Tayla Harris: Collingwood and Hawthorn keen to lure off-contract Demons star

All eyes will be on Tayla Harris in the upcoming AFLW trade period as the high-profile star decides on her future.

Off-contract Harris has yet to be offered a new deal by Melbourne ahead of the trade period officially starting on Thursday, after missing out on most of the 2024 season through injury.

Should negotiations break down and leave Harris in search of a fourth club, Hawthorn and Collingwood are keen to swoop.

Joining the Demons in 2021 after stints at Carlton and the Brisbane Lions, the 27-year-old forward played only one game this year after requiring surgery on her troublesome left shoulder.

Harris dislocated the shoulder in the round-one win over Geelong, having already suffered a similar injury to the joint during a pre-season camp.

The athletic, high-marking tall’s absence up forward proved a hammer blow for Melbourne’s finals aspirations, with Mick Stinear’s side missing out for the first time since 2019.

The Demons finished ninth, outside the top eight by two points after six wins and five losses.

Hawthorn and Collingwood will be hoping Harris’s talents and experience will boost their respective programs should either lure the four-time All-Australian over.

The Hawks, under first-year coach Daniel Webster, finished second on the ladder before crashing out of finals in straight sets.

Harris would reunite with former premiership teammates Eliza West and Casey Sheriff if she were to make the jump, the pair moving over to the 2022 expansion club last year.

Adelaide premiership player Najwa Allen has already requested a trade to Hawthorn, while Hawks midfielder Charlotte Baskaran wants a move to St Kilda.

The Magpies are in desperate need of a goal-kicking spearhead after finishing bottom of the ladder (1-10) this season.

Imogen Barnett, Brit Bonnici and Lauren Butler were equal leading goal-kickers with just four.

Still, Collingwood are unlikely to part with their No.1 draft pick for Harris.

Melbourne’s Lily Mithen shapes as another factor in the trade period, despite being contracted until 2026.

Mithen has reportedly been considering a move to Gold Coast, which could open the door for the Dees to collect the Suns’ No.2 pick.

Star Gold Coast midfielder Charlie Rowbottom has yet to sign a new deal but the club remains confident the two-time All-Australian will reject overtures from Sydney - where her brother James plays - and recommit.

Tara Bohanna, however, is set to leave after being encouraged by the club to explore her options at the end of this season.

The Suns captain has been linked with Carlton, while former No.1 pick Nicola Barr is reportedly seeking a move from GWS to the Saints.