The consistent Miers,who has played in 15 finals since making his AFL debut six seasons ago,said adding great players to the list via trades lifted everyone’s performance.

“He is one of the best players in the league so it is pretty straightforward ... that is what everyone gets cut up about,that we are targeting great players. That is their job to just target the best,” Miers said.

“I don’t know if we are going for him but if we are,good luck to him and good luck to us. If that happens it will be exciting. I hope we keep going after those big names.”

Miers,a keen NFL fan,said he only needed to look at the Philadelphia Eagles’ path to this year’s Super Bowl to know that trading in talent was the right approach. The Eagles had great success with players such as wide receiver A.J.Brown.

“You don’t want to sit on your heels and let others take the best players in the league. If you fail at getting these players,so be it,” Miers said.

“We have had great success with the players we have got. You’ve got to keep doing it and the only way to get better is to get better players.

“That makes the players like me at the team see those guys come and go[and think],‘I don’t want them to steal my spot’. It all works for each other.”

If Rowell were to join the Cats,he would be an ideal replacement for Patrick Dangerfield,who is contracted until the end of 2026,and star midfielder Cam Guthrie,who has been sidelined through injury for all bar 10 matches since being equal best and fairest in Geelong’s 2022 premiership.

Setback for Kangaroos gun

Peter Ryan
North Melbourne midfielder George Wardlaw could be sidelined for a short period after he suffered a suspected hamstring strain at training on Wednesday.

The emerging Kangaroo was sent for scans and assistant coach Leigh Adams told reporters the 20-year-old would “probably miss some footy”.

“It looks like a hamstring. We’re not sure about the severity,he’s going to get a scan now,” Adams said.

Star midfielder Harry Sheezel,who was drafted alongside Wardlaw,told reporters the setback was disappointing but he expected a positive response whatever the prognosis.

“We’ll see how bad it is but I’m shattered for him and we’ll wrap our arms around him,” Sheezel said.

“He’s worked so hard on his body the last few years to get it right so if this is a bit of a setback it will be hard for him.”

Wardlaw played 18 games this season and had completed most of pre-season before the injury.

Injury scare for De Goey

Michael Gleeson
Collingwood star Jordan De Goey suffered a knock to his calf at training on Wednesday that forced him from the track.

But fears for the powerful midfield star were quickly allayed by scans taken immediately afterwards that cleared him of any tear or injury.

De Goey is still retuning to full fitness after badly tearing his hamstring at the end of last season. He went to Doha for specialist treatment on groin and abdominal issues in the off-season to address ongoing soft tissue issues.

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