The latest on veteran Magpies, Crows and O’Brien ‘long way apart’ on new deal
The Pies’ collection of plus-30 premiership stars will have to bide their time if they want new deals for 2026. Plus, Jon Ralph has the latest on a key Crow’s future and Jeremy McGovern.
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Collingwood has told its collection of plus-30 premiership stars it will need at least another month to consider future contracts as they continue to put in brilliant auditions to extend their careers.
Pies list boss Justin Leppitsch is aware most of his senior veterans would like to play on into 2026 and also have the early-season form to do so.
Jamie Elliott (five goals against Fremantle), Steele Sidebottom (Anzac Day Medal) and Jeremy Howe (superb against Adelaide) have all put in spectacular recent matchwinning performances to show their potency has not diminished.
Scott Pendlebury’s last seven weeks have been exceptional, while Brody Mihocek was sidelined with an abdominal sprain but at 32 is also determined to play on.
Mason Cox, Will Hoskin-Elliott and Tom Mitchell (returning from foot issues through the VFL) are also in the over-30s bracket while Tim Membrey and Jack Crisp have deals for next season.
Collingwood is unable to give contract certainty to its stars, even though ex-captain Scott Pendlebury seems certain to play on and Elliott has 23.15 in a cracking start to the season.
The juggling act also means as soon as the Pies start contract talks with one of those plus-30s the other players will be keen to resume discussions.
So the club will work through its priorities at list management over the next six weeks before giving more clarity on the futures of those players.
Free agent Brayden Maynard is now likely to sign a four-year deal, with coach Craig McRae said to be very keen to keep the vice-captain given his cultural impact at the club.
Mihocek is keen to play on after returning against Adelaide from that stomach sprain and as a late starter to the AFL has never secured that bumper deal to set him up for life.
His only priority is re-signing with the Pies, but if the season plays out and it becomes apparent Collingwood wants to transition its list rivals might consider if it can poach one or two of those ageing stars for a year or two.
EAGLE’S CONTRACT UP IN AIR
West Coast would receive protection for 90 per cent of Jeremy McGovern’s salary next year if he was forced into retirement by concussion.
His future is in the hands of an AFL panel after a series of worrying head knocks after a brilliant and highly decorated career.
Both McGovern and the Eagles had been confident he could play on but was told by the AFL the series of concussions he has suffered means he will need medical clearance.
In recent years players have been forced into retirement by that panel if complex brain scans show damage or deterioration.
Nathan Murphy’s scans continued to come up clear but he was still medically retired by the panel, which meant the extension he had secured from the Pies was mostly exempt from the salary cap.
McGovern signed a new one-year extension for 2026 in February this year.
Under AFL rules in the first year of a player’s medical retirement from concussion 90 per cent of their salary is exempted from the cap, then 75 per cent in the second year post-retirement.
In the third year 50 per cent is exempt, with the club on the hook for any further years of service.
West Coast has vast cap space but any savings will allow the club more space to secure an established ruckman or retain Harley Reid if he ends up staying on a new deal past 2026.
DISTANCE ON DEAL FOR CROW
Adelaide and ruckman Reilly O’Brien’s management are a long way apart on a new deal for the unrestricted free agent with the Crows prepared to offer a two-season contract.
O’Brien has put together an excellent season breaking even with highly fancied ruckmen including Tristan Xerri and Darcy Cameron as he averages 89 ranking points and 11 hitouts to advantage.
Rival clubs would be prepared to offer three seasons to O’Brien given his durability and honest ruckwork.
The Crows offer is not only short on years but also salary so he is prepared to back himself and hold off on a deal given the leverage of his unrestricted free agency.
The ruck market is particularly uncertain as clubs wait for the Tom De Koning domino to fall.
Cameron continues to be linked to West Coast and Carlton, while Marc Pittonet could be on the move if De Koning stays.
Gold Coast’s Ned Moyle has been trapped behind Jarrod Witts after signing a new deal last season but there is no prospect the Suns would release him to a rival club.
O’Brien was dropped last year for Kieren Strachan but has barely missed a game in the past five seasons.
Strachan was moved to the inactive list and the Crows elevated ex-Swans ruckman Lachlan McAndrew onto their list as they chase free agent Sam Draper.
But Draper now has a new Dons deal in front of him and is tipped to stay at the Hangar.
LIONS UP ANTE ON OFFER FOR DEFENDER
Brisbane has handed free agent Brandon Starcevich an improved offer as he works back from concussion in a sign of the club’s confidence in his return to football.
The free agent is still 3-5 weeks from a return to football after a series of concussions sidelined him indefinitely but has begun training strongly after his symptoms eased.
This masthead reported that the Lions offered him a two-year deal but had paused talks after his head knock.
The Lions are now growing in confidence he can make a full return and are believed to have upped their offer as clubs like West Coast consider the quality Brisbane defender.
WHERE TO SPEND TIGER CASH?
Richmond has an unusual problem with its young list – how to pay the full marketing budget when its array of stars including Daniel Rioli and Shai Bolton have moved on to other clubs.
Like many clubs in full rebuild mode the Tigers are front-ending contracts to clear cap space for future seasons when the club gets back into premiership mode.
But it also wants to shift some of those contracts from regular guaranteed deals into the additional services agreements, which require players to work with marketing and promotional appearances.
It means some of the Tigers players will still get paid their full salary but with some of it now contained in the ASA, they will have to put in the extra work to justify that marketing allowance.
If the Tigers don’t use the money from ASAs they can’t bank it in future years, which they can with normal salary cap room.
It is a small price to pay for the short term and just another example of how clubs move around contracts and money in any given year to maximise their cap space in future years.
Originally published as The latest on veteran Magpies, Crows and O’Brien ‘long way apart’ on new deal
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