Wantaway ruckman Rowan Marshall boycotted the St Kilda best and fairest award on Monday night as he pushes the club for a trade to Geelong for the second straight year.
Marshall, 30, informed the Saints last week that he would not be attending the Trevor Barker Award function at Crownโs Palladium, saying he didnโt feel valued by the club and didnโt feel it was appropriate to attend while his trade request was in limbo.
Marshall has played 177 games for the Saints over a 10-year stretch. But his boycott of Monday nightโs function is a clear sign of the escalating tensions between him and the club since it brought in high-priced recruit Tom De Koning from Carlton last off-season and installed him as the No.1 ruck option.
The Saints are driving a hard bargain with the Cats in negotiations on Marshall, given he remains under contract, and aware of Geelongโs desire for a seasoned ruckman to bolster their premiership aspirations.
This masthead reported on Sunday that St Kilda had sought Geelongโs first-round draft pick (pick No.14) and a player in exchange for Marshall. They initially asked about small defender Lawson Humphries but have since shelved that inquiry.
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