Hawthorn coach Sam Mitchell is understanding of the AFL trade landscape as he responds to reports of Essendon's monster offer to Noah Mraz.
The Hawks are preparing for a preliminary final against Brisbane on Saturday, and given the depth and strength of the club, have a host of emerging talent waiting in the wings for their AFL opportunity.
Mitchell and his list management team are working on bringing Bomber Zach Merrett across for the second year in a row, prompting the arch rival to try and lure Mraz to Tullamarine, tabling a four-year deal worth $3 million.
"I'm not sure where it came from, but they call him Honey Buns or something. And so all of the players, even during training, were calling him Money Buns," Mitchell said on SEN.
"You just can't escape. You can't escape this sort of stuff in a footy club. It's great, great banter. But unfortunate for him, he got hurt about six weeks ago, and he's just not quite been able to get himself back into the side. But he's going to be a very good player for us for a long time."
Mraz is contracted until 2028 after signing an extension last year. He debuted this year and played four impressive games, resulting in interest from Essendon and Gold Coast, although the latter was swiftly denied.
But the Hawks coach is pragmatic about the trade landscape, and understands players may consider moving away from their original club for a variety of reasons.
Young key forward Calsher Dear is weighing up his future at Hawthorn, with Melbourne, Geelong and Collingwood all registering interest.
The looming arrival of Gold Coast free agent Ben King pushes Dear further down the key forward line, forcing a squeeze inside 50 for selection.
"You understand what happens in the game now. There's a lot of movement," Mitchell said.
"Players have the ability to move clubs much more than they have had in the past, and I think our focus is just running the best program we can, so that you can retain as many people on appropriate salaries as you can, so individual players, making sure they stay.
"If you're trying to match everyone's fees, then obviously you're going to blow your cap. So we're very focused on having a great environment that people want to be a part of, and we'll continue to try to do that as best we can."
