The Sydney Swans admit they were hoping for a quieter Continental Tyres AFL Trade Period, that was until Jordan Dawson requested a trade to Adelaide in order to return home to South Australia.

Speaking to AFL Trade Radio today (Tuesday October 5, 2021), General Manager of Football Charlie Gardiner revealed the Swans and Adelaide are in negotiations but no deal had been reached.

“We weren’t expecting to be in this situation, we were really hopeful we could extend Jordan’s contract long term,” Gardiner said earlier today.

“Unfortunately, he’s decided he wants to return home, which we’ve acknowledged.”

Taken with pick No.56 in the 2015 NAB AFL draft, Dawson has featured regularly in the Swans side over the past three years and enjoyed a career-best season in 2021 where he finished third in the best and fairest.

“We rate Jordan very highly. We had a 5-year deal in front him, it was a significant offer,” Gardiner said.

“Jordan is coming into his prime as a 24-year-old, we see a really bright future ahead for him and he’s one of, if not the best player on the open market at the moment.

“We think it’s important to do what’s in the best interest of our club and get a fair deal for him.

“It’s up to the two clubs to find what that fair deal looks like and at the moment we’re not there.

If the Swans and Adelaide don’t agree to a deal during the two week Trade Period, Dawson could find himself as part of the AFL Pre-season Draft – but Gardiner doesn’t expect this to happen.

“That is one possible outcome, but our priority is to reach a fair and reasonable deal for a player that is a very high-quality player.”

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