Geelong’s Lang could help Ablett AFL deal

Geelong youngster Darcy Lang looms as a potential circuit-breaker for the Cats in their bid to bring Gary Ablett home from Gold Coast.

Off-contract forward Lang is seeking more midfield opportunities and has attracted interest from the Suns, Carlton and North Melbourne.

He is set to decide on Wednesday whether to head to the Gold Coast in a move that could pave the way for Ablett’s return to Geelong.

The Suns and Geelong have been quietly negotiating a deal for Ablett after he reaffirmed his desire to return to Kardinia Park.

The dual Brownlow Medallist, who is mourning the death of his sister Natasha last week, wants to be closer to family and has indicated he will retire if he is not traded.

Lang’s manager Scott Lucas confirmed the 21-year-old was closing in on a decision after a positive meeting with new Suns coach Stuart Dew.

“He has really loved his time there (at Geelong) but midfield opportunities haven’t been as forthcoming as he would have liked,” Lucas told AFL Trade Radio.

“We consider when we sit down and look at it that they are bringing in one of the best midfielders of all time.

“So if you think that it’s going to get easier to push into the midfield, I think that’s possibly not the case with Gary coming in, which we expect to happen.”

Lucas said he expected there to be some crossover with the Ablett deal should Lang pick Gold Coast ahead of his Victorian suitors.

“As it turns out with Gary wanting to come the other way, if we were to go down that path I’m sure that there would be consideration toward what it means,” he said.

The 11th deal of the trade period landed on Wednesday morning with Melbourne receiving Fremantle midfielder Harley Balic in exchange for a fourth-round draft pick.

Stay up to date with the latest sports news
Follow our social accounts to get exclusive content and all the latest sporting news!