Rowan Marshall will be playing for St Kilda next season after talks about a trade with Geelong, according to a report.
Less than 24 hours after Saints CEO Carl Dilena said the club had a preference to retain Marshall, Sam Edmund reports the player will be staying put for 2026.
With the Cats reportedly offering three-first round picks for Carlton star Charlie Curnow, talks between St Kilda and Geelong on Marshall are no longer happening.
“I can tell you Marshall (being traded to Geelong) is categorically not happening. Rowan Marshall will be playing for St Kilda next year,” Edmund said on AFL Trade Radio.
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Edmund added: “The Saints will not be trading Rowan Marshall anymore. The talks with Geelong have stalled. I can tell you there is no world where he is going to be traded.”
The 29-year-old requested a trade to the Cats last Friday - only hours after it was confirmed Carlton ruckman Tom De Koning would be joining the Saints via free agency.
However, with Marshall having two years left on his contract, the Saints hold the whip hand, with club chief executive Carl Dilena stating coach Ross Lyon had a 'strong preference' to retain the player.
Dilena indicated that St Kilda might release Marshall down the highway if a Cats offer was too good to refuse, otherwise the ruckman would be staying at Moorabbin next season.
"Our preference is to keep Rowan," Dilena said on AFL Trade Radio.
"It was never our call, he's asked for (a trade) and out of respect for him, we've had a bit of dialogue with Geelong.
"If I had to bet on it, I'm not sure it would happen.
"Ross as coach, his strong preference is to have him at the club. He loves him as a player (and) he knows the role he would be able to play next year. That'd be our position there.
"This is my personal opinion ... you never say never to anything. If there was the world's best ever trade deal offered, you'd have to consider it. You have to do what's right for the club.
"But from a senior coach perspective, Ross has a clear preference. We'll weigh everything up when we get towards the end of the period and see what's in the best interests of the club, but at this stage it's Rowan staying with us."