AFL 2022: All the latest trade and free agency news
Ex-Tiger Patrick Naish was signed to play in the SANFL, trialled with St Kilda and has now headed west to answer an SOS from the Eagles.
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Former Richmond wingman Patrick Naish is poised to play for West Coast in Sunday’s pre-season meeting with Fremantle, just three days after landing in Perth having answered an SOS from the crisis-hit Eagles.
Naish, who played nine games for the Tigers across the past three seasons before being delisted, flew in on Thursday morningand was taken straight to the club for COVID and medical testing as part of an extraordinary baptism.
West Coast have seven injured midfielders, with Dom Sheed (ankle), Elliot Yeo (calf) and Campbell Chesser (ankle) having joined Luke Shuey (hamstring), Greg Clark (shoulder), Luke Edwards (groin) and Zane Trew (shin) on the sidelines.
Coach Adam Simpson said Naish, 23, would likely get some minutes against the Dockers as the Eagles decide whether to sign him before next Wednesday’s deadline.
“We’d like to have a look at him,” Simpson said.
“He arrived this morning and I think he’ll be playing on the weekend. That’s not a joke either.
“I think he’s got high-end endurance and speed and he’s got pretty good skill. The mature-age look at the moment is what we probably need.
“It’s unprecedented really what we’re going through. We’re probably missing 10 of our starting 18. So we can feel sorry for ourselves or get on with it. We want to get on with it.
“So with still some positions available with SSP, we need to fill some needs at the moment. So he fits into that.”
Former Fremantle forward Hugh Dixon has signed, effectively replacing the banished Jack Darling, and is likely to play against Gold Coast in the season-opener.
Former Brisbane-listed midfielder Tom Joyce and former Dockers-listed big man Luke Strnadica are also training with the club.
The Eagles will be able to add either two or three players in total to their rookie list before the pre-season supplemental selection period deadline, depending on whether Darling is shifted to the inactive list.
“I know there will be decisions made in the coming days and weeks, but I can’t give you any update at the moment,” Simpson said.
Simpson said he most recently spoke to Darling a week or two ago via text, but distanced himself from the premiership forward’s situation.
“I’ve got absolutely nothing to do with his future,” he said.
“If he’s available he’ll come back and play. If he’s not, he won’t.
“It’s really not in my hands at all. I just can’t worry about it and we can’t as a team. We’ve just got to move forward.
“And if it turns in our favour and it all works out well, that’s great. If it doesn’t, we’ve already moved on.”
Simpson didn’t rule Shuey out of round one calculations, saying he would join main training on Friday and was aiming to be ready for “round one, two or three.”
“It will be around that mark. The next two weeks are pretty big for him,” he said.
He said Liam Duggan was also aiming at a return in the early rounds, while Edwards will miss the start of the season after a summer ruined by a groin injury.
SMITH, JACKSON DEALS SET TO STRETCH SALARY CAPS
Jon Ralph
Eight short seasons ago, the Bulldogs were officially dubbed as invisible and borderline irrelevant.
Only months before the Brendan McCartney era imploded, a brand engagement survey ranked them last of the Victorian clubs.
Those 2014 metrics included crowds, members and social media followers along with the damning reality they had fewer back page stories in the Melbourne press than any other Victorian club.
Footy’s back! Everything you need to know for 2022 is in the Herald Sun footy magazine. Click here for more details.
Less than a decade later the Dogs not only have 2016 premiership success – and a recent Grand Final performance – they have a one-man publicity machine.
His nickname is ‘Bazlenka’, he has 354,000 Instagram followers, and if he hasn’t surpassed Marcus Bontempelli in star power he has him as footy’s most popular and marketable player for the Under-25 crowd.
All of which begs the question as contract talks loom for the brilliant Bailey Smith, fresh from two jaw-dropping finals last year.
How the hell do the Dogs structure a contract for Smith that reflects his brilliant marketing power and his stunning on-field potential without breaking the bank in a year so many teammates have mouths to feed?
Already a brand ambassador with Telstra, Monster Energy and Cotton On, Smith comes out of contract at the end of this season with little to no prospect of leaving the Dogs.
The market was set only weeks ago for stars of his age bracket when Sam Walsh signed a four-year deal through to free agency of around $825,000 a season.
Walsh is yet to miss an AFL game, has just won a John Nicholls Medal, is arguably the better player.
Yet, while Jack Macrae was officially the Dogs’ player of the finals, Smith was supreme with 20 possessions and a goal (Essendon), 27 touches, three goals and eight score involvements (Brisbane), 23, four goals and nine score involvements (Port Adelaide) and then 26 possessions in the Grand Final.
He is every bit an $800,000-per-year player, especially when the AFL cap rebounds to $14.76 million this year (made up of $13.538 million plus $1.23 million in additional services agreements.
