AFL trade news: Stay up to date with latest free agency and contract buzz

The race to sign Liam Jones is heating up, with one club believed to have offered the elite marking defender a three-year deal. Meanwhile, another club has pulled out.

Liam Jones is believed to have been offered a three-year deal by the Western Bulldogs as Essendon pulls out of the race for the elite marking defender.

Jones’ manager Shane Casley told the Herald Sun on Monday he was not locked in to return to the Dogs but everything lines up for him to find a way back to the club where he battled to make his mark as a key forward.

He is believed to be keen to slot into a side that has battled to find the right defensive mix, as shown by the demotion of high-profile acquisition Alex Keath from the side to play Geelong tomorrow.

The three-year offer is an astonishing show of faith in the key position defender but shows the lack of available key position defenders on the market.

Former Blue Jones has finished his stint at QAFL club Palm Beach with the Western Bulldogs leading the charge for his services.

The AFL would have to allow him to return to an AFL list given retired players who negotiate a financial settlement have to step out of the game for 18 months.

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Liam Jones has a three-year offer on the table from the Western Bulldogs. Picture: Getty Images

But given he was forced from the game because of the pandemic and his vaccine hesitancy it is likely the AFL will reinstate him.

Jones will turn 32 in February but contenders for his services have been told one club is in the position to lock him away for three seasons.

Gold Coast watched him on the weekend but would likely need Rory Thompson to retire before they entered the fray.

The Dogs will likely secure ruck-forward Rory Lobb, who Fremantle have known since last year’s trade period would move to Melbourne for 2023.

Jamarra Ugle-Hagan and Sam Darcy have barely scratched the surface as AFL players so the Dogs would be appreciably stronger in 2023 with Jones and Lobb.

‘FELT A BIT WEIRD’: HOW CLOSE BAKER CAME TO LEAVING

Richmond star Liam Baker has revealed significant interest from Fremantle as well as home-town side West Coast after rebuffing lucrative rival offers to sign a two-year deal at Punt Road.

The brilliant utility agreed to terms with the Tigers in recent days after a full season considering whether to remain loyal or be lured back to West Australia.

The Herald Sun revealed last week the Tigers had lodged a two-year offer worth around $600,000 per season for the former rookie.

But while West Coast’s interest was well-known, he said on Thursday the Dockers had also been keen to secure his services.

Heading to Fremantle would have had much more appeal given their burgeoning premiership window but despite that season-long courting Baker’s heart was always at Punt Road.

The 2019 and 2020 premiership player told the Herald Sun he was relieved to have finally locked down a deal so he could put all his energies into Richmond’s late finals charge.

“It’s good that it is finally done. It has been a long, long year and a busy year but I am rapt to get it over the line,” he said.

“(The Eagles interest has been) throughout the whole year really and then being a WA boy, Fremantle have always asked the question to my manager (Jason Dover). And it was something where I kept my options open but I always thought I would be signing here because I love it here at Richmond and I love it over in Melbourne.

Liam Baker will be a Tiger for at least the next two seasons. Picture: Michael Klein.

“Especially the week of the West Coast game, when there was a lot of stuff flying around about my contract it was a big week. I couldn’t scroll (on social media) too far without my name popping up again and again. It was frustrating but it’s better to have interest and options than none at all. It’s good they came knocking on my manager’s door but I was always pretty confident I would end up staying.”

Richmond expects to re-sign Daniel Rioli on a long-term deal despite strong rival interest, with his relative Maurice Rioli Jr also out of contract on his initial two-year deal.

Marlion Pickett is also out of contract but his Perth-based manager Anthony Van Der Wielen is in town with talks ongoing.

After Richmond gave Baker his start as a rookie the 24-year-old admitted it felt weird to be speaking to rival clubs about moving on.

“Obviously being from home, you have to do your due diligence and it felt a bit weird at times, walking on eggshells around the club. But it’s just part of the business but at the end of the day I always thought my heart is here and it’s where I am going to end up,” he said.

