North Melbourne young gun Tarryn Thomas is set to honour the final year of his contract at Arden Street despite a recent meeting with Essendon powerbrokers over a potential switch to the Bombers.
Thomas emerged as a potential trade figure last week when it was reported he was set to meet with the Dons as he looked to assess his options on the open market despite his contract status for 2024.
A meet was flagged to have taken place in recent days as former Kangaroos coach and current Essendon boss Brad Scott looks to bolster his list after falling short of a top eight finish this season.
The Bombers loom as a major player in this year's trade space, having re-signed sought-after trio Darcy Parish, Mason Redman and Nick Bryan over recent months while carrying substantial salary cap space into the off-season.
Some of that money could be used on Thomas' teammate Ben McKay, who is eligible to exercise his rights as a free agent this year and has garnered reported interest from Essendon, Sydney, Port Adelaide and Hawthorn.
The Bombers' potential plans to land a double Roo coup has reportedly fallen short however, with Thomas set to remain in the blue and white for the next 12 months.
According to News Corp, Thomas' manager Ben Williams informed North Melbourne over the weekend of his client's desire to see out his contract for 2024.
Thomas' call is a much-needed win for the Roos, who have been dealt a string of off-season blows over the last few seasons, headlined by Jason Horne-Francis' departure after just one season with North Melbourne.
The role of the contested ball-winning beast the Kangaroos had hoped to develop Horne-Francis into could fall the way of Thomas, who was arguably North Melbourne's best performer over the final two months of the home and away season.
Thomas firms as a critical piece to the Roos' rebuild under Alastair Clarkson, linking up with standout midfielder Luke Davies-Uniacke, co-captain Jy Simpkin and rookie George Wardlaw as key pieces of Clarkson's midfield plans.
Wardlaw is another who could rival Davies-Uniacke and Thomas for the first-string midfield role over the years to come, with the Oakleigh Chargers graduate a product of the Horne-Francis trade that landed the Roos two top four picks for last year's draft.
North Melbourne will carry Pick 2 into the off-season after avoiding a third successive wooden spoon finish, and may also be holders of Pick 3 should McKay depart via free agency and see the Roos secure band one compensation.
