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Western Bulldogs defender Joel Hamling is leaving the reigning premiers and heading home to WA, where he hopes to play for Fremantle in 2017.
As Fairfax Media reported on Friday, the full-back was torn about whether to stay at the Bulldogs, where he was a star performer in their first grand final win in more 60 years, or to move back to his home state.
Hamling is close friends with Geelong's Shane Kersten, who is also from WA, and the pair would like to play at the same club.
After their poor 2016 season, Fremantle have been keen to poach good young players this trade period.
The Dockers have in particular targeted players from WA, who may find the idea of moving closer to home appealing.
Premiership-winning Hawk Brad Hill has already joined Fremantle, where he will play with his older brother Stephen, and former Giant Cam McCarthy will also don Docker purple in 2017.
Fremantle list manager Brad Lloyd told Perth radio station 6PR that the Bulldogs' grand final win had made Hamling's decision to leave a particularly difficult one.
"He did a really good job through the finals and he's only 23 years of age, he's really growing as a player," Lloyd said.
He said he did not think Fremantle would need to give up their pick seven in the national draft to get Hamling to the club.
The clubs had not yet decided upon the terms of the trade, Lloyd said, but he was quite confident, too, of getting Kerston to Fremantle.
"They're the best of mates, they're inseparable. Every time I've spoken to one the other other one's been there," he said.
"They came over to Perth during the week and had a bit of a look around, they were there together."
Lloyd said Fremantle were not planning on any other major trades during this period.
