St Kilda list manager James Gallagher has outlined the club's intentions come this year's trade period, conceding that this year may be quieter than recent periods.
Speaking on AFL trade radio on Thursday, Gallagher revealed that the club will be holding onto their first pick, currently number 9, hoping to inject some young talent into the squad for 2023.
“We certainly have no intention of trading that out,” Gallagher said on the Saints' first-round pick.
“One of our key priorities for us this year is to make sure we maximise our early draft picks for good.
“Two or three years ago we didn’t pick early in the draft. We really needed to improve our list and get it up to a point where we thought it was good, improving and really capable."
The Saints are still keen on bringing out-of-contract Pie Jordan De Goey to the club, with Gallagher confirming he was still an active target, but conceding his decision on where he plays in 2023 may be made in the coming days.
"We've had a number of conversations with Jordan and his management over a few months now," Gallagher said.
"He's got a big decision to make and the time is coming pretty quickly for that decision. I anticipate in the next two or three days he'll make that call. That'll shape a little bit about what we do over the next couple of weeks, but we think he'd be an outstanding fit for our footy club and our footy team.
"He's an exceptional player, he's a big-game player and he's got plenty of footy in front of him. So we think he'd work in really, really well with our group and our club, but he is a Collingwood player.
"He's been there for a long time, he's got some pretty strong relationships there so it's a big decision for him. I think we'll all know a bit more in the next couple of days."
While De Goey remains a target to come into Moorabbin, Hunter Clark and Brad Hill have been linked to an exit, though Gallagher admitted that he believed the duo would remain in red, black and white beyond 2022.
"Hunter is a kid, he's under contract with us, he's incredibly talented, he's a good lad, we love having him around the club," Gallagher said.
"We'd be really reluctant to trade him because mainly through injury, we haven't seen the best of him yet. And he is a young player, one of our emerging players, he's got his best years ahead of him.
"I'd expect that he'd be with us next year and hopefully for a long, long time beyond that.
"I've spoken to Hilly quite a bit. He's played some really good footy for us at times, Bradley. He's maybe been a little bit inconsistent, certainly in the back half of this year. But he had some mates as well that were probably in that boat.
"We need to find a way to get the absolute best out of Brad 20 or 22 weeks a year... we're really confident that we'll be able to do that.
"I'd be expecting him to play with us next year and beyond and I think we'll see the best of Brad Hill."
Ben Long also has his eyes on the exit doors of RSEA Park, having requested a trade to the Gold Coast Suns.
Gallagher said the club was willing to explore options between the club and the Suns to facilitate a trade for Long, who has played 79 games for the club.
A deal for Long could potentially involve both Jack Bowes and pick No. 7 as the Suns look to offload salary cap space.
"We don't want to lose him but that's a request that he's made and we're open to all those discussions with the Gold Coast," Gallagher said.
"We've certainly talked about players as part of a potential trade. We're open to all possibilities, provided it fits within our strategy and our planning not just for the short term, but for the medium or long term as well. So I'm not gonna go into the specifics of it, but we're certainly open minded and have had discussions around players and picks."
