Fremantle would have been compromising its future if they decided to trade two first round picks for Brisbane star Lachie Neale, according to Aaron Hamill.
Hamill, who is fresh off a 10-year stint as an assistant coach at St Kilda, felt the Dockers couldn't give up too much to snare the 2020 Brownlow medallist after finishing 11th on the AFL ladder in the recent season.
Neale was believed to be considering a move back to Western Australia for family reasons only three years into a five-year deal with the Lions, but ultimately decided to stay with Brisbane for the 2022 campaign.
In 2018, the Lions sent two first round picks - no.6 and no.19 - to Fremantle to acquire Neale in a bombshell trade which also saw an exchange of lesser picks.
But Hamill believes a similar deal to return the 28-year-old to the West would have been at detriment to the development of Fremantle as a team.
"Is Neale worth two first-round draft picks? That will all play out," Hamill told Sporting News prior to confirmation the Lion wouldn't be requesting a trade.
"You can't be giving up your two first-round draft picks when, in my opinion, you're not in a top four position because you've still got to work your way up to the top.
"Your only way to get there is through your first round draft picks. Your main credential as a list is your first round draft picks because they are worth a lot."
Neale became a rising star of the competition at the Dockers between 2012 and 2018 - winning two club best and fairests during his 135 games.
But the prolific ball winner has taken his game to another level during his 60 games at the Lions, winning the Brownlow, two All-Australian selections and another two best and fairests.
AFL trade week usually begins the Monday after the Grand Final but the AFL is yet to set a date due to the current situation with COVID-19 in Australia.
