WHERE IS THE LOVE?

No new home (yet) as clubs snub Menzel

DANIEL Menzel’s future remains up in the air after the Geelong livewire failed to receive a free agency offer before yesterday’s deadline.

The Cats have put a oneyear deal on the table for Menzel, but the 26-year-old has been actively hunting for a longer contract elsewhere.

Free agency was the best way for Menzel to easily move clubs this trade period and with that option now closed, he is left with three options ahead of Thursday’s trade deadline.

Menzel can accept the one-year deal with Geelong for 2018, find a new club and hope the two teams can work out a trade, or walk from the Cattery and then enter the draft. Geelong said yesterday it would try to facilitate a trade if Menzel wanted to play elsewhere, but the Geelong Advertiser understands the club is unlikely to improve its current contract offer, which is reportedly for significantly less cash than this year.

“Dan still knows he has the option of staying at Geelong. If between now and the end of the trade period, he approached us to say he thought it was a good idea to go to a club because he got a better offer, then we will certainly listen to it,” Cats list manager Stephen Wells said.

Menzel’s manager Adam Ramanauskas last week said the forward was seeking a deal longer than one year.

“Daniel’s having a look if there is a longer-term contract out there for him, and it can’t be any simpler than that,” Ramanauskas said on RSN.

Menzel, who kicked 40 goals from 19 games in 2017, was dropped for Geelong’s qualifying final against Richmond and finished outside the top 20 in the club’s best-and-fairest.

He returned for the semi final win over Sydney and was part of the preliminary final loss to Adelaide at Adelaide Oval.

Menzel has come under fire for his lack of defensive pressure this season, something Geelong values highly.

It was one of the reasons why he was dropped for the first week of finals.

However, there had been a number of potential suitors with Adelaide and Port Adelaide both interested, while Fremantle was another club linked.

Meanwhile, Darcy Lang still remains in limbo with his future likely to go down to the wire as well.

Lang is yet to be offered a new contract by the Cats and a number of clubs have shown their interest in the midfielder.

The former first-round pick toured North Melbourne’s facilities during the week, but he could still remain at Geelong.

“Darcy’s got a decision to make. Geelong are keen to retain (him) and he’s also met with a couple (of clubs) and we’ll work through this week,” his manager Scott Lucas told SEN.

“What I will say is the (Thursday) deadline means that it will go all up to the wire.

“All the decisions and deals will be done on the Wednesday and Thursday.

“It’s all getting organised for the frenzy, for want of a better word, later this week.”