The Tigers have seen Kane Lambert retire this week and are likely to move on one more of their senior players - potentially Shane Edwards - as they continue their list transition.

Daniel Rioli is yet to sign a new deal with the Tigers. Picture: Getty Images

But Baker says the club’s five first-year draftees and solid core of youngsters including Hugo Ralphsmith and Noah Cumberland give him hope the club can challenge for this year’s premiership and more in the future.

Coach Damien Hardwick has always backed in his diminutive utility - urging list boss Blair Hartley to “pay the man” several weeks ago.

And while Hardwick was forced to apologise for a VFL incident defending Rhyan Mansell this weekend, Baker said he always had his player’s backs.

“I am not too sure about the incident but Dimma backs us boys in 100 per cent and it makes us walk a bit taller when the coach has your back. Whether or not he overstepped the mark is not for me to say but I know Dimma will back me 100 per cent,” he said.

“He has pulled me into his office plenty of times to support me. Everyone loves to play for Dimma.”

Unusual Jones move to help Blues get compo pick

– Jon Ralph

Carlton has told the AFL it wants Liam Jones to officially be reinstated to its list so it can collect free agency compensation when he moves on to a third AFL team.

The Blues are adamant they should secure a draft selection for Jones’ services after agreeing to a settlement when he dramatically retired in November because of his reluctance to be vaccinated.

The Herald Sun understands the Blues have made a pitch to the AFL as they seek compensation because as a retired player who accepted a financial settlement the alternative is him stepping out of the game for 18 months.

Jones’ manager Shane Casley said on Monday he had been in talks with the AFL and was expecting a resolution to the 31-year-old’s status soon.

The 18-month time frame is a safeguard against players retiring and then easily moving to a rival club without their original club being compensated.

Liam Jones could become a restricted free agent. Photo by Darrian Traynor/Getty Images

The AFL could simply make Jones an unrestricted free agent, citing his retirement due to the pandemic as exceptional and compelling grounds, and hand Carlton a later draft pick to compensate them.

The Blues last year were prepared to settle for the last pick in the 2021 national draft as compensation.

Casley hopes Jones is made an unrestricted free agent, but if he was relisted by Carlton it would not affect his football future because the Blues have made clear they will not keep him on their list after recruiting ex-Western Bulldog Lewis Young.

Carlton’s proposal would in essence allow the market to decide what compensation Jones is worth – likely at best a third-round pick – because it would depend upon the size and length of a rival offer.

Gold Coast recruiters were set to watch Jones play for Palm Beach Currumbin in the Queensland state league, where he is best-on-ground most weekends.

Essendon and the Western Bulldogs have met Jones, but if injury-prone defender Rory Thompson decided to retire with a year on his deal the Suns could be an interested party.

After repeated knee injuries Thompson has a decision to make about playing on or accepting a financial settlement.

Former Carlton AFL player Liam Jones at training for his new club Palm Beach Currumbin. Picture: Glenn Hampson

Casley told the Herald Sun on Monday he hoped Jones’ situation was resolved soon.

“We are talking to the AFL and expecting something pretty soon,” he said.

“We have had some dialogue and it’s tracking pretty well at the moment.’’

Asked if the goal was Jones becoming an unrestricted free agent, Casley said: “That is the aim.”

“We are not even looking at the other options and we are talking to the AFL about where that lands.”

A worst-case scenario would be Jones stepping out of football again for 2023 or being forced to nominate for the drafts to secure a new home.

While Jones returning to the Western Bulldogs would be romantic football story given he left as an unfulfilled key forward, Casley said Jones was open to playing for any club.

Carlton coach Michael Voss said last week the Blues would strongly pursue compensation, with the Blues keen for another national draft selection after only three picks in the past two seasons.

“It‘s been quite unique and complex, I think everyone appreciates that.

“We respect Liam’s position but we’ve also got a position as a club we need to take and we’ll follow through as strongly as we possibly can to see what’s available to us.”

Originally published as AFL trade news: Stay up to date with latest free agency and contract buzz