A BITTER bidding war has erupted between Carlton and Collingwood over the services of star defender Bri Davey.

The Blues are not letting their captain go to their rivals without a fight, but the Magpies feel as if they have done enough to woo the former Matildas goalkeeper with an overall package that’s understood to be worth as much as $120,000 for the year and includes a full-time job.

It’s believed Carlton made its final pitch to Davey late last week and the 23-year-old is still weighing up the two options with a deadline fast approaching.

Davey has a teaching background and insiders believe she could be set to fill the vacancy left by Meg Hutchins in the administration wing of the club, while also playing a more prominent midfield role, rather than defence, when she recovers from her knee reconstruction.

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The Blues will not part ways with their injured captain easily and will likely ask for a top level midfielder plus draft picks in return if she demands to be traded to Collingwood.

But a source close to the Magpies confirmed a request for AFLW Rising Star winner and best and fairest Chloe Molloy would not even be entertained.

The tit-for-tat between the arch rival clubs — at least from an AFLW perspective — stretches back to last season when inaugural Collingwood best and fairest Nicola Stevens was poached by the Blues in a trade that sent Carlton’s first, second and third round draft selections to the Magpies.

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Bri Davey was made Carlton captain in 2018. Source: Getty Images

Retaining players has been no easy task for Carlton since they sacked Damien Keeping, lost their list manager Graham Burgen and finished outright bottom of the AFLW ladder.

The dearth of senior women’s football administrators has left football boss Andrew McKay to pick up the pieces and several players anxious about the future.

While key Blues such as Tayla Harris, Darcy Vescio and vice-captain Sarah Hosking have not explicitly threatened to leave, they are all understood to be keeping a close eye on who the club appoints as its new coach and head of women’s football, as are many others in the playing group.

Vescio in particular had an underwhelming campaign compared to 2017, but was played further forward than she had become accustomed to in the AFLW’s inaugural season.

Further complicating matters for a club without any women’s football coaching hierarchy is the introduction of North Melbourne and Geelong, each of whom will be permitted to submit a wishlist of players they want to poach from the existing eight clubs.

While it is not yet clear exactly how the AFL will compensate clubs who lose star players, the league is expected to formalise arrangements by the end of the month.

Meanwhile, Carlton has upped the ante to appoint a new coach after advertising the job on SEEK.com.au last month.

It’s understood the club has made contact with at least two candidates.