Brodie Grundy details emerge amid trade mess at Collingwood

Collingwood could be staring down the barrel of another trade debacle, with out of favour ruckman Brodie Grundy reportedly unhappy about the Magpies looking to move him on.

Grundy, who still has five years to run on a $7 million contract he signed with Collingwood in 2020, has reportedly been approached by the club, who are keen to move on from the two-time club best and fairest and All-Australian.

OUCH: Buddy Franklin cops brutal truth bomb after AFL grand final flop

YIKES: Tom Stewart apologises to young girl after AFL grand final gaffe

In a situation reminiscent of the Magpies' calamitous trade saga involving Adam Treloar in late 2020, Grundy is reportedly unhappy about Collingwood's desire to open up further salary cap space.

Grundy has nominated Melbourne as his preferred destination in a trade, however the approach from Collingwood has, according to AFL reporter Sam Edmund, generated a similar level of 'anger' to that surrounding the exit of Treloar.

The Magpies are looking to sign wantaway Brisbane Lions star Daniel McStay as a free agent this off-season, while the Demons are keen on Grundy with their ruckman, Luke Jackson, interested in a move to Fremantle.

While the AFL's silly season is yet to play out, reports have suggested Collingwood will be forced to continue to pay a significant amount of Grundy's salary.

The Magpies found themselves in a similar situation with Treloar when he was sent to the Western Bulldogs.

Edmund told SEN that Grundy was 'dissatisfied' with the club, having hoped to return to the field in black and white next year after missing much of the 2022 season through injury.

“If Adam Treloar was 10 out of 10 on the anger scale with his departure, this isn’t that far behind from my understanding,” Edmund said.

“Brodie Grundy has never been scared to speak his mind and I just wonder when it’s all said and done if he’ll express dissatisfaction with how it’s all played out.

“At the end of the day, he wanted to stay at Collingwood.

“I hope he’ll paint a picture for us when he does get to Melbourne on the other side.”

Grundy's frustrations with the club come after the Herald Sun's Jon Ralph broke the news that Collingwood was seeking to move him on in the week before the grand final.

The Magpies bounced back from a dour 2021 season to almost make the grand final, falling one point shy in the preliminary final in a revitalising year for the club under rookie coach Craig McRae.

His arrival was foreshadowed by the controversial departures of former midfielders Trelaor and Jaidyn Stephenson to alleviate their cap strife prior to the season, as well as numerous other off-field distractions that marred their campaign.

Collingwood's trade plan for Brodie Grundy leaves AFL stunned

Former Magpies coach Nathan Buckley, who made way for McRae and was in charge when Grundy signed his extension two years ago, said he didn't understand the logic behind the move.

Salary cap crunch remains a problem for the Pies, but Buckley last week said offloading Grundy to make room for another highly paid star in McStay made no sense.

“If Brodie Grundy leaves Collingwood and Collingwood brings in Daniel McStay and the net effect on the salary cap is nil, I don’t understand that at all,” he told SEN Breakfast.

“I don’t have any inside knowledge, I don’t know what the plans are or the commitments that have been made, but if that ends up happening, then I can’t see how that is a win.”

Ralph was puzzled by Collingwood's motives, pointing out that they had been troubled by dominant ruckman this season, particularly in the preliminary final against Sydney, and that Grundy's return would surely bolster that area.

“Let me tell you what’s happening – I can’t explain why it’s happening,” Ralph told Fox Footy's On The Couch.

“So at Collingwood Brodie Grundy has played his last game at the club, barring an extraordinary backflip. This has all been driven by Collingwood, not Grundy.

“My understanding is the football boss Graham Wright met with Grundy’s management and said we need his cap space off the books.

"It enabled him to look around, he chose Melbourne over Port Adelaide and Geelong.

“He only wants to go to Melbourne, he will go to Melbourne."

McStay's departure to the Magpies has long been touted but the forward has formally told the Lions of his pending move, citing a desire to closer to family in Melbourne.

"I've had an amazing nine years (in Brisbane) with great support from both the playing group and staff," McStay said in a statement on Friday.

"They have helped me grow both on and off the field and I'm incredibly grateful for the opportunity the Brisbane Lions have given me to fulfil my dreams of playing AFL football.

"My partner and I have decided to move back home to Melbourne."

McStay, pick 25 in the 2013 national draft, played 161 AFL games for the Lions.

With AAP

Click here to sign up to our newsletter for all the latest and breaking stories from Australia and around the world.