Drama as Port Adelaide blows up three-club mega trade over All-Australian star
Port Adelaide backed out of a mega three-club trade on Monday night that has once again stalled the move of Dan Houston.
The All-Australian defender has been the most in-demand player during the AFL trade period with three Melbourne clubs hunting his services.
Houston wants to leave Port Adelaide and all of Collingwood, Carlton, and North Melbourne are keen to acquire him.
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Houston's preference has been the Magpies, given the Kangaroos have been the competition's biggest battlers in recent years and the 27-year-old clearly wants to win a premiership sooner rather than later.
The Power had previously warned they would not let Houston go for an unworthy offer but according to 9News Melbourne's chief football reporter Tom Morris, the Pies believed the deal was "good as done" before another twist on Monday night.
Dan Houston (left) and Zak Butters celebrate a Port Adelaide victory. AFL Photos via Getty Images
Collingwood has been trying to prise pick 13 out of Gold Coast in exchange for John Noble.
Morris says the Power could then get picks 13, 23 and a future third-round selection, but Port Adelaide reportedly declined,
"For all the posturing in [the] trade period, Port's position on Houston hasn't wavered," Morris wrote on X.
"This is precisely the reason North has hung around, hoping Houston's desperation to get to Victoria will see him open his mind to the Roos."
Port Adelaide was leaning towards a deal with North Melbourne earlier in the window and now that prospect is becoming more likely.
The club is also willing to retain Houston if a deal cannot be struck, dashing his hopes of a move to Victoria.
"The only option for Port Adelaide is to tell Dan Houston, 'you are not going to Collingwood'," Kane Cornes told AFL Trade Radio on Tuesday.
"The deal is too hard to get done.
"If you want to get to Victoria, you can go to North Melbourne, or you can stay here."
SEN's Sam Edmund has reported that both Collingwood and Houston's management believed a deal was all but done before "Port's board intervened to call it off".
The trade period closes on Wednesday night.
