THE Brisbane Lions are willing to trade talented Irishman Pearce Hanley to assist their rebuild.

Hanley, who turns 28 in November, is on the radar of a couple of clubs including Gold Coast. The Lions would be willing to trade him for a draft pick inside the top ten.

While there has been speculation about skipper Tom Rockliff’s future with Brisbane, as yet no club has put in a bid for Rockliff, whose captaincy has been heavily scrutinised this year.

Hanley is contracted for 2017 on a significant deal and would have to be amenable to the trade. He has not yet indicated a wish to leave the Lions, who are keen to get additional draft picks as part of their long-term strategy.

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Josh Green is expected to leave the Lions and has been linked to Essendon, but the Bombers have not yet committed to the small forward and he is only one of a number of options they are pursuing from other clubs.

The Brisbane Lions are willing to trade Pearce Hanley. Source: News Corp Australia

The Lions are expected to announce the appointment of David Noble as their new head of football and he will immediately join the discussions about the next senior coach. His Hawthorn counterpart Chris Fagan is considered the frontrunner for the coaching position, though the club and its coaching subcommittee still have work to do.

Hanley is a potential trade option because he holds appeal to other clubs and at nearly 28, he is unlikely to be part of the next successful Brisbane side. The Suns are understood to be interested and are under pressure to bring in experienced players.

The AFL is believed to be keen for the Suns to acquire senior players and the Suns’ greatest need is in the midfield, where they will lose Jaeger O’Meara, Dion Prestia and have had David Swallow regularly injured.

The Suns have two top ten draft picks and could well gain another for Prestia plus the prospect of a first-round pick for O’Meara, giving them an embarrassment of draft riches.

Hanley played all 22 games this season for the first time since 2012, averaging 21.2 disposals, his lowest in four years.