Trade talk: Premiership Dee tipped to request move

Melbourne defender Trent Rivers could be on the move this off-season, reports SEN’s Tom Morris.

Despite being contracted until the end of the 2027 season, Morris says the expectation around Rivers is that he’ll request a trade in the next few weeks.

While Rivers hails from Perth and represented WA in this year’s State of Origin game, it may not be a simple ‘go-home’ trade request with Brisbane clearly in the mix due to his partner being from Queensland.

“Trent Rivers at Melbourne… the expectation from everyone around Trent Rivers is that he will request a trade at some stage in the next few weeks, where to remains to be seen,” Morris said on Seven’s Agenda Setters.

“His partner is from Brisbane… so the Lions are very much in the mix, as are the West Coast Eagles, given he's a Perth boy in the first place.

“I expect that he’ll request a trade. Melbourne will play hard ball and so they should because he’s contracted, but I think in the end he will end up moving."

The 25-year-old has played 140 games for the Dees, including the 2021 premiership victory.

He averaged 20.2 disposals, 4.8 marks and 2.3 tackles from his 17 games in 2026, with all of those numbers slightly down on his 2025 and 2024 output.