A surprise AFL ruling has opened up the path for Geelong to secure Zach Tuohy from Carlton after the Cats were given unexpected permission to trade another first-round draft pick.
Geelong will give up their first-round pick next year as well as other draft picks this year and get Tuohy and draft picks back from Carlton in the deal.
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Has Nat Fyfe grown?
Just when you thought Dockers star Nat Fyfe couldn't become more of a threat for the next AFL season, it appears he's gained some height.
The deal, if it goes through, will mean Geelong will not have had a first-round pick in three successive drafts.
The surprise move to be able to trade a future first-round pick was given AFL approval after clubs - including Geelong - believed they were precluded from trading another future first-round pick given they had last year traded out of this year's first round.
Geelong last year traded their first-round pick in the 2015 draft to Adelaide for Patty Dangerfield (along with pick 28 and Dean Gore) and this year's first round pick to Carlton for Lachie Henderson.
AFL rules state that clubs must use two first-round picks in a rolling four-year period, which clubs felt meant the Cats would be unable to trade out of next year's first round.
Geelong recruiter Stephen Wells this week clarified the rule with the AFL's legal counsel Andrew Dillon and was told he was able to trade a future pick again this year but that the club must use two first-round picks in the next two years (either two first-round picks next year or one in each of the next two years).
That ruling has unlocked options for the Cats in dealing with Carlton for Tuohy. Geelong will give up the future first and then get Tuohy with both clubs then being involved in a pick swap.
The deal is agreed in principle but the clubs are only waiting on trades with other clubs to deliver some of the picks that will be used in the pick swap.
Cats ruckman Nathan Vardy has requested a trade to West Coast and a pick the Cats could receive in exchange appears likely to be part of the Tuohy deal.
Carlton is confident that accessing Geelong's future first in the Tuohy trade will enable them to trade for Caleb Marchbank and Jarrod Pickett from Greater Western Sydney without using their valuable first pick (selection five).
Nor will they need to sweat on Adelaide's pick 13 coming in from the Bryce Gibbs trade before they can do the Marchbank trade.
While Carlton is confident Geelong's future first-round pick will get the Marchbank-Pickett deal done, it is unknown yet what GWS think of that arrangement.