AFL Moneyball, trade news: Paddy Dow, Nathan Broad, Jade Gresham, Tasmania list build latest

A forgotten Blues midfielder looks set to leave the club for free this off-season as a host of clubs wait to pounce on the youngster. Get all the latest trade and contract news.

Jade Gresham, Paddy Dow and Nathan Broad.

Richmond will need to offer Nathan Broad a three-year contract on a salary of up to $500,000 to keep the underrated unrestricted free agent.

The Tigers have been working on other list priorities before considering his contract, with coach Damien Hardwick admitting his brilliant game on Jeremy Cameron had lifted his price tag.

Broad has long taken less to keep the Richmond list together but at a Richmond team that knows Jack Riewoldt and Trent Cotchin will retire this year it might be his time to cash in.

Robbie Tarrant has a degenerative hip issue which means at 34 this is more than likely his last season too.

Nathan Broad flies above a pack to mark.

Richmond plans to start contract talks in round 11 with Broad, who at this stage is keen to stay at the club as he and wife Tayla Damir await the birth of their first child.

But as one of the best unrestricted free agents on the market he now has significant leverage even in a year where he has turned 30.

His manager Colin Young famously pushes a hard bargain for his clients and would be able to secure a three-year deal on more than $500,000 for Broad if he left.

Despite speculation West Coast would be interested in Broad he hasn’t engaged in talks with rival teams.

But if his contract position drifts on rival clubs will come to the party so it will be up to Richmond to get that deal done mid-year.

Paddy Dow is on the outer at Carlton.

FROZEN OUT DOW ATTRACTING STRONG INTEREST

Paddy Dow has strong interest from rival clubs as he languishes in the VFL.

But the Blues are unlikely to secure any compensation from their former No. 3 overall pick given he falls out of contract at the end of the season.

Dow has been frozen out of the Blues midfield even despite injuries to Sam Walsh and Matt Kennedy, with Matt Cottrell now back from injury and making Dow’s job even tougher.

But Dow has continued his strong VFL form even as he is tagged most weeks.

He is averaging 117 ranking points, 30 disposals, 6.9 clearances 6.7 score involvements and 4.7 tackles a game in seven VFL encounters.

Clubs were unwilling to expend a draft pick in a trade for Dow last trade period when the Blues would have been happy to trade him.

But if he becomes a delisted free agent he will find a new home given he is still just 23 years of age.

The Blues will face difficult list decisions on players including David Cuningham and Caleb Marchbank given they have talent but rarely get out on the park.

Karmichael Hunt.

Israel Folau.

AFL WON’T REPEAT EXPANSION CODE HOPPER CHASE

The AFL won’t be chasing a million-dollar code-hopper in the same vein as Karmichael Hunt and Israel Folau when it starts building the inaugural Tasmania AFL playing list to be ready for the start of the 2028 season.

It is understood key officials have already ruled out the need to make a future play for a high-profile star from the rugby league or rugby union world to help sell the new franchise.

But those who will start building the league’s 19th franchise in the coming years will be looking for budget cut-priced recruits from a range of different sports who might be eager to make a fresh start in the AFL system.

Hunt and Folau were famously coaxed to switch codes by huge offers with their promotional value in two non-traditional football states considered to be even more important as their ability to impact their respective teams in Gold Coast and Greater Western Sydney.

That won’t be the case in footy-mad Tasmania, which means a promotional signing on big coin is not needed.

Hunt signed a four-year $1 million-per-season deal to play with the Suns, but he had minimal impact in his 44 games at the club.

Folau’s deal with the Giants was $6 million over four seasons, but he managed only 13 games before he quit after two seasons (one in the VFL and one in the AFL).

Western Bulldogs are getting great value out of Tom Liberatore.

LIBBA ONE OF AFL’S CUT-PRICE SUPERSTARS

Tom Liberatore might be a cut-price superstar for the Western Bulldogs, but he’s still being well rewarded for being one of the competition’s best extractors.

Liberatore has reeled off three consecutive podium finishes in the club’s best-and-fairest, the sort of return that would normally guarantee multi-year deals for any other player.

Yet the 31-year-old has signed a series of one-year deals in recent years – the latest coming in March, where he locked into 2024 on a deal believed to be just under $600,000.

That’s partly to keep Liberatore hungry, but it has also been because he was just happy to get the deals done with a minimum of fuss, given his commitment to the Western Bulldogs.

The Dogs are desperate to re-sign Aaron Naughton and Tim English beyond 2024, but both players have put discussions to one side until at least the end of this season.

But despite the fact the club has an array of talent and even with the financial commitment required to lock away new deals for Naughton and English, the Dogs could still be a player in the trade and free agency market later this year.

It’s understood they still have the rough salary cap space to be active in October.

Jade Gresham will soon make a call on his future. Picture: Michael Klein

WHEN GRESHAM WILL MAKE CALL ON FREE AGENCY

St Kilda free agent Jade Gresham will begin talks on his future in the round 12 mid-season bye with the Saints mid-forward a priority signing given the club’s list plans.

As a dangerous midfielder who can play small forward Gresham is exactly the kind of player rivals would be keen on given he is a dual threat and can be secured without a trade.

But St Kilda is likely to be aggressive in the free agency market so would lose his free agency compensation pick if he departed and they brought in another free agent.

So the ideal situation is for Gresham to have a bumper second half of the year that justifies a significant contract and sign on.

Then St Kilda can get aggressive on free agency without having to worry about diluting their compensation.

Gresham missed last week after flaring up his PCL injury, with captain Jack Steele telling the Herald Sun he believed the 25-year-old was happy at Moorabbin.

“I think Gresh is pretty happy where he is at the moment,” he said.

“Obviously, it’s a discussion he will have later in the year. I think personally, he‘ll want to play a bit better footy to even start to think about that. He has been going well but he knows he is better than he has been putting out. We saw how good he was last year and how good he was for us and hopefully we can lock him and get it done but it’s all up to him and the club.”

Anthony Scott kicked three goals against Carlton. Picture: Michael Klein

BULLDOG GOALSNEAK’S PERFECT TIMING

Selfless Bulldog Anthony Scott’s impressive three-goal haul to help sink Carlton last Saturday night could have come at an opportune time.

Scott’s management is due to sit down with the club in the coming weeks to discuss a potential new deal that will likely see him remain at the Whitten Oval for at least two more seasons.

There is still plenty to be worked through, but it would be a well-deserved extension for the 28-year-old mature- aged rookie, who applies great pressure and has hit the scoreboard in his past four matches.

Scott had to fight his way into the AFL system but has now played 44 games and kicked 23 goals since being picked up in the 2021 preseason.

He is one of 12 Bulldogs to have played every game so far this season, providing good value for money.

After some early preliminary discussions on a new deal earlier in the year, it is understood those talks could ramp up before the club’s Round 15 bye.

Originally published as AFL Moneyball, trade news: Paddy Dow, Nathan Broad, Jade Gresham, Tasmania list build latest