In the final days of the AFL trade window, Adam Treloar — one of the competition's most coveted ball-winners — quietly signaled to his Collingwood teammates that his time at the club had run its course, setting in motion a frantic search for a new home. What followed was less a negotiation than a puzzle: a $900,000 salary, a partner's interstate commitments, and a player's firm insistence on remaining in Victoria conspired to narrow the field of suitors to a handful of clubs, each weighing ambition against financial reality. The saga speaks to something enduring in professional sport — that ev
Treloar trade saga intensifies as Collingwood star seeks exit with deadline looming
He knows he has to leave. Clubs are just scared off.
Mark
So Treloar told his teammates he's done at Collingwood. How certain is that?
Mimi
He told them directly that it's hard to see himself staying. That's a pretty clear signal, though technically he hasn't formally requested a trade yet.
Luke
Right—he's signaled it to teammates, but has he actually sat down with Collingwood's board and said "I want out"? There's a difference between venting to mates and making an official demand.
Mark
Fair point. So what's actually stopping a move from happening?
Mimi
The contract is the wall. He's owed $900,000 next year and has five years left. Collingwood will cover $100,000 to $150,000, but that still leaves a massive number for any club to absorb.
Luke
And that's assuming Collingwood actually increases that subsidy. Right now they're offering $100,000. We don't know if they'll go to $150,000 unless it's negotiated.
Mark
Gold Coast seems obvious—his partner's moving there anyway.
Mimi
Exactly what you'd think. But Treloar has said multiple times he doesn't want to go to Queensland. Gold Coast won't chase him without encouragement.
Luke
And we're taking Treloar's word on that through what—media reports and what Craig Cameron said he told them? It's secondhand.
Mark
What about the Bulldogs angle?
Mimi
They look best positioned. They don't want early picks, so they can take on salary. And Josh Dunkley wants out to Essendon, which could create a chain—Essendon sends a pick to the Bulldogs, Bulldogs send it to Collingwood for Treloar.
Luke
That's a lot of dominoes. Does Essendon actually want Dunkley? Is Collingwood actually willing to do that deal structure? We're building a scenario on a lot of "ifs."
Mark
So realistically, what happens?
Mimi
Either a deal gets done in the next few days, or Treloar stays at Collingwood and this blows over.
Luke
Or he stays and it doesn't blow over, and you've got a messy situation in the locker room all season.
Der Puls
- Treloar's private admission to teammates that the Collingwood relationship was beyond repair sent rival clubs scrambling in the final stretch of the trade period.
- His $900,000 salary — heavily back-ended across five years — proved an immediate deterrent, with Collingwood offering to absorb only a fraction of the burden.
- Gold Coast held the pick and the logic, but Treloar's repeated refusal to leave Victoria rendered the Suns a non-starter before talks could begin.
- The Western Bulldogs emerged as the most credible destination, with a potential three-club chain involving Josh Dunkley and Essendon offering a theoretical path forward.
- Despite the noise, no club had formally approached Treloar, no meetings had been held, and the deadline was closing fast on a deal that existed only in speculation.
In the final days of the AFL trade window, Adam Treloar — one of the competition's most coveted ball-winners — quietly signaled to his Collingwood teammates that his time at the club had run its course, setting in motion a frantic search for a new home. What followed was less a negotiation than a puzzle: a $900,000 salary, a partner's interstate commitments, and a player's firm insistence on remaining in Victoria conspired to narrow the field of suitors to a handful of clubs, each weighing ambition against financial reality. The saga speaks to something enduring in professional sport — that even the most gifted players are not free agents of their own fate, but figures caught between loyalty, money, geography, and the ticking clock of institutional deadlines.
As the AFL trade period entered its final days, Adam Treloar's situation at Collingwood moved from background rumor to something requiring urgent attention. The star midfielder had told teammates the relationship was finished — and word reached rival front offices almost immediately. In a competition where genuine ball-winners are rare, Treloar's availability triggered a wave of interest that was, on closer inspection, more cautious than it appeared.
The central obstacle was financial. Treloar's contract stretched to 2025, with $900,000 owed in the coming year alone and the heaviest payments loaded toward the back end. Collingwood was prepared to subsidize $100,000 to $150,000 of that figure — a gesture that still left any acquiring club facing a salary most weren't willing to meet. Analysts noted that clubs weren't even prepared to offer $750,000 at this stage, leaving a gap that goodwill alone couldn't bridge.
