Moneyball: Latest AFL trade, contract and draft news
Adam Cerra is eyeing a move home and Ross Lyon says Carlton should be front of the queue in trade talks. Who would the Blues have to give up in return?
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Ross Lyon believes Adam Cerra would be the perfect fit for Carlton’s midfield as the Dockers midfielder contemplates a move back to Victoria.
Lyon was coaching the Dockers when Cerra was drafted and says he lacks for nothing as a complete midfielder.
News Corp reported on Saturday many of Cerra’s teammates believe he will return to Victoria after holding off on signing a new four-year deal.
Carlton and Richmond are among his suitors, with Sam Petrevski-Seton and Jordan Clark among the Victorian teens the Dockers could chase if they lose Cerra.
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Lyon said after securing Cerra at pick 5 in the 2017 national draft he could understand why the Blues would chase him so hard.
“He’s an incredible kid,” Lyon said.
“He was an absolute pro, him and Andy Brayshaw — if you’re talking about applying yourself, you couldn’t have asked (for more). He’s dedicated, trains hard, and he just wants to be a great player.
“For me, just seeing how close he is to his parents and his family, that there could always be a desire (to) pull home.”
“If Carlton could get him (he’d be perfect),” Lyon added on Triple M.
“Who’s likely to go home? Sam Petrevski-Seton or Zac Fisher – I’d take Adam Cerra over them, that’s just my personal view.
“I would take him every day of the week because he’s a bona fide mid, and the other two aren’t.”
Fisher is going nowhere after recently signing a deal through to 2023 but Petrevski-Seton has been robbed of midfield chances at the Blues.
Carlton’s salary cap is full this year for a variety of reasons but well-paid youngsters including Paddy Dow, Lochie O’Brien and Petrevski-Seton have contributed to the squeeze.
As top-10 draft picks the players were able to secure strong contacts after playing strong football in their early years, but have not been able to make strong contributions this season.
SAINTS YOUNG GUN SIGNS MONSTER DEAL
St Kilda forward Max King has signed a new monster four-year contract extension until the end of 2026.
King was already contracted until the end of next year, but the Saints have worked to lock the 20-year-old away for another five seasons on a multi-million dollar deal.
“We’re thrilled to have Max commit to the club for the long term,” Saints list boss James Gallagher said.
“Max is obviously a talented player and is already performing at a very high level considering this is only his second year of AFL Football. He is also a very driven young man, and we are extremely confident he’ll only continue to grow into an elite key forward in the coming years.
“There’s a lot of external expectation that has been placed on his shoulders, but the way he’s handled it – even before he was drafted – is a credit to his maturity and diligence.”
St Kilda football operations assistant and Hawthorn great Jarryd Roughead said he was pleased with King’s progress.
“Working alongside Max for the past two years, I’ve been able to see how much he’s grown and the work he puts in behind the scenes,” Roughead said.
“What’s really promising is how Max is influencing the game, either by taking marks, bringing the ball to ground or hitting the scoreboard, and we know the best is yet to come.
“These key position players take time to develop but overall, we are really happy with where Max is at and where he’s heading.”
MERRETT’S MESSAGE AFTER INKING DONS MEGA DEAL
Essendon star Zach Merrett says the influence of new coach Ben Rutten was the biggest factor in his decision to shun free agency and sign a monster deal with the Bombers.
The 25-year-old, who has enjoyed a strong season so far, has recommitted to the club until the end of 2027.
It was quite a backflip from Merrett, who was rumoured to be disgruntled with the club last year and was reportedly being hunted by a series of rival clubs, including Carlton and Port Adelaide.
The Bombers instead refused to entertain trade talks during last year’s trade period and the gamble has paid off.
When asked why he was so confident in club’s decision to sign such a long-term deal, Merrett said:
“I think the biggest point of difference or the biggest change has been Truck (Rutten) taking over and his clarity around what he expects and wants from the club.
“I think that combined with (list boss) Adrian (Dodoro’s) strategy provides for a great combination of people, characters and personalities that’s going to allow us to be really consistent and hopefully give us the best chance of success.”
Merrett revealed he’d known for quite some time he was going to stay a Bomber.
“I think deep down since coming back in November I was always leaning towards staying, but ultimately post the Giants game I felt like we’d had a few close losses but that everything we’d been trying to implement the past six months was starting to come out,” he said.
