Sydney recruiting chief Stuart Maxfield said it was up to disgruntled star forward Ryan O'Keefe to declare he now wanted to remain with the club after the 27-year-old was left in limbo on Friday as the AFL's trade week fizzled out to an anti-climax.
O'Keefe, who had rejected a new three year deal from the Swans in favour of a return to his native Victoria, was just one of several big names that failed in their bid to change clubs as just six deals were completed before Friday's 2pm deadline.
Melbourne star Brad Green, who had also been seeking a move elsewhere, instead agreed to a new three year deal with Melbourne while other players that had been the subject of potential moves during trade week including West Coast duo Ashley Hansen and Mark Seaby, Essendon's Andrew Lovett, North Melbourne trio Hamish McIntosh, Daniel Harris and Corey Jones and Collingwood bad boys Alan Didak and Heath Shaw also stayed put.
O'Keefe, clearly the biggest name on offer in this year's trade period after being nominated for the All-Australian team and finishing fifth in the Swans' best and fairest, had been closely linked to premiers Hawthorn but the two clubs were unable to come up with a suitable deal after the Hawks refused to give up their first round pick - number 16 - in exchange.
Now O'Keefe either has to accept an offer to remain with the Swans, where he has played 164 games over the past nine years, or nominate for the pre-season draft where he could yet be snapped up by cashed-up Carlton for nothing.
Maxfield said the ball was now firmly in O'Keefe's court as to where his future direction lies.
"It's really at the point now where Ryan needs to come back to us and say I want to remain at the Swans," Maxfield said on Friday afternoon.
"In the end not one of the Melbourne clubs came with anything formal to us (in terms of a trade offer) to think about."
However Hawthorn list manager Chris Pelchen denied that was the case saying the Hawks put in a firm offer - which he did not disclose - but had it rejected by the Swans.
"We got close and Ryan was comfortable playing with us but we weren't able to consummate a deal with Sydney," Pelchen said.
"We didn't want to have just one selection inside 50 in this draft and if we traded out pick 16 it would have meant our only pick inside 50 in this draft would have been pick 34 (with the Hawks' third round pick not being until selection 50).
Pelchen denied O'Keefe's pay demands of at least $400,000 a season had been a stumbling block amongst the Hawks' current playing list - most of whom are on far below their market value in order to keep the club under the salary cap.
"We had discussions with the playing group during the week (about securing O'Keefe) and all (the feedback) had been positive," he said.
But even if O'Keefe decides to take his luck in the pre-season draft, the Hawks are likely to miss out given they have pick 16 while the Blues - which have room to spare in their salary cap despite picking up Fremantle ruckman Robert Warnock just before Friday's 2pm trade deadline - have pick six.
Carlton coach Brett Ratten said