Gold Coast were not informed that Bailey Humphrey had held meetings with rival clubs, despite his manager admitting he had been contacted by “most” Victorian sides during the opening week of the trade period. The revelation adds another twist to what has been one of the more talked-about stories of the off-season.
Michael Oakes of Elevation Sports, who represents the 21-year-old, told AFL Trade Radio that while the Suns have remained “consistently resolute” about keeping Humphrey, there was clear outside interest.
“I’ve heard from most Victorian clubs in one way or another,” Oakes said. “There’s a couple I haven’t spoken to, but it’s been fairly consistently inbound; I haven’t had to make any calls on Bailey.”
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Manager clears air after Melbourne meeting confusion
The clarification comes after Humphrey met with Melbourne shortly after Oakes had publicly denied any contact with other clubs, sparking a wave of speculation that he might request a move home to Victoria.
Gold Coast list boss Craig Cameron quickly shut down that possibility, saying, “It doesn’t matter how many clubs he meets with, we won’t be trading him.”
Speaking about the Suns’ stance, Oakes said: “Bailey’s a contracted player, and he’s always known that while contracted, it’s at the club’s discretion as to whether they let a player move or not.” He also revealed, however, that the club was not informed of the meetings: “No, they weren’t (aware),” Oakes admitted, before adding, “I speak to Bailey on a daily basis, and he’s an extremely loyal guy.”
Humphrey, who has played 63 games in three seasons, remains under contract and looks set to stay at Carrara despite the flurry of trade-period attention.