AFL 2022: Latest trade, free agency, draft and contract news
Bulldogs ruckman Tim English has rubbed salt in the wounds of West Coast by resisting the lure of home and stating his intention to remain at Whitten Oval.
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Tim English has committed his future to the Western Bulldogs despite strong interest from West Coast in luring the 24-year-old back home.
English has told his management group he is happy and settled in Melbourne despite the pull of home and his partner Rudi living in Perth as a professional netballer.
As revealed by the Herald Sun on Saturday, English was intent on rebuffing the Eagles when his management group flew into Melbourne on Monday for a series of talks with AFL clubs.
They have spoken to Western Bulldogs list boss Sam Power twice in recent weeks when the Dogs were in Perth and again this week.
While both parties will need to haggle on a deal — either a two-year deal to free agency or a long-term deal of up to five seasons — he is intent on remaining with the Dogs.
At his age and with his ability he would likely command a deal of over $700,000 per season.
Luke Beveridge wasn’t able to select English again this week as he misses again with a hamstring injury but his early season form has been stellar.
The Dogs have always been confident of retaining Josh Dunkley, Caleb Daniel and Bailey Smith but English had officially put off talks in the early rounds of the season to assess his future.
English’s manager Andrew McDougall, of Corporate Sports Australia, said in the pre-season: “He loves the club and he loves his teammates but he won’t be rushing into an early decision.”
The Dogs chose not to add another established ruckman in the off-season and have been rewarded with more consistency from English, who battled in the decisive third quarter of the Grand Final.
GOODWIN TAKES LESS MONEY IN HUGE SHOW OF FAITH
— Lauren Wood
Melbourne coach Simon Goodwin left significant cash on the table in his new two-year deal in a bid to be of no detriment to his fellow coaches.
Goodwin, 46, has signed a new deal to remain at the helm of the reigning premiers until the end of 2024, and said he considered two years to be “a long time in footy” and that the length of the contract was about ensuring the club would “solidify” its program.
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He also rebuffed the opportunity to capitalise on premiership victory in his hip pocket as clubs continue to manage the fallout of the soft cap being cut by some $3 million amid the Covid crisis.
“(Given his recent record) he was in a pretty strong negotiating position. it was really reasonable for him to sit down in those conversations and say ‘I want to be looked after to the levels of premiership coaches that are in the competition … it’s not unreasonable to want that sort of contract’,” club chief executive Gary Pert revealed.
But it was clear that boosting Goodwin’s pay packet “would create changes within our football program” due to soft cap limitations, which was Goodwin’s ultimate aim to avoid.
“We could not have delivered that with the current soft cap,” Pert said.
“(When we sat down), there was no talk about money – it was all about the fact that we need to keep this program going.
“We ultimately got to a point where we’ve done the deal, but again … Goody’s needed to leave a lot of money on the negotiation table to find a solution and not have any impact on anyone else in the program for that whole term of the contract.
“It goes to the character of our leader and goes to the spirit of the club right at the moment.”
Goodwin refused to be drawn on the specifics of his apparent salary sacrifice, but said the greater good had been paramount in his thinking.
“We’ve really carefully looked into our program about what’s best for our program together,” he said.
“That’s really been at the forefront of my mind and the club’s mind.
“In my role, I love this footy club. I want the best for this footy club moving forward. My role is a really important role to make sure that we can manage the people in our department so we can really thrive as a footy club. That’s really been at the forefront of our discussions.”
He said it was a crucial period to “maximise” the hard work at the club and endeavour to capitalise with “a few good years”.
Goodwin, who was sidelined from last weekend’s victory over Hawthorn due to Covid, emerged from isolation on Wednesday with an immediate gym session and surf following soon after.
“It was just great to get back into the community and get out of home,” he said.
“I watched a lot of footy.
“I feel 100 per cent now and ready to go, and actually really energised to get back into the footy club. It was great walking back in (on Thursday) and seeing all the smiles on the players’ faces and getting around the group. It can feel like a long time.”
AFL shuts down draft loophole over ‘integrity fears’
— Jay Clark
The AFL has closed the loophole which helped Hawthorn swoop on jet hard nut Jai Newcombe in last year’s mid-season draft.
Rival clubs were unhappy Newcombe nominated for last year’s mid-season draft under ‘other terms’ which saw him nominate a higher contract price on a deal until the end of 2023.
It meant Newcombe, 21, was paid more than all of the other mid-season draft selections and helped ward off other clubs who were either unable, or unprepared, to pay the higher price.
Rival list managers were adamant the move interfered with the integrity of the draft.
But the league on Wednesday contacted clubs to inform them the loophole would be shut for this year’s mid-season draft on June 1.
This year all nominees who have not previously been on an AFL list will be paid the same on their initial deals with their new clubs.
Newcombe’s deal at Hawthorn was believed to be worth more than $150,000 in his first year in brown and gold last season.
Hawthorn defended its approach to Newcombe’s recruitment last year, saying it worked within the league’s rules at the time to secure the 186cm ball winner.
Hawthorn coach Sam Mitchell coached Newcombe at Box Hill last year and pushed hard for the club’s recruiters to add him to the Hawks’ list.
He has been excellent for the Hawks since landing at the club mid last year, playing 14 games.
Newcombe, from Poowong, has averaged 20 possessions across seven matches this season.
His hardness, tackle pressure, clearance work and gut running have been strong features since he racked up tackles on debut against Sydney Swans in Round 13 last year.
He had 31 possessions in the brilliant win over Geelong in Round 5.
Only players who have been previously listed by an AFL club will be able to nominate their own terms in the mid-season draft from this year.
Bombers make contract call on young sensation
Essendon sensation Nic Martin has secured a two-year contract extension in reward for his sparkling start to the season.
The hard-running forward who has firmed into third favourite for this year’s Rising Star award has inked a new deal until the end of 2024.
Martin has been one of the Bombers’ best players in his first year in red and black, providing a silver lining on a poor start to the year for Ben Rutten’s men.
The West Australian, who kicked five goals against Geelong on debut, only landed at the club in February but has impressed with his work-ethic, decision-making and nous around goals.
Martin, 21, has averaged 22 possessions across his six games and had 25 touches in the loss to Western Bulldogs on Sunday.
He also trained with West Coast in the pre-season but was overlooked for a spot.
Essendon is also in talks about new deals for first-round picks Archie Perkins, Nik Cox and Zach Reid.
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Originally published as AFL 2022: Latest trade, free agency, draft and contract news
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