Those ASAs are a marketing fund which will be critical to that contract given he is so in-demand with club sponsors and so integral to selling the Dogs as a young progressive club growing its membership past 40,000.
The issue for the Western Bulldogs is not so much retaining Smith, it is whether the cap space it costs them makes other players vulnerable to rival raids.
The Dogs can’t afford to pay top dollar for all of Tim English, Bailey Dale, Caleb Daniel, Jackson Macrae, Josh Dunkley and Smith without one of them spilling out.
Also out of contract is Melbourne’s Luke Jackson, who since you were asking, has only 25,000 Instagram followers after a total of 24 total posts.
West Australian Jackson might be footy’s newest unicorn, a multifaceted player totally comfortable playing ruck, wing, centre half forward or even onball.
He didn’t get the $650,000 wage in his third season that Ben King was able to attract given home interest but he could write his own cheque if he wanted to return to Perth after his third season.
He hasn’t shown any inclination to do that – who would want to leave premiership contender Melbourne right now?
But with his spectacular blend of skills he is the kind of player rivals like Fremantle wouldn’t blink at throwing $7 million over seven years if it got them their ruck-forward for the next decade.
His Perth-based management will at some stage in coming weeks meet with Melbourne when the borders come down to assess the way forward on a new deal.
Melbourne doesn’t have the same list of stars out of contract – Angus Brayshaw, Jayden Hunt, Jake Melksham, Charlie Spargo head the queue after last year’s bumper signing spree (Max Gawn, Christian Petracca, Christian Salem, Jake Bowey, Bayley Fritsch).
But lowballing him when Fremantle and West Coast would so obviously see the opportunity that gambit presents is a massive risk.
Only two seasons into a career likely to reach stratospheric heights, a two-year contract in that $600,000-$700,000 bracket would set him up for the kind of deal that will set him up for life by the time he turns 23 years of age
The contenders for a last-minute AFL call-up
Nine AFL clubs still have at least one list opening only three weeks out from round 1 after Essendon became the latest club to finalise its squad.
The deadline to sign players via the pre-season supplemental selection period is a week earlier, on March 9, but teams have the option of waiting until the mid-season draft if they wish.
The Bombers signed Tex Wanganeen and Nick Martin to fill their quota on Wednesday.
Brisbane, Carlton, Fremantle, Geelong, Hawthorn, North Melbourne, Sydney and West Coast have one spot available each, while St Kilda can sign two players.
Clubs can place players on the inactive list to create further list spots because of a long-term injury, retirement or when a footballer chooses not to be vaccinated against Covid-19, such as Brisbane’s Cam Ellis-Yolmen.
The Lions moved Ellis-Yolmen to the inactive list in January and are eyeing Williamstown and former Frankston onballer Mitch Cox to replace him.
Ex-Power defender Jarrod Lienert and Woodville-West Torrens star Jack Hayes, who won the Jack Oatey Medal as best afield in last year’s SANFL grand final, played in the Saints’ practice game against Carlton on Thursday.
Former Tiger Patrick Naish is vying with Lienert and Hayes for St Kilda’s two vacancies. Hayes is tipped to score one of them.
None of the Blues’ train-on footballers were selected, with Josh Cripps – brother of captain Patrick – and Michael Lewis in the VFL squad instead.
Marty Hore, who Melbourne delisted last year after playing 14 games, is training with the Kangaroos but is expected to be a VFL option only.
Ex-Crow Tom Lynch has joined North Melbourne as a development coach but could fill the club’s final playing spot at some stage.
Neither the Hawks nor Cats have anyone officially training with them, but Hawthorn rotated a series of VFL affiliate Box Hill players throughout the pre-season.
The Dockers have received the green light for WAFL quartet Lachie Cullen, Luke Polson, Bailey Rodgers and Blake Schlensog to train with them after Luke Valente’s retirement was finalised.
There is fascination around what the Eagles do, given the increasing likelihood that Jack Darling, who hasn’t been vaccinated against Covid-19, won’t be available.
Day one for Sandover medallist Bailey Rogers and South Fremantle tall Blake Schlensog at Cockburn. They’ve got two weeks to impress ahead of the SSP deadline. Peel pair Luke Polson and Lachie Cullen also on the track. https://t.co/sUZAAwrw5apic.twitter.com/dCyUyK1P1G
— Jordan McArdle (@jordan_mc12) February 24, 2022
Darling going onto the inactive list would give West Coast a second opening and it is also dealing with several injuries.
West Perth goalkicker Tyler Keitel and ex-Docker Hugh Dixon loom as candidates if that happens, while ruckman Luke Strnadica, midfielder Tom Blechynden and defender Toby McQuilkin are other options.
