A SEVEN-CLUB AFLW mega trade that was floated this week is now considered unlikely.
The trade, revealed by AFL.com.au, relied upon Hawthorn sliding its first pick from No.14 to No.20 as part of the deal. However, the Hawks have not yet been keen to shift that pick around, with clubs now scrambling to complete the trades separately.
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Hawthorn would have received four-time All-Australian Tayla Harris and premiership defender Najwa Allen from Adelaide as part of the proposed deal, while losing Charlotte Baskaran to St Kilda and completing the pick slide.
An independent trade taking Baskaran to the Saints has subsequently been in the works across Thursday afternoon, while Adelaide and Hawthorn had previously been in discussions on a separate deal for Allen.
Melbourne and Gold Coast have alternate plans to ensure Lily Mithen heads to the Suns and the Demons receive the No.2 pick, though a deal for Harris remains complicated following the seven-club trade's collapse.
Hawthorn has so far been reluctant to put pick No.14 on the table in any way to secure Harris, with Melbourne prepared to renew contract talks to retain the key forward should her proposed move to the Hawks fall through.
Collingwood had also shown an interest in Harris. However, as revealed on Thursday morning, the star forward's strong preference is to move to Hawthorn following its top two finish this season.
The proposed seven-club, four-player deal would have seen Harris (Hawthorn), Allen (Hawthorn), Baskaran (St Kilda) and Mithen (Gold Coast) all get to their preferred spots, while also seeing a number of pick swaps take place.
Melbourne would have landed pick No.2 from the Suns and multiple top 10 selections, while Adelaide, Geelong and Collingwood would have all shuffled higher up the draft order with their first-round picks.
An earlier version of the deal, featuring six clubs, would have seen North Melbourne complete a pick swap. However, the Kangaroos were later replaced by the Cats and the Pies in fresh discussions on Thursday morning.
Under both scenarios, Gold Coast would have banked later picks in addition to landing Mithen, which the club would have used to match Academy bids on first-round prospects Havana Harris, Tara Harrington and Mia Salisbury.
Elsewhere, Carlton is expected to wrap up a trade for Gold Coast's captain Tara Bohanna across the next six days, while Sydney has landed Geelong midfielder Darcy Moloney and is expected to do a deal for North Melbourne's Lulu Pullar.
St Kilda is set to secure Greater Western Sydney veteran Nicola Barr and is also chasing a deal for Essendon youngster Amber Clarke, while Richmond is moving for Dons forward Paige Scott.
The Giants will trade for Western Bulldogs defender Eleanor Brown and are also interested in Adelaide's Taylah Levy, while Port Adelaide is expected to lock up a move for Sydney's Ella Heads.
Earlier on Thursday morning, Essendon completed the first deal of the AFLW Trade Period when it sent pick No.65 to Greater Western Sydney to land Courtney Murphy as added ruck depth.