Geography further complicated matters. Treloar's partner, Queensland Firebirds netballer Kim Ravaillion, had signed a ten-month contract in Brisbane — meaning the couple would be separated regardless of where Treloar landed. Gold Coast held Pick 5 and expressed genuine interest, but Treloar had made his position clear on multiple occasions: he had no desire to move to Queensland. The Suns wouldn't pursue a player who didn't want them.
That left Victoria, and a narrowing list of realistic options. St Kilda, Richmond, Geelong, Melbourne, North Melbourne, and Hawthorn each had reasons to hesitate — cap constraints, competing priorities, or a simple lack of fit. The Western Bulldogs stood apart. They had little use for early draft picks this year, given an academy bid looming for prospect Jamarra Ugle-Hagan, and they had a potential trade piece in midfielder Josh Dunkley, who had signaled his own desire to join Essendon. A three-club chain — Essendon sending a pick to the Bulldogs for Dunkley, the Bulldogs forwarding that pick to Collingwood for Treloar — was theoretically sound, and Treloar's running game would genuinely complement the Bulldogs' midfield.
But theory and reality remained stubbornly apart. No club had formally approached Treloar. No meetings had taken place. Every interested party described itself as an observer — a word that echoed across trade coverage like a polite form of hesitation. The deadline was days away, and a deal that could reshape several clubs' futures had yet to move beyond the realm of possibility.
The AFL trade period was entering its final stretch when Adam Treloar's situation at Collingwood shifted from rumor to something more urgent. The star midfielder had told his teammates that staying at the club no longer made sense—the relationship had deteriorated beyond repair. Word spread quickly through rival front offices, and suddenly Treloar, a genuine ball-winner in a sport where such players are scarce, became the focus of frantic late-season maneuvering.
The complications were immediate and substantial. Treloar's contract ran through 2025 with a salary of $900,000 for the coming year alone, money locked in across five years with the back end heavily weighted. Collingwood signaled it would absorb $100,000 to $150,000 of that figure if a trade could be arranged, but the remaining burden fell to any club willing to take him on. For most organizations, the math was daunting. As one analyst put it, clubs weren't even prepared to offer $750,000 right now—the gap between what Treloar was owed and what suitors could stomach was the real barrier.
On the surface, Gold Coast made perfect sense. Treloar's partner, netballer Kim Ravaillion, had signed a ten-month contract with the Queensland Firebirds, meaning the couple would live in different states next season anyway. The Suns held Pick 5 and were willing to trade it. Gold Coast's list manager Craig Cameron acknowledged the club would be interested if circumstances aligned, but Treloar had made clear multiple times—as recently as that week—that he had no interest in moving to Queensland. The Suns wouldn't chase him without encouragement.
So Treloar was determined to stay in Victoria, which narrowed the field considerably. St Kilda had cap space and Pick 17, but the club's chief operating officer Simon Lethlean effectively ruled them out after internal discussions. Richmond couldn't fit him under the salary cap. Geelong was consumed with acquiring Jeremy Cameron from the Giants. Melbourne had too many midfielders already. North Melbourne had the space but seemed an unlikely destination for a player leaving a three-time premiership contender to join a rebuild. Hawthorn, despite holding Picks 4 and 24, signaled it was merely an interested observer.
The Western Bulldogs emerged as the most plausible destination. They didn't want early picks this season—they'd only be used to match bids on academy prospect Jamarra Ugle-Hagan—so they could absorb cap space without cluttering their draft strategy. The Dogs also had a potential exit route: Josh Dunkley, their midfielder, had indicated he wanted out to join Essendon despite having two years left on his contract. A complex chain could theoretically form. Essendon, which held Picks 6 and 7 and was eyeing Carlton's Pick 8 as part of an Adam Saad deal, could send one of those selections to the Bulldogs as part of a Dunkley trade. The Bulldogs could then forward that pick to Collingwood for Treloar. From a football perspective, the fit made sense—Treloar's running style and ball-winning ability would add a different dimension to the Bulldogs' midfield.
But all of this remained theoretical. Treloar hadn't met with any rival teams. No genuine suitor had formally stepped forward. Every club was an "interested observer," a phrase that became the week's refrain across trade radio and media reports. The deadline was approaching fast. If Treloar wanted to be elsewhere for 2021, a deal had to move from speculation to reality within days. The machinery of the trade period—the calls between list managers, the contract restructuring, the pick swaps—all had to align before time ran out.
Bemerkenswerte Zitate
He's a very highly paid player there and has a long tenure. It's not something for us at this stage.— Hawthorn football boss Graeme Wright on the Treloar situation
Adam's made it fairly clear a couple of times—even as much as later this week—that he doesn't have an interest in coming up.— Gold Coast Suns list manager Craig Cameron on Treloar's reluctance to move to Queensland
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