AFL contract news: Lachie Ash and Charlie Comben re-sign with GWS and North Melbourne

One of the most important parts the Giants’ orange tsunami has re-signed after seeing ‘the light at the end of the tunnel’. Plus. Charlie Comben’s new deal at North Melbourne.

Lachie Ash has signed a two-year contract extension

The Giants have locked away one of the most important parts of their orange tsunami with Lachie Ash agreeing terms to a two-year contract extension.

The 23-year-old excelled in 2023 after cementing his role off halfback as the launch pad into attack alongside Lachie Whitfield. The former number four draft pick played 26 matches and averaged almost 24 disposals a game as the Giants went all the way to the elimination final.

After signing a two-year extension early last season, Ash said it was always his intention to stay at the club with his new deal set to take him through to the end of 2027.

“The only reason we didn’t do four years last year was we were probably not going great at that time,” Ash said. “If I had left it another month, I would have signed four years on the spot.

“It was a pretty easy decision. I’m just happy to get it over and done with.

“The core group of players are all locked away on longer term deals and I think that’s a show of faith in where we think the club’s going.

“It’s great to be a part of that, we see the light at the end of the tunnel. The body of work over the last 18 months under Kingers (coach Adam Kingsley), we can all see that we’ll get our rewards eventually.”

Ash never had any doubts that he wanted to remain at GWS. Picture: Phil Hillyard

It’s been a difficult season for Ash having dealt with one of the longest injury stretches of his career. Since being drafted, he has been almost a permanent fixture for the Giants but missed a month and a half with a calf injury.

For a player who thrives on momentum and consistency, it did throw a slight spanner in the works. But after successfully returning against the Swans last weekend he’s looking forward to having an impact in the back half of the year.

“I’ve been very lucky (with injury),” Ash said. “It was different and something I hadn’t experienced before. It became a good learning experience.

“You can step away from the club and look at the things you normally gloss over when you’re in the rhythm of playing every week.

“I think Kingers has talked a lot about our ball movement being slow. So I’ll try to take that on again now and be a bit quicker because that’s one of my strengths. Hopefully, I can continue to have an impact as can those boys still to come in – Coniglio, Perryman, Taylor, etc.

“It was a tough five or six weeks. It wasn’t enjoyable at all, especially when the boys weren’t going well. But it’s good to be back now and contributing, hopefully we can win a few games and get ready to roll into September.”

Ash’s run and carry is vital to the way the Giants want to play. Picture: Michael Klein

The Giants’ inconsistency over the past two months has led some to question their premiership credentials. Internally, the club is still extremely confident that their best footy stacks up.

While fundamental errors have let them down in recent weeks, there are signs that they are slowly turning a corner, especially with reinforcements like Coniglio and Perryman set to return against the Crows this Saturday.

The message to the players has been finding the trust again that was so crucial in last year’s finals run. If they can do that, Kingsley is confident they will be tough to beat.

“We’ve been playing really good footy in patches and then dropping away in patches,” Ash said. “It’s just about doing it consistently for four quarters, which is something we did really well in the back end of last year.

“It starts with that pressure and trusting our system. Talking to Kingers this morning, we’re not trusting our system as much as other teams like the Swans, they have full faith in what they’re doing and don’t have any hesitation towards that.

“That little bit of hesitancy and that second here or there kills you in today’s game. So trying to get that out of our game and play our natural instincts and trust that what we’re doing will go a long way.”

ROOS LOCK AWAY DEFENSIVE PILLAR

– Glenn McFarlane

North Melbourne has locked away one of the key defensive pillars in its future plans with Charlie Comben signing a new deal until the end of the 2027 season.

One of the shining lights for the Kangaroos this year, Comben’s move to defence has seen him flourish in taking on – and often beating – some of the best forwards in the game this year.

The 22-year-old, who endured some serious injury setbacks in recent seasons, already had one year to run on his current deal, but has been rewarded with an extra two seasons.

Kangaroos head of talent Brady Rawlings said Comben had the potential to take his game to a new level in the coming years with more game-time continuity, given he has still only played 20 games in five seasons at Arden St.

Charlie Comben has re-signed with the Kangaroos. Picture: Dylan Burns/AFL Photos via Getty Images.

“We’re excited to have Charlie recommit to the club for a further two seasons,” Rawlings said.

“He is as competitive and resilient as they come and has a lot of potential with his aerial strength.

“The way he has been able to transition into defence has been a real positive for the club this season, and we look forward to watching him take his game even further over the next few years.”

He had played only nine AFL games and kicked five goals in his first four seasons with the Kangaroos, having had a number of injury setbacks, including a high-grade syndesmosis injury and fibula fracture in round 7 last year.

Comben’s move to defence this season has paved the way for the best run of form of his career.

He kept Harrison Petty to one goal last week in the Kangaroos’ near miss against Melbourne, before moving onto Jacob van Rooyen.

Originally published as AFL contract news: Lachie Ash and Charlie Comben re-sign with GWS and North Melbourne