West Coast forward Junior Rioli has lodged a request to be traded to Port Adelaide this off-season.
Rioli recently toured Alberton and met with key figures of the club, including senior coach Ken Hinkley, football boss Chris Davies and premiership great Shaun Burgoyne.
The Tiwi Islands product's contract expired with this season, a spell that included a 717-day drought between games due to a doping ban handed down by ASADA in 2019.
A member of the Eagles' 2018 premiership side, Rioli is now expected to sever ties with West Coast in a move to Port Adelaide for 2023 and beyond.
“We could not have done any more to support Junior since his infraction in 2019,” West Coast CEO Trevor Nisbett said in a club statement.
“We facilitated his appeal and subsequent return to football, so this decision is bitterly disappointing."
“We will put that disappointment to one side now and work to arrange a suitable trade for a player who has high end talent, is a premiership player and is in the prime of his career, having played just 51 games of senior football.
“Junior has made his decision and while he has indicated Port is his preferred destination we will work to get the best outcome for our club.”
The decision is a major blow for the Eagles, who opted to continue their partnership with Rioli despite his lengthy suspension.
Rioli recently told Nine News of his desire to return to South Australia, where he played for Glenelg as a junior.
“Oh man, hopefully, we’ll see how we go, hey. See if my manager can look after me, work out a good thing,” he said last week.
“I’m not into the politics side … so if I could set myself up for the rest of my life. I’ve been through too much the last 18 months so just want to make the most of the industry I’m in now.
“Lot of decisions have been weighed up before I came back to footy. It’s just a bit slower now my dad’s not here.
“You know to play the best footy, you’ve got to be comfortable. For me, I learnt that when I wasn’t playing footy. I wasn’t comfortable, I wasn’t stable, so if I could be stable, I know I’d get the best out of my footy."
Rioli has played 51 games for the Eagles since making his debut in 2018, playing 13 games this year for a return of 14 goals.
