Moneyball: Follow all the latest trade, contract, draft and coaching news across the AFL
Changkuoth Jiath has had a breakout season, so why are the Hawks allowing him to fall out of contract? Stay up to date with all the trade news here.
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Essendon is keen to secure Gold Coast’s Malcolm Rosas in the trade period after he made his debut this year as the first member of the Suns’ new Darwin zone.
It is understood the Bombers have strong interest in his talent and flair in a move that would also strengthen the club’s connections to the Northern Territory.
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Irving Mosquito has left the club to return to West Australia and will not return and the Dons, a club synonymous with Indigenous recruiting, are keen to add more exciting talent to their list.
Rosas played four games this year in his second season in the AFL, but has a big upside.
Clubs are excited by the progress of fellow Suns Darwin academy member Joel Jeffrey, but he signed a four-year contract upon moving to the Gold Coast.
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Essendon’s Jayden Laverde’s reward for his exceptional season as a new-found defender was his nomination by his teammates as one of three Bombers eligible for the AFL MVP.
He will stay at Essendon after ticking off a trigger clause with his performances this year, but at this stage won’t sign a new deal until some time next year.
D-DAY LOOMS FOR TREASURED PIE
Collingwood captain Scott Pendlebury will in coming days sign a new deal that will allow him to play at least two more seasons of his brilliant Pies career.
Pendlebury’s negotiations continue on what could be a straight two-season deal but is more likely to be a one-season contract with a games-based clause for the second season.
The Pies captain’s desire to sign a two-year deal is seen to have led to him floating the possibility of a rival offering a playing-coaching contract to move elsewhere.
MORE: GARY BUCKENARA RATES THE MAGPIES’ LIST
It was a throwaway line but he was forced to clarify his comments this week on social media.
Like many clubs Collingwood is holding off on talks with multiple players after exit interviews this week but hopes to have Pendlebury’s deal done in the next week.
A one-year deal with a trigger would allow him to easily play on into 2023 if he dodged injury or broker another contract next year if he missed too many games.
Sorry for any confusion. Just to clear it up- I want to be a one club player and finish at my playing career at Collingwood. I’m open to coaching at another club AFTER My playing days. Collingwood Fam- I’m not going anywhere
— Scott Pendlebury (@SP_10) August 24, 2021
But apart from issues with a problematic finger and a broken leg he has played 11 seasons with 21 or more games.
This year he played 18 games but missed the last four contests with a hairline fracture in his leg.
Collingwood great Tony Shaw says Pendlebury is up there as Collingwood’s greatest player alongside Nathan Buckley.
He tweeted this week he would remain a one-club player: “Sorry for any confusion. Just to clear it up- I want to be a one club player and finish my playing career at Collingwood. I’m open to coaching at another club AFTER My playing days. Collingwood Fam- I’m not going anywhere”.
The Pies hope to secure their new coach in the next two weeks, with the race down to Craig McRae and Adam Kingsley.
CERRA A CERTAINTY TO CROSS NULLARBOR
Adam Cerra is a certainty to be at Carlton next year with Melbourne the only other side interested and unable to get a deal done unless they traded a star talent like Luke Jackson.
Cerra will remain in Perth for the foreseeable future and is happy to attend the Dockers’ best-and-fairest in coming weeks after requesting a trade for family reasons.
But Carlton will push hard to give up only its pick 6 (a selection that will be 8 after father-son picks) instead of handing over multiple first-round picks.
A deal will get done, presumably with weeks of haggling but the Blues are resolute that they won’t hand over multiple early picks.
It won’t happen, but if the Blues did get Cerra to enter the national draft he would likely get through to pick six given rivals have other priorities.
A deal that sees pick six as the centrepiece and sees the Blues and Dockers swapping second and third-round picks would seem likely.
Melbourne doesn’t have a first-rounder after trading it to Brisbane, with its first pick the Lions second-rounder.
