All the latest AFL contract news and re-signings at your club
Carlton has invited key position player Callum Moore back to the club for summer training just weeks after delisting him.
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Carlton will invite key position tall Callum Moore back for a summer trial for the second straight year despite delisting him as a rookie in recent weeks.
Moore was delisted last month along with Harrison Macreadie, Cam Poulson and Matt Kennedy, with the GWS midfielder to be rookie-listed by the Blues.
But while ex-Tiger Moore was set to return to the VFL he has been informed this week the Blues are keen for him to trial against a handful of players over summer.
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The league confirmed this week that players were allowed to join AFL clubs from January 6 until early March to allow clubs to trial them.
Moore was the last player elevated onto the Carlton list last year after impressing in training against the likes of former Western Bulldog Lukas Webb and Jordan Cunico.
Presumably the Blues know everything they need to about his skill set and abilities after he played two games for them this year.
But with Charlie Curnow again delayed by more surgery on his troublesome knee, the Blues might need more cover if his injury does not improve over the summer.
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Wines warns rivals of ‘dangerous’ Power
— Simeon Thomas-Wilson and Matt Turner
Port Adelaide general manager of football Chris Davies says Ollie Wines inking a four-year extension to his deal at Alberton is a big tick of approval of what the Power are building towards.
Despite Port’s vice-captain still having two-years remaining on his deal, the 26-year-old Wines’ new contract will keep him at Alberton until he is 32 and likely a one-club player.
Wines said with Ken Hinkley’s side on an upward trajectory after getting to a preliminary final in 2020, he was all too happy to commit his long-term future to the club.
“Right now I think the club is in a really strong position going forward and to be a part of that for at least the next six years is really important to me,” he said.
“We’ve built a powerful list ... I think this club is in a really strong position.”
Davies said Wines signing on for an additional four years strengthened the club’s position.
“It’s a great sign for our club that he wants to commit to the place long-term,” he said.
“He is a guy that has made abundantly clear to all inside the club that he is committed to what we want to do.
“We could be playing on a Saturday night (at Adelaide Oval) and then playing on a Sunday in the SANFL at Elizabeth and he will be there.
“He has bought into what our club is.
“His family has also, and we are really keen to see him commit what looks to be a really good chunk (of his career) to our footy club.”
Wines has constantly been linked with a move back to Victoria, speculation inflamed by rival clubs last year revealing his management had approached them around a potential move, over the past couple of years.
He said he hoped this new commitment to Port would end those rumours, so he could focus on the Power’s premiership charge after they fell by just a goal to eventual premiers Richmond in the preliminary final.
“It will probably put some rumours that swirl around to bed,” he said.
“I’m so excited to be a part of the next five to 10 years ... I think we are going to be a pretty dangerous team when we get more games under the belt.”
That came after a year in which Wines first suffered a dislocated shoulder in a water skiing incident and then had to struggle with initially being a co-captain for the first time in Port’s history and then being removed from that position after a season.
Davies said Wines, who gets more long-term security for less money per year, had recovered well from a tough year in 2019 with a stellar second half of 2020 in which he was named the Power’s best finals player.
“That can’t be underestimated, to be put in that situation (the co-captaincy) would be hard but the way he responded to that, his support for Tom (Jonas) this year was immense,” he said.
“I have no doubt that his trajectory is up not just from a leadership sense, but I think he still has some upside as a player.
“I think you are just starting to see the tip of the iceberg where he can go.”
Wines suffered another dislocated shoulder in pre-season this year, but Davies said the club had no worries about giving him, essentially, a six-year contract.
“I acknowledge there is an element of risk in everything you do, but when you have a person who works as hard as Ollie does, if anyone was even to contemplate whether this would change his work ethic, they don’t know Ollie Wines,” he said.
“It is a long time, we get that, but it is also a fantastic show of commitment from a person from interstate who wants to see his career out at Port Adelaide.
“Ollie’s main things have been impact-type collisions when he attacks the football and where he ends up in contested situations.
“Those things can happen whether you have a six-year contract or a one-year contract.
