Gold Coast coach Damien Hardwick has travelled to Melbourne for a meeting with Sydney defender Nick Blakey, who is considering his future at the Swans after a turbulent finish to the season.
Blakey still has five years left on his Sydney contract, but the All-Australian is weighing up a potential move. Geelong, Gold Coast, Essendon, St Kilda and North Melbourne have all expressed interest in the defender.
The uncertainty surrounding Blakey follows his suspension, along with four teammates, for the remainder of the 2026 campaign. The players were stood down over alleged breaches of club protocols connected to an incident at Melbourne’s Pullman Hotel in August.
Isaac Heeney, Chad Warner, James Jordon and Riley Bice were also stood down by Sydney.
Victoria Police is investigating sexual assault allegations related to the incident, though no criminal charges have been reported.
Bice has reportedly been cleared of any criminal wrongdoing and is being treated as a potential witness. The other four players remain under investigation.
Sydney defender Nick Blakey is considering his future as five rival clubs show interest in the All-Australian
Blakey is reportedly frustrated by Sydney’s handling of the matter and is now contemplating a fresh start elsewhere.
Swans chief Chris Keane said the club only became aware of Blakey’s planned meetings with rival teams through online reports. Despite that, he maintained that the defender staying at Sydney remained the “most likely scenario”.
Hardwick made the trip from Queensland for Thursday’s meeting as Gold Coast considers whether to make a serious push for Blakey.
Geelong is understood to be Blakey’s preferred destination, although the 2027 season could also begin with him at the Suns. Essendon, St Kilda and North Melbourne are expected to meet with him as well.
Blakey is reportedly expected to decide where he wants to play in 2027 by the end of this week.
Any trade, however, would need Sydney’s approval. The Swans are expected to seek a substantial return for an All-Australian player who remains contracted for another five seasons.
Geelong is reportedly Nick Blakey’s preferred destination, but the defender is also open to joining Gold Coast
Gold Coast coach Damien Hardwick has travelled to Melbourne to meet Nick Blakey during the trade window
Asked whether Sydney had been told Blakey would meet with rival clubs this week, Keane admitted the Swans had received no direct notification.
“It’s actually not something we were made aware of outside of what’s being reported online,” he said on AFL Trade Radio.
“But what I’d say is I think we do understand the current landscape in regards to players exploring opportunities and how that’s probably shifted over the last few years in particular.
“But ultimately, he’s contracted for five more years at our footy club for a reason.”
Gold Coast could gain greater leverage in negotiations if it secures pick No.7 as compensation for Ben King’s departure.
The Suns have until Friday to decide whether to match King’s deal or accept the compensation.
Essendon, St Kilda and North Melbourne are also expected to meet the star Swans defender
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Blakey also expressed interest in joining Gold Coast during last year’s trade period, but the possibility of a move quickly faded.
Geelong’s board, meanwhile, will decide whether the Cats pursue the defender.
But choosing a destination and securing Sydney’s agreement are two separate hurdles, with Keane warning that a trade would be ‘significantly challenging’.
Keane said the Swans were discussing the situation with Blakey’s management, but the club’s position had not changed since the trade period opened.
‘Clearly, there’s been some speculation about Nick over the last probably couple of weeks,’ Keane said.
‘We’re working through all that with his management group at the moment.
Sydney list boss Chris Keane said keeping Blakey remains the ‘most likely scenario’
‘But as I said Monday, from our perspective, he’s contracted and a significant player for our club, and that hasn’t changed.’
Despite growing interest from rival clubs, Keane said Blakey had not directly told Sydney he wanted to leave.
‘We haven’t heard that directly from Nick himself,’ Keane.
‘I’m talking to Robbie, his manager, constantly, and we’ll keep those conversations behind closed doors.’
Keane said Sydney had not actively pursued a trade and remained confident Blakey could return to the club.
‘As we sit here right now, these are all hypotheticals,’ he said.
‘It’s certainly not something we’ve actively pursued, and we feel confident that he could walk back into our footy club.
‘But given the calibre of player that he is and the fact that he’s contracted for five more years, we feel like making any deal happen would be significantly challenging.’
Asked whether he expected Blakey to remain at Sydney in 2027, Keane reiterated the club’s position.
‘Well, that’s our preference,’ he said.
‘Our expectation on that one hasn’t changed since the start of the week, and I’d say it’s the most likely scenario given his contract status and how challenging a trade would be given how highly we rate him.’
Keane also made clear that retaining players remained Sydney’s priority during the trade period.
‘We probably went into this period with a focus on retention, and that piece hasn’t changed and won’t change,’ he said.
Sydney is also continuing discussions with the management of Warner and Tom McCartin, who are both entering the final year of their contracts.
Veteran Dane Rampe has yet to decide his future, while Harry Cunningham is weighing up his options after receiving an offer from the Swans.