So it’s hard to see how it gets a deal done unless it traded a West Australian back to Perth.
Meanwhile, the uncertainty at Carlton earlier this week extended to the player exit interview with most of those uncontracted for next year told they would have to wait on a decision on their future.
The Blues have more than a dozen players without guaranteed deals for 2022 and beyond, although Jack Silvagni and Brodie Kemp are close to securing two-year contracts.
Nic Newman, Matthew Owies and Josh Honey are expected to get further clarity soon.
But as the Blues turn their attention to finding a new coach, a host of uncontracted players including Sam Petrevski-Seton, Michael Gibbons, Matt Cottrell are in a holding pattern at the moment.
DEES HOPE TO RETAIN KEY FORWARD
Melbourne is keen to retain Sam Weideman, but understands several clubs have an interest in securing the talented out of favour forward.
The 24-year-old has only played five games this season due to injury and opportunities and remains uncontracted for next season.
Collingwood recently confirmed its interest in the talented forward, whose father and grandfather famously wore the black and white colours.
But there have also been reports North Melbourne and Gold Coast are keeping tabs on him.
GUN HAWK SET TO CAPITALISE ON BREAKOUT YEAR
Hawthorn is happy to let Changkuoth Jiath fall out of contract next year after he hit a trigger clause for 2022 this year, which could end up working in his favour.
Jiath was one of the success stories of the season as a rookie who become an elite intercept marker for a Hawthorn defence that is going places with Will Day, James Sicily and Denver Grainger-Barras available for Round 1 next year.
“CJ” will be on minimum chips from a salary cap perspective but instead of signing an extension in the off-season the Hawks will let that deal ride.
It means if he can continue his impressive form he will have maximum leverage to secure a significant deal at the Hawks or elsewhere.
Jiath hauled in 2.4 intercept marks and won 6.9 possessions in 16 games this year and dramatically reduced the number of key errors that had plagued his game in 2020.
FRINGE HAWKS MADE TO WAIT ON NEW DEALS
Hawthorn has told many of its out-of-contract players they will have to wait until the end of the VFL season before it can make a decision on their future.
It means players including key back Tim O’Brien might have to look elsewhere for certainty, with the Western Bulldogs one potential landing spot.
The Dogs are determined to find not only another ruckman but also a key back given their issues this year, which has left them exposed when injuries have hit.
O’Brien’s last six weeks as an intercepting tall impressed rival clubs and he played a strong 19-game season.
At 27 he isn’t front of mind in the plans of clubs, but the decision to leave multiple players hanging in exit meetings means many are left in limbo for multiple weeks.
The Dogs and GWS are both in the market for tall key defenders even though the Giants have shown the way forward with recontracted Sam Taylor, veteran Nick Haynes and a band of lower-profile backs.
LYNCH UNLIKELY TO PLAY ON AFTER CROWS AXING
Adelaide’s Tom Lynch is more likely to transition straight into coaching than continue his career despite three excellent games to finish his AFL career.
Lynch was dumped by the Crows but clubs like North Melbourne where he would easily make the Roos best side are not keen for players of his age demographic.
He turns 31 in September and would seem more likely to join a club as an assistant coach or development coach than bob up for another year at a third club after starting his career at Adelaide.
TRADE TALK: HAWKS LOOK WEST FOR SMALL FORWARD
Hawthorn has upped the ante in its pursuit of Fremantle livewire Lachie Schultz.
News Corp understands Schultz has a three-year deal on the table at the Hawks should he decide to return home to Victoria as the tug of war for his services continues.
It’s one year longer than what is currently on offer to stay at the Dockers and could sway the tough small forward’s decision, despite Fremantle being confident the free agent would accept their offer.
Another factor in the 24-year-old’s decision is his good mate and fellow Williamstown VFL product Brett Bewley’s axing earlier in the week.
The pair were drafted together in the 2018 national draft, with Schultz taken at pick 57 and Bewley two selections later at 59, lived together for a while and remain close.