“But really importantly he has always come back from those injuries in a way that highlights his professionalism.”
YOUNG GUNS LOCKED IN
It comes after Port locked away three of its top-25 draft picks until the end of 2023.
The Power announced on Friday that Mitch Georgiades, Miles Bergman and Dylan Williams had all signed two-year extensions on their initial contracts, which were set to expire after next season.
Drafted at pick 18 last November, West Australian forward Georgiades played seven games in 2020 and earned a Rising Star nomination for a three-goal haul against Melbourne in Round 9.
Port Adelaide also has high hopes for Victorians Bergman (No. 14 last year) and Dylan Williams (23), who are both yet to debut.
Those two were not able to show their wares outside the club in 2020 due to Port Adelaide not fielding a SANFL team amid the coronavirus pandemic.
Davies expected the trio to have long futures at Alberton.
“I think a lot of our supporters will be excited by what they saw from Mitch in the games he played at AFL level in 2020,” Davies said.
“His running capacity and ability to take strong marks in front of goal were a real highlight and we know there is still plenty of upside in his game.
“Our people would not have had much chance to see (Bergman and Williams) in action but that did not stop them working hard on the track and making the most of their limited match simulation opportunities.”
Georgiades, who missed all of 2019 with a quad injury before debuting in Round 1, said he had enjoyed his first campaign at the club and was always keen to extend his stay.
“As soon as I came in, there was that family aspect and it made moving from interstate easy,” Georgiades said.
“Whether it’s been the boys or the staff, they’ve been amazing.”
Georgiades said he expected to play more as a high half-forward next season, helping fill the void left by the retired Brad Ebert.
Bergman is being converted into a half-back flanker, while left-footer Williams is hoping to break into the side in attack.
LIST CHANGES: EVERY RETIREMENT AND DELISTING
POWER DUO INK NEW DEALS
Meanwhile, defender Jarrod Lienert and small forward Boyd Woodcock have also signed one-year deals to remain at the club.
Lienert, 26, has played 18 games for the Power since arriving from Sturt a rookie at the end of 2017, while North Adelaide product Woodcock, 20, has lined up in five matches – all in 2020 – in his two seasons at the club.
Both were understood to have had commitments with the club weeks ago but Port Adelaide was waiting for more clarity on list sizes before announcing the contract extensions.
Davies was pleased the duo would remain at Alberton.
“Jarrod gives us extra versatility in defence because of his ability to play both tall and small,” he said.
“He has been unlucky to come in and out of the side a bit this year but has contributed whenever he has played.
“Boyd has always had a good footy brain, clean hands and a nose for goal, but he really took his game to another level this year.”
Woodcock was delisted at the end of last year, then reclaimed as a rookie and said he took it in his stride.
“I’ve always had a pretty strong self-belief and stepped up to every challenge that’s been presented to me so I … did whatever I could to get myself into a position to play AFL and now that I’ve done that I want to keep playing consistently,” Woodcock said.
“It’s really exciting to be able to stick around.”
HAWK WILL BE A CAT FOR LIFE
- Josh Barnes
Veteran goalkicker Tom Hawkins will steer new teammate Jeremy Cameron through the next two seasons after he has signed with Geelong.
As revealed by the Geelong Advertiser, Hawkins agreed to terms with the Cats not long after last month’s grand final and the club officially announced the signing on Friday.
The two-year extension will see the full-forward play into his 16th season and past his 34th birthday.
He is expected to create a fearsome tandem with Cameron in Geelong’s forward half before handing the keys to the forward line to the recruit.
Hawkins enjoyed arguably his finest season in 2020, booting 49 goals in 21 games to win the Coleman Medal and earn his third All-Australian blazer.
Should he remain as durable has he has been over his career – Hawkins hasn’t played less than 18 games since 2008 – he could pass the 300 game mark next year as his current games tally sits at 277.
His career goal tally of 603 is the third highest in club history behind Doug Wade and Gary Ablett Sr.
Hawkins is the latest signing announced by the club this week, following Jack Henry, Tom Stewart, Rhys Stanley, Zach Tuohy and Brandan Parfitt.
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