Paddy McCartin (Sydney) and James Tsitas (Gold Coast) are the only players so far, besides the new Essendon duo, to sign via the SSP ahead of the season.
AFL TRAIN-ON LIST
Brisbane: Mitch Cox (Williamstown)
Carlton: Josh Cripps (East Fremantle), Michael Lewis (Sandringham), Tyreece Leiu (Eastern Ranges)
Fremantle: Lachie Cullen (Peel Thunder), Luke Polson (Peel Thunder), Bailey Rodgers (Claremont), Blake Schlensog (South Fremantle)
North Melbourne: Marty Hore (Melbourne)
St Kilda: Jack Hayes (Woodville-West Torrens), Jarrod Lienert (Sturt), Patrick Naish (Norwood)
West Coast: Tom Blechynden (South Fremantle), Hugh Dixon (East Fremantle), Tyler Keitel (West Perth), Toby McQuilkin (South Fremantle), Luke Strnadica (East Fremantle)
SWANS MAKE ROOM FOR EXTRA RECRUIT
Sydney has shifted injury-cursed ruckman Sam Naismith to the inactive list and he will sit out the entire 2022 season recovering from his third knee reconstruction.
Naismith hasn’t suffered another setback but underwent a two-stage repair in his latest reconstruction, with surgeries in June then October, after the graft failed from his previous operation.
The 29-year-old is not even five months into his rehabilitation and the Swans plan to take a conservative approach, given another anterior cruciate ligament rupture could be career-ending.
Naismith, who was the No. 1 ruckman in Sydney’s 2016 grand final team, has played only two AFL games in the past four seasons because of his barrage of serious knee injuries.
He made it back for two VFL matches last year, only to report instability in his surgically repaired knee before discovering the graft issue.
They estimated at the time that Naismith’s recovery would be about 15-16 months.
Swans head of football Charlie Gardiner said they were taking a long-term approach to his return to football.
“Sam has shown incredible commitment and resilience in his mission to return to elite football, but his recovery is still going to take some time from here,” Gardiner said.
“Sam is currently five months into a 12-month rehabilitation program, and given this is Sam’s third knee reconstruction, we will be taking a conservative approach to maximise his chances of making a full and successful recovery.”
Sydney has invested heavily in its ruck stocks around Naismith, trading for Tom Hickey and Peter Ladhams in the past two years and selecting project big man Lachlan McAndrew in last year’s mid-season draft.
This latest move means the Swans have another list opening after already signing 2014 No. 1 draft pick Paddy McCartin via the pre-season supplemental selection period.
It’s understood they don’t have any immediate plans to replace Naismith on the list.
Sydney can sign another player by March 9 to replace him or wait until the mid-season draft, with the spectre of Covid-19 causing the AFL to discuss top-up players as another option for badly hit teams.
Speaking this month, the Swans’ head of physiotherapy and medical services, Damian Raper, said they were pleased with Naismith’s progress.
“Sam’s working hard in the gym with our rehabilitation team,” Raper said.
“(He is) working on his strength around his quadriceps and hamstring muscle; doing lots of balance and proprioception exercises and starting to work towards running over the coming weeks.”
GIANTS PLAN TO STAVE OFF TARANTO INTEREST
Jay Clark
GWS Giants have launched talks on a new deal for star goal-kicker Tim Taranto as he prepares to help lead the attack in Toby Greene’s absence this season.
Taranto has long been a target for cashed-up Victorian clubs who have been eager to drag the No. 2 draft pick away from the stacked midfield at GWS.
But the Giants have already made a move to keep the dangerous midfielder-forward after recent discussions with his manager Matt Bain, from TLA.
Footy’s back! Everything you need to know for 2022 is in the Herald Sun footy magazine. Click here for more details.
The Giants remain highly confident the Sandringham and St Kevin’s product will remain at the club as he enjoys the Sydney lifestyle and Giants’ culture.
Unless a blockbuster deal lands from a rival, it is widely expected Taranto will re-sign up north and receive a decent payday after another excellent season.
A two-year deal will tie Taranto to the club until 2024 when he will qualify for free agency.
He looms as the priority signing for the Giants have long believed the dynamic ball winner can become one of the top players in the competition.
Jet midfielders Jacob Hopper and Tom Green are out of contract next year.
Taranto, who will play a key role in attack until Greene returns against the Saints in Round 6, finished fourth in the best and fairest last year, after taking out the Kevin Sheedy medal in 2019 in just his third season.
St Kilda was heavily linked to Taranto in 2020, but the 24-year-old did not seriously consider a move to Moorabbin.
He averaged 27 possessions, five tackles and four clearances a game across 24 matches last year.
Taranto is scheduled to play his 100th AFL match against Richmond in Round 2 at the MCG.
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