“Following that we had a few wins and everyone probably thought I was changing my mind then, but it was pre that three-week block where I felt it was starting to turn.”
FULL TEAMS: BOMBERS MAKE EIGHT CHANGES FOR HAWKS CLASH
Merrett would not reveal the amount of interest he’d received from other clubs “out of respect.”
“I went through the process fully,” he said.
“Tom (Petroro) is a very experienced manager and understands the process, so it was pretty easy with him.
“It was certainly done fully and I’m confident I’ve made the right decision for myself.”
Essendon’s attention will now turn to in-form midfielder Darcy Parish, who is out of contract at the season’s end and is yet to recommit.
“I’ll let him make his own mind up, but he’s been a super player though and someone I’d love to play with for another six to eight years,” Merrett said.
“He’s someone who is only going to keep blossoming.
“I might give him a nudge or too but I’ll let him make his own mind up.”
BOMBER FOR LIFE: MERRETT SIGNS ON
Essendon’s fast-tracked rebuild has received its strongest endorsement yet, with Zach Merrett declaring he wants to be a Bomber for life by signing a six-year contract extension.
The silky midfielder removed himself from this year’s free agency pool and has gone all-in on new coach Ben Rutten and the club’s revamped football program, which has transformed the Bombers into a must-watch team in 2021.
Merrett is expected to earn close to $5 million from the deal.
“There’s no doubt the direction that the club is heading is the most exciting part,” Merrett said.
“We are really clear in where we’re headed under ‘Truck’ (Rutten) and this new football program is very clearly united and aligned.
“The environment is something I wanted to continue to be a part of.”
Port Adelaide was among rival several clubs who were desperate to secure Merrett’s services.
Merrett will be 32 by the time his contract expires in 2027.
The left-footer told the Herald Sun after Round 7 that his mind was not made up.
“I’d like to see another few months of footy at least to see how much we can keep aligned as a group,” he said.
“Alignment to me is crucial.”
The Bombers have since charged to the bye with wins against Fremantle, North Melbourne and a stunning upset against West Coast at Perth Stadium.
They also led Richmond in the final quarter of a Dreamtime classic.
Merrett’s golden signature means list manager Adrian Dodoro will now turn his attention to re-signing out-of-contract players Darcy Parish and Jake Stringer.
Parish, 23, has started rivalling Merrett as Essendon’s best player and is in line for a mega pay rise.
The ball magnet has dominated the biggest two home-of-away games this season, winning the Anzac Day Medal and Dreamtime’s Yiooken Award.
STAR HAWK ‘SURPRISED’ BY LATEST TRADE RUMOURS
Brownlow Medallist Tom Mitchell says he plans to be at Hawthorn throughout its rebuild, insisting he was “surprised” to learn of recent reports he was open to a move to a rival club.
Mitchell, 28, has a deal with the Hawks until the end of 2023 but he and the Hawks could field offers from opposition clubs looking at a mutually beneficial trade at the end of the year.
But the prolific midfielder explained on Wednesday that he sees a future with the Hawks and was confident last week’s win over Sydney was something the young side can build on.
“I was a bit surprised to be honest,” Mitchell said on RSN on reports he could be tempted to move clubs if the right opportunity arose.
“I spoke to my manager straight afterwards and he said he hasn’t spoken to anyone, I was shocked as anyone really.
“I am very happy at Hawthorn and I have been able to play my best footy at this club.”
The Hawks have won only 33 of Mitchell’s 75 games at the club, since moving from Sydney in late 2016. But he said the win over his old side showed the club was on the right track.
“I love it here,” he said of the Hawks.
“I love the players and want to be there for the journey ahead, so I am looking forward to getting down to Tassie this week against Essendon, and hopefully building on last week.”
Mitchell said he hadn’t made much of the attention on his future nor that of Hawks coach Alastair Clarkson in recent weeks
“I don’t really listen to the commentary,” he said.
“You try to ignore it and get on with it and focus on what you can control.”
He said the Hawks’ turnaround in form against Sydney had come from going back to the basics during the bye round.
“The bye did enable us to reset and reflect on what has worked for the first part of the season,” he said.
“We had a few really basic focus points, (we) really trimmed the game back to its simple form, we were able to carry that performance out which was really pleasing.”
Mitchell was not keen to discuss the club boxing session that saw teammate Mitch Lewis concussed five days before the Swans clash.
But he said a harder mindset had been the reason behind the club’s strong performance after the bye, including his own.
