Fremantle big man Sean Darcy has reached out to Melbourne rising star Luke Jackson as the AFL ruck merry-go-round begins to heat up.
The Demons are rumoured to have already met with Collingwood ruckman Brodie Grundy as a type of contingency plan in case Jackson joins Fremantle.
Grundy is contracted for another five years, but Collingwood are reportedly willing to pay a chunk of his massive salary in order to move him on.
Premiership ruckman Jackson is out of contract at the end of this season, and he is yet to tell Melbourne what his intentions are.
Fremantle appear in the box seat to sign him, which in turn could further convince Dockers big man Rory Lobb that his best option is to leave.
Lobb, whose bid to rejoin GWS last year fell apart, has been linked to the Western Bulldogs.
Darcy himself was linked to Geelong last year before re-signing with Fremantle until the end of 2024, and he's reached out to WA-born Jackson to check on the 20-year-old's wellbeing.
"I've spoken to him about how he's going. It's a pretty tough decision for him," Darcy told Triple M.
"I just checked on him mentally, with everything going around.
"It's pretty tough on him. His name's in the newspaper every day.
"I had a little bit last year when (reports said) I was desperate to leave. But that never came from me, that was more media making it up."
Darcy will be back in action on Saturday night in the western derby against West Coast.
The Eagles will start as rank underdogs, especially given they will be without star trio Josh Kennedy (retired), Willie Rioli (personal reasons), and Tim Kelly (suspended).
Those three big outs come on top of a bulging injury list that includes the likes of Jeremy McGovern, Oscar Allen, Dom Sheed and Elliot Yeo.
The Dockers will be without forward Matt Taberner, while Nat Fyfe (hamstring) is at least one week away from returning.
Fremantle are likely to need wins against West Coast and GWS in the final two rounds to have any hope of snaring a top-four berth.
