Melbourne has first pick in that draft but, with a reduced salary cap and financial pressures, might struggle to match his terms. West Coast, with the next pick, has not ruled out taking O'Keefe in the pre-season draft. "We'd certainly have to consider it," said Eagles chief executive Trevor Nisbett.

Fremantle said last night it would consider its position on O'Keefe. Port Adelaide, which has the next pick, is believed to be committed to snaring Josh Carr.

That leaves Essendon and then Carlton, meaning O'Keefe, originally from Strathmore, could be playing for a club near his old neighbourhood.

Blues coach Brett Ratten said with several players still out of contract the club could juggle its list to ensure they had room in the cap to fit in O'Keefe.

"I think we are not too far off it and we know that in a couple of years Brendan (Fevola) goes onto the veteran's list so that is the scope for us to get movement and maybe with other clubs they don't have that luxury to get a veteran that is one of your highest paid players," Ratten said.

Travis Auld, Essendon's chief operating officer, confirmed the Bombers could be interested in O'Keefe and would decide next week whether to pursue him.

"We've got enough room (in the salary cap) to think about it as an option," he said.

Essendon also has moved to resolve its differences with midfielder Andrew Lovett, who has a year to run on his contract but whom the club had sought to trade to make a statement to the playing group. Ultimately a trade could not be organised as Geelong, the club with most interest in Lovett after Sydney cried off, could not fit him into its salary cap.

Trade week ended yesterday with only six trades completed and only one draft pick under 30 (pick no. 24 for Robert Warnock) involved in any exchange. Mindful that the next draft is to be the last before the new expansion teams have an impact, clubs were unusually determined to hold their picks.

O'Keefe could now be lost to Sydney for nothing in the pre-season draft so it is argued by free agency proponents that it is reasonable for the player to have been able to have some control over his own destiny.

The Blues were one of the few active clubs yesterday finally obtaining ruckman Robert Warnock from Fremantle and the Dockers' fifth-round pick (No. 69). Fremantle received Carlton's second-round (No. 24), fourth-round (No. 56) and fifth-round (No. 72 ) draft picks.

Bulldog Farren Ray will shift to St Kilda for a switch of draft picks, moving the Dogs pick down from 48 to 31.

Injured Geelong midfielder Brent Prismall got his wish to move to the Bombers with Geelong receiving pick 39 in exchange.

Collingwood traded Rhyce Shaw to Sydney along with its fourth-round draft pick and obtained Sydney's third-round pick in return; effectively, the Swans gained Shaw and slid 15 places in the draft from 61 to 46.

Lions forward Anthony Corrie joined the Magpies for the nominal price of pick 93 — which will not be used, as Brisbane helped the player find a new club.

Corrie, who is holidaying in Newcastle, northern England — the home of another team of black-and-white stripes — will possibly have to fly straight from holidays in Europe to Arizona to join the Magpies for the first time at their high-altitude training camp.

The lack of activity left several players stranded at clubs they either wanted to leave, or which wanted to trade them.

North's Daniel Harris did not find the new home he requested and, like contracted teammates Hamish McIntosh and Corey Jones, who had both been trade bait, will now remain at Arden Street.

West Coast's Mark Seaby will remain in Dean Cox's shadow after the Eagles were unable to deal the ruckman to another club, while several other players attracted no serious bids at all.

The paucity of movement prompted player agent Tom Petroro, who manages O'Keefe, to say the week again highlighted the need for free agency for players — a view that is almost universal among player agents and shared by the AFL Players' Association.