlton's Hudson O'Keeffe and Hawthorn's Finn Maginness to get to the Dogs, both having requested trades.

Twomey adds that if this deal is not ticked off by the AFL, then Port is expected to match the Bulldogs offer for Zak Butters and will work on a deal centred around the Dogs, rather than other clubs.

AFL.com.au's Cal Twomey is reporting that Nick Blakey is set to meet St Kilda brass as he looks for an exit from the Swans.

That leaves Essendon as the only other reported and interested team he is yet to meet.

Blakey is also understood to have spoken to  Geelong this week.

I think it would be tough to appease Sydney in a trade without sending pick 5 their way.

If you're not sending that pick, you'd have to part ways with a good young player, and I'm not sure exactly who that would be.

The Swans would probably want someone like Finn O'Sullivan or George Wardlaw in that deal, and I don't think the Kangaroos would do that.

The picks route seems the easiest path to getting a deal done.

The Butters stuff has been confusing all along for me.

It appears that they're likely to accept the compensation pick (which would be No.5) as that alone is better than any single asset the Bulldogs can offer.

But then there also seems to be an understanding that the Bulldogs will send some more stuff to the Power in a separate deal.

I'm not quite sure how that wink-wink business works and how the AFL seems comfortable enough ticking it off, but here we are.

Matt Rowell is out of contract at the end of next year, and has so far given no indications where he'll sign.

Collingwood will definitely have been managing its cap in a way that keeps some space for Rowell next summer, should he look to leave the Suns for a Victorian club.

Of all the "big" Victorian clubs, Collingwood appears to be the one that is best set right now, so it's no surprise that big-name players want to play there.

There was certainly some reported Tasmanian interest in Beau McCreery, but he doesn't appear to be on the move this summer.

He comes out of contract next year and might well be one of the players Tasmania trades one of its first-rounders for then.

I think Jack Bowes is still overseas, Michelle, just going off the background of his video to Bombers fans which was released by the club yesterday.

I'm sure as soon as he's home, they'll have him down at the Hangar sporting your red and black!

Quite a few questions on Nick Blakey and Geelong throughout the day.

The option of trading draft picks to Sydney is just about off the table now after the Rowan Marshall deal.

This is where the Cats will have to offload some quality players.

Would the Swans be interested in Gryan Miers at all? He'd be a valuable player up forward alongside Charlie Curnow.

Could they be enticed by adding someone like Lawson Humphries or Sam De Koning in their backline?

Humphries isn't quite a like-for-like replacement for Blakey, but he is one of the best ball-users off halfback in the league.

I agree, Phillip.

It wouldn't surprise me at all to see the Pies rocket back up the ladder next season.

Lachie Neale and Jesse Hogan will both be really big additions, if healthy, and speaking of health, the Pies will hope to get a clean bill when it comes to Darcy Moore.

I'd say it is definitely top six or bust for the Pies in 2027, and if things break right, they could make the top four.

Plenty of interest in what the Blues are up to, so I'm going to answer all of you at once.

In terms of trades, I believe it is only Lachie Whitfield that the Blues are interested in, in terms of incomings.

Carlton's main priority during this trade period is still trying to get ahead of a Cody Walker bid, which looks like it'll come from Richmond.

I can't see them parting ways with any of their early picks because that'll mean they're essentially punting on Walker.

The noise thus far is that the Giants want a pick in the 20s for Whitfield and Carlton currently holds picks 11, 16, 23 and 24 to start the draft.

You'd think the ones in the 20s might get that done.

Gold Coast is keen on adding Hawks youngster Sam Butler. (Getty Images)

It seems like Gold Coast and Hawthorn are going to have plenty to do with each other this trade period.

Having got the attention of Aidan Schubert, Tom Morris reports the Suns are now keen on Schubert's Hawks teammate Sam Butler.

Butler, 23, played eight games at AFL level this season, and is contracted through 2027.

It'll be interesting to see whether the Suns and Hawks work to combine the two players in one deal, or whether they are separate transactions.