As the 2020 AFL trade period opens, three contracted players — Jesse Hogan, Adam Treloar, and Josh Dunkley — find themselves at the intersection of personal desire and institutional obligation, each navigating the quiet tension between where they are bound and where they wish to be. Their situations, distinct in detail yet united in theme, remind us that even in a sport governed by contracts and draft picks, the human need for belonging and renewal cannot be fully contained by paperwork. The coming weeks will test not only the negotiating acumen of rival clubs but the deeper question of how a
Three AFL Stars in Limbo as Trade Period Looms
Contracts in the AFL don't lock players in the way you might think.
Mark
So these three guys are all under contract, but they're being traded anyway? How does that work?
Mimi
Contracts in the AFL don't lock players in the way you might think. If a club agrees to move a player, it happens. The player can request a trade, or the club can decide to facilitate one. It's a negotiated process.
Luke
But the source doesn't say Treloar has actually requested anything. It says Collingwood put the decision on him. That's different from him asking out.
Mark
Right. So Treloar might not even want to leave?
Mimi
Exactly. He's being told he could leave if he wants to. Hogan's situation is clearer—Fremantle has made him available. Dunkley has asked out and been rejected.
Luke
And the money piece with Treloar—the source says Collingwood might have to pay to move him. That's unusual, isn't it?
Mimi
It means his contract is expensive enough that no club wants to absorb it without help. He's not a bad player; the deal is just structured in a way that makes him hard to trade.
Mark
What about the picks involved? Are these good trades for the clubs receiving the players?
Luke
The source doesn't really say. It mentions Hogan might cost a late second or early third rounder, and it talks about Dunkley potentially involving picks 6, 7, and 8, but it doesn't evaluate whether those are good deals. We're told what might happen, not whether it makes sense.
Mimi
The Bulldogs' problem with those early picks is that they'll have to use them to match a bid on their academy player anyway, so they don't actually help them.
Mark
So the real question is whether these three guys actually move, or whether it's just noise?
Luke
The source says the coming week will clarify Treloar's intentions. For Dunkley, negotiations are expected to intensify. For Hogan, GWS is the leading candidate, but nothing's done. It's all still in play.
El Pulso
- Jesse Hogan is quietly available from Fremantle, with GWS emerging as the frontrunner and a late second or early third-round pick likely enough to seal the deal.
- Adam Treloar's future at Collingwood hangs in deliberate ambiguity — the club has signaled it would trade him, but no real talks have begun and the decision rests uneasily with the player himself.
- Treloar's back-heavy contract complicates any exit, potentially forcing Collingwood to pay rival clubs just to move him off their books.
- Josh Dunkley has formally requested a trade to Essendon, but the Western Bulldogs have flatly refused, setting up a standoff that is expected to escalate.
- Essendon's ability to satisfy both Collingwood and the Bulldogs simultaneously — while managing their own draft position around academy prospect Jamarra Ugle-Hagan — makes their path forward a genuine strategic puzzle.
As the 2020 AFL trade period opens, three contracted players — Jesse Hogan, Adam Treloar, and Josh Dunkley — find themselves at the intersection of personal desire and institutional obligation, each navigating the quiet tension between where they are bound and where they wish to be. Their situations, distinct in detail yet united in theme, remind us that even in a sport governed by contracts and draft picks, the human need for belonging and renewal cannot be fully contained by paperwork. The coming weeks will test not only the negotiating acumen of rival clubs but the deeper question of how a league balances player agency with competitive order.
Three of the AFL's most recognizable names entered the 2020 trade period still under contract, yet each at the center of speculation about where they would ultimately play. Jesse Hogan, Adam Treloar, and Josh Dunkley represented different shades of the same dilemma: what happens when a player's desires and a club's plans no longer align.
Hogan's path appeared the clearest. Fremantle had made him available, and GWS was conducting thorough due diligence as the leading suitor. The cost seemed reasonable — a late second or early third-round pick — and Hogan's own circumstances, including comments made through his lawyer about escaping public attention, suggested a move to New South Wales held genuine appeal.
Treloar's situation at Collingwood was far less defined. Gold Coast insisted they had received no signal of interest from the midfielder, and no meaningful negotiations had taken place. Yet Collingwood had privately indicated a willingness to trade him, leaving the choice in Treloar's hands. The complication was financial: his contract's back-end weighting meant the Magpies might have to contribute money to make any deal work, effectively paying to offload their own player. The Western Bulldogs and Essendon were considered the most likely Victorian destinations, though the Dunkley situation threatened to remove Essendon from that race.
Dunkley had already made his intentions known, requesting a trade to Essendon — a request the Bulldogs promptly rejected. The Bombers held significant draft firepower, potentially controlling picks 6, 7, and 8 through the expected completion of Adam Saad's trade. The difficulty was that those early picks offered the Bulldogs limited utility given their likely need to match a bid on academy talent Jamarra Ugle-Hagan. How Essendon could construct an offer that worked for both the Bulldogs and Collingwood simultaneously remained the central question as the trade period prepared to open in earnest.
Three of the AFL's most recognizable names were about to reshape the league's landscape, even though each of them remained under contract. As the 2020 trade period was set to open on Wednesday, Jesse Hogan, Adam Treloar, and Josh Dunkley occupied the center of a swirling conversation about movement, value, and what players actually want when they're locked into agreements that bind them to their clubs.
Hogan's situation at Fremantle appeared the most straightforward. The key forward had been made available for trade despite his contract, and GWS had positioned itself as the leading suitor. The Giants' football boss Jason McCartney acknowledged the club was conducting extensive due diligence on Hogan, treating him as one of several contracted players under investigation. The price tag seemed modest—a late second-round or early third-round selection looked like fair compensation given Fremantle's willingness to move him. Hogan's lawyer had spoken in court the previous month about the player's desire to escape the public eye, suggesting a non-AFL state might appeal to him. NSW, in other words, could be the answer.
Treloar's position at Collingwood was murkier. No substantive negotiations had materialized, and Gold Coast had repeatedly stated the club had received no indication the star midfielder wanted out. Yet Collingwood had quietly signaled to Treloar that they would be open to trading him, placing the decision squarely in his hands. His contract structure—heavily weighted toward the back end—made any deal complicated. The Magpies might need to contribute money to facilitate a move, essentially paying to reduce their own payroll burden. If Treloar decided to leave, the Western Bulldogs and Essendon appeared best positioned among Victorian clubs to mount a challenge, though the Dunkley situation could eliminate Essendon from contention. The coming week would clarify whether Treloar intended to stay or go.
Dunkley's request to leave the Western Bulldogs had been reported by 7 News, but the club had rejected it outright. The onballer wanted out; the Dogs wanted him to stay. Essendon was the presumed destination, and the Bombers could potentially control picks 6, 7, and 8 if Adam Saad's trade materialized as expected. Those early selections carried limited practical value for the Bulldogs, however, because they would likely need to match an early bid for academy prospect Jamarra Ugle-Hagan. The Bombers faced a puzzle: how to construct an offer that satisfied Collingwood's demands while also addressing what the Bulldogs actually needed. The negotiations were expected to intensify over the coming weeks, with the real movement still ahead.
Citas Notables
Jesse's a player who is contracted. He's one of a number of players that we are doing a lot of investigation work around.— Jason McCartney, GWS football boss, on AFL Trade Radio
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