Bewley, 26, was one of four Dockers cut a few days after the club’s disappointing finish against St Kilda in Tasmania on Sunday, alongside defenders Taylin Duman, Tobe Watson and speedster Stefan Giro.
Schultz enjoyed a career-best season at the Dockers, playing 20 of a possible 22 games to take his tally to 44 in three years.
He booted 22 goals, second only to Matt Taberner with 37, and averaged 11 disposals, 16 pressure acts, 4.5 score involvements and three tackles.
Because he was delisted at the end of last season and relisted as a rookie, rival clubs are able to snare Schultz as a free agent if he doesn’t come to terms with Fremantle.
Silky midfielder Adam Cerra officially requested a trade back home to Melbourne earlier in the week for family reasons after months of speculation, with Carlton his likely destination.
Luckless club great Stephen Hill hung up the boots before the end of the season after a horror run with injury, while veteran Reece Conca and rookie Leno Thomas also won’t be back next year.
Tagger Bailey Banfield and rebounding defender Nathan Wilson are among the other players out of contract at Fremantle.
SON OF A GUN COMMITS TO COLLINGWOOD
HIGHLY rated teenager Nick Daicos has confirmed his decision to join Collingwood as a father-son selection in the 2021 national draft.
The son of Collingwood legend Peter Daicos, Nick will join his brother Josh at the Magpies after Collingwood guaranteed it’ll meet any bid on Daicos on draft day.
Daicos, who is widely expected to be a top three selection, will become the club’s fourth first-round pick across a 12-month period.
“Collingwood is my family’s football home and I’m thrilled to be coming,” Daicos said.
“I like the sense of tradition but it is also my start, the chance to write my own chapter in the black and white.
“I know quite a few of the boys and it’s also exciting to know that I will be joining a wider group of younger players who I can share my start with.
“It will be great to build something together.”
Magpies football boss Graham Wright said the club was delighted to have Daicos on board.
“Nick’s a highly talented midfielder; he has outstanding skills, hits the scoreboard and works hard at his game,” he said.
“Like all young players, he has work to do but he is certainly talented and committed to his craft and his club, which is something our fans and his teammates will appreciate.
“He will slot in nicely with our young group.”
SUNS ACADEMY DEPARTMENT ON NOTICE
Tom Boswell
The Suns have put their entire academy department on notice, forcing all coaches and staff to reapply for their jobs.
In the first sign there could be changes at the club following another disappointing AFL season, the club’s hierarchy will be reviewing the roles of all staff and coaches linked to its academy.
The Suns academy is one of the biggest in the AFL, taking in the Gold Coast, Northern NSW, the Far North Queensland regions of Rockhampton and Cairns and Darwin, with the Northern Territory hub given to the club as part of concessions granted by the AFL in 2019.
The staff linked to the academy has grown in recent years, with coach Andrew Raines and manager Jason Torney leading a team that also includes a North Queensland official, a female academy manager and two operations assistants.
It has been one of the most successful departments at Gold Coast over the years, producing the likes of Rising Star nominee Connor Budarick, Jack Bowes, Alex Davies and Caleb Graham during Raines’ time at the helm while Lachie Weller also came through the ranks in the early stages under Torney.
Kalinda Howarth, Serene Watson, Lauren Bella, Maddi Levi and Daisy Darcie are some of the females to graduate to the AFLW team.
But a successful production line may not be enough.
Suns chairman Tony Cochrane spoke earlier this year about the financial drain an academy of its size has on the club that tries to fund the bulk of the program itself.
“So this is a very expensive Academy to fund that we try and fund, mainly out of our own money,” Cochrane said on Fox Footy while trying to find a solution to some of its problems.
“Maybe if we were given a five-year funding of the academy zone, and that didn’t have to come out of our consolidated funds, that would free up a bit of money, so that we could afford to do some sensible things around the football department.”
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