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Sport Nation
Trade talk: Star Blue heavily considering "attractive" Saints deal
Jaiden Sciberras • April 13th, 2025 3:00 pm
SEN’s Tom Morris has provided a not-so-exciting update for Carlton fans, as Tom De Koning continues to explore his options at his contract’s end.
With the star ruckman’s deal set to expire at the end of the 2025 season and talks of interest from several clubs across the competition, Blues fans will be holding their breath in the hopes that the club’s most valuable asset remains at Ikon Park.
Regardless of Carlton’s best efforts, the club will not have the finances to match the astronomical bid handed to the 25-year-old, with reports suggesting St Kilda have tabled a seven-year deal well in excess of the $3 million deal drawn up by the Blues.
As per Tom Morris, the Saints are willing to throw every cent out to the masses in the hopes of landing a top-end talent, with De Koning appearing the most likely of the available options.
“I think St Kilda don't care (who they land),” Morris told SEN’s The Run Home.
“St Kilda has thrown the net wide and they're going to try to land someone.
“They might get De Koning, they might get someone else, and they don't care.
“They're just having a crack and if they miss out, they'll just move down the whiteboard and go to the next one.
“So, I think St Kilda's a different kettle of fish by virtue of the fact that they're heavily impatient because of their lack of success in recent history.
“They've got Ross Lyon, they've got the old crew back. ‘We are going to have a crack at everyone and if we land five per cent of them, then we're going to be better.’
“I think that's their method, and I think Saints fans quite like that as well.
“I never thought Finn Callaghan was going to get to St Kilda.
“He didn't even want to entertain it, and we knew that because Ross Lyon didn't speak to it.
“So, when you asked Ross Lyon, ‘how strong was your interest in Finn Callaghan’, he said, ‘well, I didn't even speak to him’.
“The truth is, it’s because Finn Callaghan didn't want to have the conversation because he wanted to stay at the Giants.
“He saw the offer, he thought, ‘geez, 17.5 million over 10 years is pretty nice, but I'll stay at the Giants for now and I'll go to the free agents if I needed to in four years.’
“But De Koning's a different level, he caught up with Ross Lyon before Christmas.
“Ross Lyon's on the record talking about that, and he's weighing that offer up.
“Five weeks ago, I would have said Carlton is a way stronger destination club than St Kilda, but in the past four weeks, it's turned on its head.
“The Saints look pretty sexy, they look pretty attractive, and Carlton not as much.
“So, he's genuinely weighing it up, and I think if he hasn't signed by midseason, then he's probably on his way.”
De Koning amassed 14 disposals and 22 hit-outs in the Blues' 71-point Gather Round victory over the West Coast Eagles.
