Geelong list boss Andrew Mackie has confirmed the club made strong pushes for both St Kilda ruckman Rowan Marshall and Carlton forward Charlie Curnow during the AFL Trade Period, though neither move eventuated.
Despite leaving the window without a major signing, the Cats’ ambition was clear.
Mackie revealed that Marshall, who had nominated Geelong as his preferred destination, was their top priority throughout the trade talks, with the club tabling a substantial offer that ultimately fell short.
Cats pushed hard but couldn’t seal a deal
“We had a few goes at it,” Mackie told Trade Radio. “With our conversations with Steven Silvagni (St Kilda list boss), they seemed to pivot throughout the period. The opening day, they were open to hearing something, but Thursday they said they weren’t trading him.
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“Once a club commits to your footy club as Rowan did, we wanted to see that out and make sure we had a good crack at him. We kept going up until the deadline, and unfortunately, it wasn’t able to happen.”
Mackie said Geelong were also in the mix for Charlie Curnow, who eventually joined the Sydney Swans in one of the biggest moves of the trade window.
“Yeah, we did [weigh up another play for Charlie],” he said. “Once again, with a player like Charlie, when you feel like you are a chance, you want to try and have a go at that too. We spent a lot of time on both of those players. You’ve always got to be ambitious in your thinking.”
While the Cats couldn’t secure either target, Mackie insisted the club was right to stay aggressive in the market.