Trade and free agency preview: North Melbourne’s triple play, Richmond eye draft haul
The Roos are eyeing three veterans while the Tigers will shape the trade period with deals for outgoing stars. Plus see where 10 key targets sit in this bumper trade and free agency preview.
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North Melbourne is eyeing a bumper triple play in this year’s trade period to help the club rise up in Alastair Clarkson’s third year as coach.
The Kangaroos spoke with Western Bulldogs’ playmaker Caleb Daniel last week and are expected to land Sydney Swans’ veteran Luke Parker, 31, and West Coast forward Jack Darling, 32, next month.
Port Adelaide defender Dan Houston is also on the Kangaroos’ radar, however the dual All-Australian may yet nominate Carlton as his preferred new home.
Daniel, 28, is yet to decide whether he will pursue a move from the kennel, following jet ballwinners Bailey Smith (Geelong) and Jack Macrae (St Kilda) out the door.
Daniel is expected to make a call on his future this week after talks with the Kangaroos on their vision for the next few seasons and the Dogs about his spot in the side.
The Dogs could demand a second-round pick for Daniel who played 16 games this year including his best performances in the last three games of the season.
In particular, Daniel’s excellent kicking skills would help North’s ball movement in the back half and middle part of the ground after 10 years at the Dogs.
North would be thrilled to land Daniel and Parker to bolster their contested ball winning and ball movement, while Darling would allow gun tall Charlie Comben to stay in defence.
But the Dogs would hold the upper hand in any trade talks on Daniel’s future as he is contracted on a deal worth about $700,000 until the end of 2026.
The Dogs can also afford to keep Daniel, who is a popular team member, as the departures of Smith and Macrae clear up significant salary cap space for the club.
The Kangaroos also have significant salary cap room and want some top-line established talent to help the club lift out of the AFL doldrums after years at the bottom.
Parker, who played a defensive forward role on star Lion Harris Andrews in the grand final, is expected to depart the Swans following an exit meeting with the club over the next two days.
His toughness, consistency, leadership and experience are being targeted by North on a lucrative multi-year deal while Darling could help Nick Larkey in attack.
Parker spent the start of the season on the sidelines after a pre-season injury and had to bide his time in the VFL and will face a significant fight to secure a spot in the Swans’ senior side next year.
Teammate Taylor Adams was also left out of the premiership decider and is intent on breaking back into the seniors after his trade from Collingwood last year.
The Kangaroos could land Darling and Parker with late third and fourth-round picks, but would have to part with a top 25 pick to land the contracted Daniel.
Clarkson’s men have pick number two in the draft and are considering splitting that selection for two later choices in the first round.
The Roos have been linked to the best defender in this year’s draft class, Luke Trainor, who has family links to North Melbourne and is a keen Roos’ fan.
He is expected to be taken late in the first 10 selections, meaning the Roos could slide back from pick two to take him and have another late first-round pick to trade.
North Melbourne was interested in Melbourne hard nut Jack Viney but the Demon decided to stay, meaning the Roos set their sights on Parker.
Smith is expected to nominate Geelong as his preferred new home this week.
The Cats are also eyeing Jack Martin, from Carlton, is holidaying on Gold Coast amid interest from Fremantle as well.
Martin is set to decide on his new club this week amid frustrations with the way his injuries were managed at the Blues this year.
Tigers in line for extraordinary draft bounty
Richmond will believe it is perfectly placed to head to the national draft with a phenomenal six selections in the first 21 draft picks as the club’s trades for three outgoing stars take shape.
The AFL’s free agency period kicks off on Friday, with compensation for St Kilda over Josh Battle’s departure the most intriguing question mark given a six-year Hawks offer of just under $900,000 a season.
But Richmond’s monumental decision to allow contracted players Shai Bolton (Fremantle) and Daniel Rioli (Gold Coast) to leave will shape the trade period, which runs from October 7-16.
Uncontracted vice-captain Liam Baker is also on the move with a move to the Eagles everything but confirmed.
Some of those players made clear as they departed that coach Adem Yze needed to take more control of a young group with more discipline and a defined game plan as well as working on his existing strong relationships.
There was a level of frustration that some players old and younger were allowed too many liberties around their professionalism and adherence to game plan.
The club is aware of the player feedback, even though senior players were also frustrated at Bolton playing on instinct and diverting from the game plan at times.
Departing chief executive Brendon Gale made clear in a recent podcast that Yze was prepared to “take a lot more responsibility” and “start to really put his fingerprints on this team” in 2025.
While Richmond is yet to lock in trades with rival clubs the centrepiece of those trades will allow Richmond to secure one of footy’s best draft hauls in recent memory, excluding expansion sides.
Richmond has asked Gold Coast for their No. 6 pick and another early selection for Rioli and while that seems a ridiculous ambit claim the Suns are prepared to hand over their No. 6 pick as part of a deal.
Fremantle is prepared to offer one of picks 9 or 10 for Bolton (contracted to 2028) and the Dockers’ No. 16 pick but not both of picks 9 and 10.
The Dockers would have used picks 9 or 10 to secure the 26-year-old if Baker chose them.
But with Baker choosing West Coast, the Tigers are likely to secure Hawthorn’s No. 13 draft pick after the Eagles secure it in a trade for Tom Barrass.
So while all of those deals could yet have many other elements — including Richmond even handing back later picks — the Tigers will believe they can secure four picks within 16 for that trio.
With their own picks currently 1, 21, 29, 39, 41, 47, 57, 66, 72, it will give Richmond six picks within 21.
Early bids on Brisbane’s Levi Ashcroft and Gold Coast’s Leo Lombard will push out some of Richmond’s draft selections.
But on draft night if the Tigers keep those picks they could hope to have two of the first seven picks, four of the top 15 picks and seven of the top 35 picks given they also retain pick 29.
If the Tigers can use picks like 29, 39, 41 and 47 and trade them to a club like the Suns or Gold Coast for an earlier to use for academy players they can again strengthen their draft hand.
Gale told a club podcast in August he was confident Yze would put his imprint on the club next year as it quickly bounced back up the ladder.
“We have had a coach come in. And we believe he’s extremely capable and he’s carried himself extremely well but it’s fair to say he comes into the program which has been successful,” he said.
“He is following a coach of historical standing (Damien Hardwick) and he has premiership players everywhere, and I reckon he’s just sat back a bit, coupled with an incredibly unprecedented run of injury. And what you will see of Adam next year is a coach that takes a lot more responsibility.
“This is his team and he will intervene and poke and prod and start to really put his fingerprints on the team which will create its own energy and momentum.
“At this stage there is an opportunity to turn this club around in a couple of years. We have a really strong platform, a strong organisation, a culture and shared understanding of what it takes and our own supporters understand what it takes. It’s not reacting, it’s making evidence-based decisions and we will be back in no time.”
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