Wingard Waverley bound
Four-year Hawks contract for Port Adelaide star
HAWTHORN has trumped the Western Bulldogs in the race for Chad Wingard with the Port Adelaide star set to move to Waverley next season.
Wingard’s camp yesterday notified both clubs he wanted to be traded to the Hawks to play under master coach Alastair Clarkson.
The Geelong Advertiser can reveal Wingard has been tabled a four-year contract worth about $2.5 million.
The Hawks will offer their No.15 draft pick for the play- maker who Clarkson coached during the 2014 International Rules series.
It is unclear what other parts the Hawks will need to include to satisfy the Power.
Ryan Burton was last night linked to the deal but it seems highly unlikely Hawthorn would give up one of its emerging stars.
The win for Hawthorn comes after missing out on key targets Tom Lynch and Dylan Shiel, who chose Richmond and Essendon respectively.
Wingard will help replace retired legend Cyril Rioli as an attacking half-forward after kicking 232 goals from 147 games at the Power.
The durable best-andfairest winner has played at least 18 games in his seven seasons at Alberton.
It is the second consecutive year Hawthorn has beaten the Bulldogs to a Port Adelaide player’s signature after securing small forward Jarman Impey last year.
Wingard had dinner at Bulldogs coach Luke Beveridge’s house recently and the club was optimistic it would secure the dual All-Australian.
But the Bulldogs are now certain to take their No.7 pick to next month’s national draft, where they fancy Vic Metro MVP Bailey Smith and 202cm Haileybury key forward Max King, who is recovering from a knee reconstruction.
The Dogs were always focused on retaining pick No.7 and were instead hoping to trade a future first-round selection in a potential deal for Wingard.
Wingard is set to become a restricted free agent next year but a trade seems likely to be struck before Wednesday’s deadline given Port Adelaide is happy to move the match-winner on.
The Hawks hold picks No.15 and 35 and have long been happy to trade away their prized selections for estab- lished talent. The club has not used a top-15 pick for a decade. Since 2008 the only top-20 picks they have activated were on Isaac Smith and Burton.
Free agency shuts at 5pm today with premiership Bulldogs Jordan Roughead still in limbo.
Teammate and fellow free agent Tom Liberatore has long been expected to sign a oneyear deal to stay at Whitten Oval.
Geelong’s Dan Menzel and Hawthorn’s Brendan Whitecross, Ryan Schoenmakers and Taylor Duryea are other free agents still up for grabs.