By Marc McGowan
Credit:
NO OFFER FOR PROMISING BOMBER
Essendon are in no rush to extend the contract of first-round draftee Ben Hobbs, having not tabled a contract offer to the tough second-year midfielder.
Opposition clubs are monitoring Hobbs’ situation – including the fact he has not played at AFL level this season, after 17 games last year – and starting to inquire about his potential availability.
The 19-year-old, the No. 13 pick in the 2021 draft, is one of only three first-round selections from that year not to ink an extension, along with Sydney’s Angus Sheldrick and Brisbane’s Kai Lohmann, as The Age reported in February.
Ben Hobbs played 17 games for Essendon in his debut season.Credit: AFL Photos
St Kilda’s Nasiah Wanganeen-Milera is the latest player off the market on a fresh two-year deal, while Money Talks understands Sheldrick will soon agree to his own two-year extension.
Lohmann’s agent, Tom Seccull, of Hemisphere Management Group, will meet Lions list manager Dom Ambrogio next week to discuss his future – and that of hard-running teammate Harry Sharp.
The delay in Lohmann’s negotiations owes only to the injury-riddled start to his career, and he was keen to get some matches under his belt first.
The Bombers traditionally take their time to lock away first-round draftees, and did not re-sign 2020 top-10 picks Archie Perkins, Nik Cox and Zach Reid until several months into last year.
Players rarely leave after their first contract, particularly from one Victorian club to another, but Ollie Henry’s move from Collingwood to Geelong was an example of how the industry is changing.
A minor calf strain in February set Hobbs back, but he resumed in a VFL practice match before dominating with 36 disposals, 19 contested possessions and seven centre clearances in round one of the second-tier competition.
He has recovered from the ankle injury that sidelined him last weekend and hopes to break into Brad Scott’s side, which is giving the lion’s share of centre attendances to captain Zach Merrett, Dylan Shiel, free agent Darcy Parish and recruit Will Setterfield.
SOLACE FOR INJURED GIANT
First-year Giant Darcy Jones has one less worry as he comes to terms with spending a year out of football after rupturing an ACL playing in the VFL at the weekend.
Jones, a first-round pick out of Swan Districts, is another of Seccull’s clients, and they were in advanced negotiations with Greater Western Sydney football boss Jason McCartney before his setback.
The Giants assured them that the 19-year-old small forward’s knee injury will not have an impact on his future, and he is likely to score a two-year extension within the next month.
Jones will have surgery next week.
NEW REPRESENTATION
North Melbourne defender Ben McKay is still nursing a right foot injury, but he is making moves off the field.
McKay, the twin brother of Carlton’s Coleman medallist Harry, is one of this year’s most coveted free agents after averaging more than four intercept marks a game in a breakout 2022 campaign.
Ben McKay (right) is one of the most coveted free agents this year.Credit: Getty Images
The 202-centimetre backman recently switched management companies to powerhouse agency TLA Australia, as he prepares to make the biggest decision of his AFL career.
The Blues would love to pair McKay with his sibling, while Port Adelaide have identified him as a priority to bolster their under-sized back line after failing to convince Geelong to trade Esava Ratugolea last year.
More clubs are likely to enter the frame the longer the 25-year-old remains on the market, but industry estimations suggest he could command $800,000 a season, so that hefty price tag may limit his suitors.
A deal of that size would trigger premium free-agency compensation for the Roos.
James Jordon made a strong impression in his return to Melbourne’s senior side.Credit: AFL Photos
NO MOVEMENT ON DEE
Free agent James Jordon issued a reminder of his ability in his first match of the season in Melbourne’s big win over the Swans at the MCG on Sunday.
The 22-year-old was a fixture in Melbourne’s senior side the past two seasons, albeit as the sub in the 2021 grand final triumph, before a foot fracture that required surgery sidelined him from both finals last year.
But ex-Bulldog Lachie Hunter’s off-season arrival pushed Jordon off the wing and out of the team for the first two rounds, before James Harmes’ unavailability in round three offered him a reprieve.
Jordon was pick 33 in the 2018 draft, but qualifies for free agency for a second time this year after being shuffled to the rookie list at the end of the COVID-marred 2020 season.
He had 28 disposals and eight score involvements in his sole VFL appearance, before compiling 21 touches, eight score involvements and 467 metres gained for the Demons in the AFL at the weekend.
Both parties are happy to park negotiations for the short term as Jordon’s position in the team is figured out, but he is a promising player who could generate external interest.
Captain Max Gawn told The Age on season’s eve that Jordon was developing his inside game to be able to play multiple positions, after being relegated to the No. 3 winger behind Ed Langdon and Hunter.
Jacob Weitering congratulates Nic Newman (right) after Saturday’s win over the Giants.Credit: AFL Photos
TOBY STOPPER KEEN FOR NEW DEAL
Nic Newman is one of only two Carlton players on the wrong side of 30, but his expert lockdown job on Giants captain Toby Greene proved he has plenty still to offer.
Greene mustered only five disposals for the day opposed to the close-checking Newman, whose two-year deal signed in September 2021 expires at season’s end.
The ex-Swan racked up 24 touches for the second straight game and wants to lock away his future sooner rather than later, even if he understands it will likely be one-year contracts from here on.
Newman has played 58 of his 89 career matches for the Blues.
SA TEEN ON THE RISE
AFL clubs in need of key forward help have a new name to follow throughout this season, with the emergence of Central Districts target Liam Fawcett.
Fawcett finished last year strongly – kicking 14 goals in his last five under-18 games – and has picked up where he left off, including racking up 27 disposals, 14 marks and 13 score involvements, and kicking 3.4, on Saturday against South Adelaide.
The 17-year-old is a big, powerful forward whose contested marking has come on in leaps and bounds, and recruiters are also impressed with his work rate and significant improvement in the past 12 months.
Fawcett appears to thrive in pressure moments, too, slotting a game-winner from a set shot in the dying seconds against Norwood last season.
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