GWS Giants list boss Jason McCartney says the club is hopeful of keeping Rory Lobb for the final year of his contract before a “more likely than unlikely” move home to Western Australia at the end of 2019.

McCartney gave an update on Lobb and Victorian Dylan Shiel on AFL Trade Radio on Tuesday, with players both exploring their options with the Giants’ blessing.

Both WA clubs are vying to secure the 207cm ruck-forward, who met with West Coast in the lead-up to Saturday’s grand final.

He will also chat with Fremantle before the trade period kicks off on Monday.

“The strong thing for us is that is he is contracted and whilst he’s, with our blessing, gathering some information and catching up with a couple of clubs in the west, we’re working on being in a position to retain Rory for the last year of our contract,” McCartney said.

“They’re contracted until the end of 2019 but we’ve had a number of conversations with the players and their managers this year, really mature conversations about what 2019 and beyond looks like.

“Our understanding where the players are, it’s probably more likely that unlikely beyond 2019 they would look to explore to get back to their home states.

“With that, we’re working on a number of things in the background throughout this trade period.

“While we’re gathering some information and working on some mechanisms to help us going forward, we’ve given that permission for the players to go and do their due diligence and what they need to do.

“We’ve got a bit of time to work through it but that’s where it all sits, and both parties in both cases are really comfortable where it sits at the moment, but the conversations are also about continuing on and seeing out their contracts at the Giants in 2019.”

It comes a day after Lobb’s manager Nick Gieschen revealed that Lobb would seek a move to Perth in this year’s trade period.
“Rory’s been there for five years now and has a really close, tight-knit family back in Perth,” Gieschen told AFL Trade Radio.

“If the opportunity comes up this year, he would like to get back.

“If it’s not this year, he’s out of contract next year and he would like to go back home at some stage.”