Demon Preuss up for grabs

MELBOURNE ruckman Braydon Preuss is exploring his trade options as the Demons prepare to hand young tall Luke Jackson more opportunities next season.

And Essendon will ask for a first-round draft pick in return for speedster Adam Saad if the dashing defender wants a fresh start.

Preuss, 25, has been stuck behind superstar big man Max Gawn in his two seasons at the Demons and could be headed to NSW to secure a

No.1 ruck spot. The Giants and Swans are both scouring the market for senior ruckmen and could also make inquiries about Richmond’s Toby Nankervis and Port Adelaide pair Scott Lycett and Peter Ladhams.

Nankervis is out of contract but is required by the Tigers to lead the ruck in Ivan Soldo’s injury absence next season. The Giants need a ruckman and are trying to retain superstar forward Jeremy Cameron on a revised fiveyear deal. Essendon and Geelong are keen on Cameron.

Melbourne smartly recruited the 206cm Preuss as insurance if Gawn went down with injury but will look to groom Jackson into a fulltime key forward and second ruckman for next season.

It means Preuss’s options at Melbourne will be even more limited on the back of only three senior appearances this season. He has two more years to run on a four-year deal after arriving at Melbourne in exchange for onballer Dom Tyson.

The Demons could be tempted by a second-round draft pick in a trade for Preuss which would strengthen the club’s position to nab North Melbourne’s Jared Polec.

News Corp revealed the Demons are interested in Polec but will not pay him overs to add more speed and polish on the wing for next season. Melbourne is also trying to retain former co-captain and star clearance winner Jack Viney amid strong interest from Geelong. The Cats want to add another matureage inside bull and have identified Adelaide free agent Brad Crouch as another candidate.

Harley Bennell will be cut from the Demons after a disappointing end to his time at the club. Bennell, who was in line to secure a contract extension a fortnight ago, broke COVID-19 protocols and dismissed Melbourne’s attempts to bring him back to Maroochydore.

Essendon is trying to keep Saad and has offered him a four-year deal. However, he has interest from multiple Victorian clubs, including North Melbourne which has indicated it could part ways with Ben Brown, Shaun Higgins and Polec for the right terms.