HAMISH McIntosh has requested a trade from North Melbourne and has nominated Geelong as his preferred new AFL home, his manager Tom Petroro says.
Petroro, of Stride Sports Management, told AFL.com.au's Gillette AFL Trade Radio on Wednesday that Geelong was one of three or four clubs to have expressed interest in McIntosh, but was the keenest to trade for him.
"We've asked [North Melbourne] to be fair in their negotiations and, if possible, facilitate a trade if it suits both parties," Petroro said.
"There's interest across three or four clubs but I would say Geelong is the keenest and probably the one that we're prepared to go down the path with at this point.
"Some of the other clubs that have shown some interest … might have been interested in Quinten Lynch and I guess at this point Geelong are in the box seat."
Petroro said McIntosh's decision had been prompted by the realisation his ruck partnership with Todd Goldstein no longer worked.
McIntosh and Goldstein were an effective ruck duo in 2010 before the introduction of the substitute rule.
Goldstein carried North's ruck division on his own in 2011 when McIntosh was sidelined after Achilles surgery, but struggled to adjust when McIntosh returned to play the first seven rounds in 2012.
"Unfortunately the mixture of Hamish and Todd doesn't work or hasn't worked," Petroro said.
"It's not working probably to an optimum level.
[Playing two ruckmen] works well with [Dean] Cox and [Nic] Naitanui but it probably hasn't worked as well as we would have liked with Todd and Hamish."
McIntosh suffered a knee injury in round seven against the Western Bulldogs that ultimately kept him out for the rest of 2012.
He had Ligament Augmentation and Reconstruction System (LARS) surgery in August to replace the posterior cruciate ligament (PCL) in his right knee.
Petroro said McIntosh had recovered well from that surgery and was due to start running next Monday.
"His body is good," Petroro said.
"As of next week he should start running; he's been on the cross trainer.
"He had LARS surgery to his PCL. He was probably one of the first players in the AFL to do it, but it's recovered really well.
"I'm no medico but the surgeons tell me that the first two weeks are the most crucial in your rehab and he got through that period really well."
McIntosh is contracted at North until the end of next season and can only move to a new club through the Gillette AFL Trade Period, which starts next Monday.
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Nick Bowen covers North Melbourne news for AFL.com.au. Follow him on Twitter: @AFL_Nick
