Gold Coast captain Gary Ablett's bid for a trade to former AFL club Geelong was quickly shut down by the Suns, according to the Cats.
Suns chairman Tony Cochrane on Thursday played down Ablett's eagerness to be traded back to his home town, but he has cast doubt on Ablett's captaincy.
Cochrane said Ablett's request amounted to a brief conversation and the media reports around his desire to leave were "the greatest beat-up".
"Gary, well before trade period, had a brief conversation with our head of football where he discussed, you know, 'look, if it helps to retain players, if you've got a salary cap issue or something, do you want me to consider going back to Geelong?'," Cochrane told SEN radio.
"It was a simple as that.
"'No, no way in the world, Gary. You're absolutely wanted here. Fantastic.'
"That was the end of it."
But Cochrane said it was not certain Ablett would remain the Suns' captain.
"I'm not sure Gary wants to stay as captain," he said.
"Gary's had a very frustrating couple of years with injury.
"We were already well in discussions with Gary going back into this season where he was discussing ... 'do I carry on as captain because maybe what I need to do is free myself up so I can just get really fit'."
The 32-year-old Ablett, who joined the club in 2010 from the Cats, is understood to have asked permission to re-join Geelong after his wife Jordan expressed her desire to move back to Victoria.
But the request was knocked back by Gold Coast officials, according to Geelong's head of football Steve Hocking.
"The Gold Coast was very clear on the fact he was their player and will continue to be their player. He had just signed a three-year deal earlier in the year,'' Hocking told News Corp Australia.
Ablett signed a $10-million contract to be the Suns' inaugural skipper before inking a three-year extension last year.
He has two years left on his contract.
The Suns lost Dion Prestia (Richmond) and Jaeger O'Meara (Hawthorn) during the trade period, but brought in Brisbane star Pearce Hanley and Jarryd Lyons from Adelaide.
