All-Australian midfielder Andrew Gaff has confirmed North Melbourne has made a play for him but insists he could still remain with West Coast.
As the end-of-season swap shop begins to intensify, Gaff said he had much to debate, as he remains on the sidelines because of his season-ending suspension for striking Fremantle's Andrew Brayshaw in round 20.
Gaff spent a significant period in Melbourne recently following his tribunal appearance, dealing with a serious heart scare to his father Paul, a leading tennis coach, which required surgery. He returned to Perth a fortnight ago ahead of the Eagles' finals campaign but the lure of home could ultimately sway him to join a Melbourne-based club.
West Coast’s Andrew Gaff.
The Kangaroos are set to secure Port Adelaide line-breaker Jared Polec, and have also been eying Gaff, who is a restricted free agent.
"Yeah, it's one of them," Gaff told Mix 94.5 in Perth on Friday when asked if the Kangaroos were chasing him.
"But it's amazing what gets talked about at this time of year as well, especially with teams that aren't playing finals. Once the season's finished, the amount of rumours that go on for the next one or two weeks before or during trade period is almost ridiculous."
St Kilda, Essendon and Melbourne, the latter whom Gaff grew up supporting, have also been linked to the elite wingman. The Bombers are set to again be a robust player through the trade period, and have been linked with Sydney's Luke Parker and Greater Western Sydney's Dylan Shiel.
However, Gaff said he still hoped to broker a new deal with the Eagles, although his immediate focus was on doing what he could to help their finals campaign. The Eagles will host a preliminary final next weekend.
"Yeah, I hope so. It's still something we're working through with my management and the club. With what's happened, there's sort of more stuff to think about, which we'll continue to do over the next few weeks," he said.
"With the team playing finals, that's the priority. As I said to them when I got back to Perth, I am so committed to what the boys have in front of them for the rest of the year. I am focused on that and helping the midfield group where I can and helping them have a strong performance next Saturday."
Gaff, recruited from the Oakleigh Chargers with the fourth pick of the 2010 national draft, continues to train with the team.
He said he had to ensure the ugly incident with Brayshaw did not hold the ultimate sway in his decision.
"I think it's got to be an independent thing but, no doubt, it's the elephant in the room and something that's going to come up. It's something that is hard to avoid," he said.
"We'll continue to work through that. But I think it's got to be more than just a reaction to what's happened."
Gaff had apologised in person to Brayshaw during his time in Melbourne. Brayshaw, also from Melbourne, had returned home to deal with his broken jaw and misplaced teeth.
Polec has confirmed he wants to head to Arden Street, with the Kangaroos offering a five-year deal worth more than $3.5 million, a deal he said was too good to refuse. The Power had offered a three-year contract. The Power are likely to demand the Roos hand over their first pick in the national draft, No. 10 overall, in exchange.
The Roos, despite having significant room in their salary cap, have missed out on star talent including Dustin Martin, Josh Kelly and Adam Treloar in recent years but believe Polec and Gaff, should they get the latter, will provide the outside run they crave.
It shapes as a profitable off-season for the Roos, who are expected to select exciting Next Generation Academy prospect Tarryn Thomas in the national draft.
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