“It was a bit of a mindset shift, but also the way we decided to play. It was the way we were defending as a team and just those things (such as) trying to be tough around the footy.”
GIANTS WORKING HARD TO SWAY KELLY
Josh Kelly’s Giants teammates are leaving no doubt on how much they want him to trigger his $8 million, eight-year contract to remain in Sydney, Callan Ward says.
Former captain Ward joked he was getting in Kelly’s ear “every day” as the season ticks past the halfway point without the restricted free agent re-signing.
Kelly won a season-high 39 disposals in Sunday’s disappointing draw with bottom side North Melbourne that made more difficult Greater Western Sydney’s bid to return to the finals.
The 26-year-old midfielder has plenty of suitors if he wants to return to Melbourne, including Essendon and North Melbourne.
“There’s a bit of talk about ‘Chooka’ (Kelly) and the future for him, but obviously the players have expressed to Josh how important he is to this footy club,” Ward said.
“I’m sure the coaches and staff have done the same thing.
“Ever since Josh walked in the door, he’s been a fantastic person, really good mate of mine, a terrific leader and is playing some really good footy.
“I think he understands his importance to this footy club.”
Kelly’s spent time as a high half-forward, on the wing and as an on-baller this season as Giants coach Leon Cameron tries to strike the right balance with his midfield group.
He rates elite for disposals, ground ball-gets, score launches and metres gained this year in an indication of the type of campaign he’s putting together.
“He’s probably built for the first part of the year, and over the last two months … wherever he goes, he’s playing extremely good footy for us,” Ward said.
“What he’s doing is just playing a really good role for us, which is what we’re all trying to achieve.
“The beauty of Josh is he can play anywhere and he’s getting some huge numbers.”
Ward and GWS return to Giants Stadium on Saturday night to host Carlton and are desperate to avoid the horror starts that plagued them against Brisbane and the Kangaroos.
“Carlton, at their best, are an extremely good football club,” he said.
“I guess the week’s about us – how can we improve on last week, how can we improve on the last year, really, and how do we find consistency over four quarters?
“We’ll break it down to small five-minute blocks, or a quarter at a time, and hopefully get the four points.”
WHY SAINTS MUST CONSIDER LETTING WHIPPING BOY WALK
St Kilda has been urged to carefully consider the benefits of allowing Jack Billings to leave for a free agency pick that would likely land in the top 10 selections.
Billings has been in no rush to sign a new deal as he assesses the landscape, but St Kilda’s dramatic fall down the ladder adds a new dimension to his contract.
If St Kilda lost Billings for a deal that triggered a first-round pick – likely around $750,000 for four seasons – the Saints would secure pick six on current ladder position.
Fox Footy analyst David King told News Corp Billings had the “kicked dog” syndrome – often blamed for St Kilda’s failings when they lose.
Billings is unlikely to secure a huge payday at St Kilda but a rival that can secure him without handing over a draft pick might pay a free agency premium to secure the talented wing-half forward.
“It’s almost as if they have been disappointed they missed the player after him in the draft (Marcus Bontempelli) and they are taking it out on this guy. He’s suffering the kicked dog syndrome,” he said.
“He is always the reason they lose. “Bloody Billings didn’t do this or that.”
“But he is 26 in August and if he went to a second club and got a restart with a fresh set of eyes on what he can do instead of what he can’t, he could have a really successful back half of his career.
“Say it was the Kangaroos who paid $750,000 a season or whatever the minimum number is to get a first-round compensation pick.
“It costs the Kangaroos finance but not draft picks, which is the only commodity that matters in footy. The AFL would work with St Kilda because they haven’t won anything in 60 years.
“Maybe these parties don’t suit each other, they might need a football divorce.
“But if you are St Kilda, be careful what you wish for. If he walks out the door you would get pick 8-10 and you would want that kid to be a lot better than Billings and be guaranteed he would be an AFL player for a long time.”
St Kilda could make a late run at finals and their first pick is likely to be pushed back by Nick Daicos and Sam Darcy, who as father-son picks are likely to be top-five selections.
But the Brisbane Lions were able to offer the perfect package to lure Joe Daniher to Brisbane without having to trade for him because the Dons won a first-round pick.
Billings has had another solid but not eye-catching year after missing the top ten in the best-and-fairest last year.
He has averaged 21 possessions but only 0.9 goals and 0.9 assists per game after playing every game last year and averaging 94 ranking points.
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