Melbourne are prepared to trade their two first-round draft picks in a bid to secure Gold Coast Suns young gun Bailey Humphrey. The Demons, who hold the Suns' first-round pick from last year's Christian Petracca trade, are eyeing the unsettled forward as a key addition.
Humphrey's Desire to Return to Victoria
Bailey Humphrey, 21, signed a contract in 2023 that ties him to Gold Coast until the end of 2028, but he is reportedly desperate to return to Victoria for family and personal reasons. Last off-season, Demons coach Steven King was spotted walking with Humphrey in Melbourne's botanic gardens, fueling speculation of a potential move.
Speaking on Tuesday, King was reluctant to discuss Humphrey specifically but acknowledged the club's options. "I think he's still contracted at Gold Coast for another couple of years, so that's probably where it sits for me," King said. "We've got two first-round picks this year, so that's an option for us to get better, looking at free agents as another avenue and then there's uncontracted players as well."
Demons' Draft Strategy
King emphasized that the club would consider all options to address specific needs. "It'd have to be an unbelievable deal for the club to part with those (first-round picks), but for the right circumstances, you'd have to look at everything," he said. Melbourne secured the Suns' first-round pick as part of the Christian Petracca trade last off-season, a deal that is aging well for the Demons.
Humphrey's form has declined after a promising start to the season, mirroring Gold Coast's struggles. In contrast, Melbourne sits seventh with a 9-6 record in King's first season as coach, though they are yet to win a game outside Melbourne this year, with eight victories at the MCG.
Upcoming Match and Off-field Issues
The Demons face Hawthorn in Launceston on Saturday, having beaten them earlier in the season at the MCG. King remains optimistic about their away form. "We had a stinker Gather round, and we got touched up round two against Freo, who've been the form team," King said. "We pushed Sydney to the death and last week against Adelaide, I couldn't have been more bullish walking away from that game around the style of footy that we played."
King's comments came less than 24 hours after Melbourne apologized to Sachi Dade, the partner of retired premiership player Steven May, after she sued the club over a privacy breach. The matter was settled, with the club posting an apology on their website. King said, "I've had a lot of distractions this year, but in terms of me as distraction, not so much. I'm just really glad now it's all done and it's been taken care of. As a footy club, we admit we'd do things a bit differently with our time again, so we've apologised for that and we've moved on."
