The Sydney Morning Herald
· collected 2026-10-09 · by Sam McClure, Jake Niall
North Melbourne have prepared for all possible scenarios in Nick Blakey’s short-term future, after the club’s board approved an eight year, $12 million offer for him to join the Kangaroos while a police investigation continues into the Sydney Swans Pullman hotel allegations.
asserted
investigation → prepare → allegations
Blakey, who is poised to become one of the highest-paid players in the competition, on Friday nominated North Melbourne as his preferred destination.
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who → poise → destination
The Kangaroos also consulted their AFLW players and kept them informed about the club’s pursuit of Blakey.
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Kangaroos → consult → Blakey
His relationship with the Swans soured while he and four other players were suspended by the club for a night of wild partying at Melbourne’s Pullman East hotel in August.
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he → sour → August
A separate Victoria Police investigation is ongoing after three women, working as exotic dancers, variously alleged they were sexually assaulted and touched inappropriately without consent.
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they → work → consent
No charges have been laid and all five Swans players who served season-ending club suspensions denied criminal wrongdoing.
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who → lay → wrongdoing
One of those players, Riley Bice, is no longer subject of the investigation and is being treated as a witness.
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One → treat → witness
Blakey, Isaac Heeney, Chad Warner and James Jordon remain persons of interest in the investigation.
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Blakey → remain → investigation
North Melbourne’s board, helmed by president Sonja Hood, and the executive led by Jen Watt, have done extensive due diligence on Blakey.
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board → helm → Blakey
The fact the board signed off on the offer indicates the club is satisfied with the circumstances surrounding his recruitment.
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club → sign → recruitment
The Kangaroos, when contacted by this masthead, declined to comment on how it would handle the trade in light of the police investigation.
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it → contact → investigation
Blakey’s management was also contacted for comment.
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management → contact → comment
The star defender’s management, North Melbourne and the Swans will spend the weekend attempting to thrash out the framework of a trade, which would deliver the Kangaroos a major recruiting breakthrough as they attempt to climb the ladder under new coach Jaymie Graham.
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they → spend → Graham
Blakey, who has five years to run on his Swans contract, met with Graham and attracted interest from several other clubs including Geelong and St Kilda.
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who → have → Geelong
The Kangaroos, where Blakey’s father John won two premierships, hold pick No.5 in this year’s national draft (to be No.6), a selection that looms as a significant bargaining chip in negotiations.
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that → win → negotiations
North are talking to three clubs; St Kilda, Carlton and Port Adelaide as they attempt to split pick five in order to get Blakey and contracted Adelaide defender Nick Murray through the door before next Wednesday’s trade deadline.
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they → talk → deadline
Carlton have a vested interest in moving up the draft order, given their first two picks in November’s draft (currently 13 and 18) wouldn’t be enough to match a bid for talented father-son prospect Cody Walker if his name is called at pick two.
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name → have → pick
North Melbourne have made an extraordinary financial commitment to the 26-year-old Blakey, with the proposed eight-year contract worth an average of $1.5 million per season.
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contract → make → season
The Kangaroos have spent years assembling a talented young midfield, but the opportunity to recruit a player of Blakey’s calibre and versatility represents a chance to dramatically strengthen their defensive stocks.
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opportunity → spend → stocks
His combination of speed, ball use and ability to break opposition lines makes him one of the most damaging attacking defenders in the competition.
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him → break → competition
Butters becomes a $17 million Dog as AFL approves five-club mega-deal
Zak Butters became a Western Bulldog on Friday, earning a record nine-year contract worth between $17 million and $17.5 million, as the AFL approved a convoluted side deal involving five clubs and a flurry of first, second and later draft picks exchanged.
The Butters contract is the biggest in AFL history in aggregate, though less than the $2 million per season wage of St Kilda’s Nasiah Wanganeen-Milera.
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contract → become → Milera
The key draft choices were trafficked to and from the Bulldogs, Port Adelaide and an astute third party, Melbourne.
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choices → traffic → Bulldogs
In pure return for Butters, Port Adelaide gained pick No 5 as free agent compensation.
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Adelaide → gain → compensation
But the side deal saw Port gain picks 6 and 10, plus a 2027 first rounder from Melbourne, and a 2028 first rounder from the Bulldogs.
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Port → see → Bulldogs
Melbourne essentially swapped their picks 6 and 10 for picks 4, 12, 31 and 46 (these will be later after free agency compensation to Gold Coast and Port).
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these → swap → Coast
They also handed over their 2027 first round in a draft that the Tasmania Devils will plunder.
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Devils → hand → that
The Bulldogs gave up two first round choices, losing picks 12 and 31 and their 2028 first round.
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Bulldogs → give → picks
They gained Hawk Finn Maginness and Carlton follower Hudson O’Keeffe, picks 81 and 87 and a bunch of second, third and fourth round choices from 2027 and 2028
Port handed back pick 4 and all of their second, third and fourth round choices for 2027 and 2028, but they profited the most in terms of incoming first rounds.
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they → gain → rounds
Hawthorn landed Ben King as a free agent, after Gold Coast declined to match his deal worth slightly more than $9 million over seven years, an average of about $1.3 million per season.
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Coast → land → season
Gold Coast receive what will now be pick No 8 as compensation.
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what → receive → compensation
The Suns and Hawks, too, have nearly completed another side deal that will see key forward Aidan Schubert join the Suns, along with small forward Sam Butler - the former on a five-year deal.
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Schubert → complete → deal
The Hawthorn-Gold Coast trade will involve a number of pick swaps in 2027 and 2028, and the cornerstone will be a 2028 second-round choice.
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cornerstone → involve → 2027
It will have to be approved by the AFL, which is all but assured.
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which → have → AFL
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Keep up to date with the best AFL coverage in the country.
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agency → get → country
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