AFL 2023: Deadline looms for the out of contract players ahead of the AFL Draft and delisted free agency period
Essendon have already had a busy off-season with four additions to the squad for 2024, but three players remain unsigned. See all the uncontracted players waiting for a deal here.
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The next week will decide the futures of more than 30 AFL players as the likes of Sydney flag-winner Sam Reid, Gold Coast veteran Sam Day and St Kilda journeyman Tom Campbell wait in career limbo.
Most clubs kept a buffer of players heading into the trade period as they awaited clarity on how many list spots they would hold and which current players could remain in those spots.
As the countdown to the draft ramps up, clubs must put their first list lodgement in to the AFL on October 31 so will make most calls on players in the next week.
Essendon trio Will Snelling, Jaiden Hunter and Patrick Voss remain unsigned.
Hunter had his season cut short by a back injury after he was taken in the mid-season draft, while Voss has shown he is raw as a forward and Snelling has been a regular contributor across 65 AFL games.
“I get it from a club perspective, list spots are so tight these days but it does make it tough for the boys just sitting there,” David Trotter, who manages Voss and Snelling, told Trade Radio recently.
“I am still hopeful for both of them, I think ‘Snells’ is pretty underrated in the role he plays and they really value what he does around the club and as a teammate. Vossy coming in and doing what he did this year … he needs to learn his forward craft but it isn’t through a lack of trying.”
Gold Coast has the longest list of players in the waiting room, with Day, Sandy Brock, Oskar Faulkhead, Hewago Oea, Bodhi Uwland, Jeremy Sharp, Jake Stein and James Tsitas in that group.
The Suns have four highly rated academy products to bring in through the draft next month but have already shifted out seven players from their 2023 list, so those in limbo all remain a chance of getting another crack in 2024.
Sydney is in talks to sign up goalsneak Sam Wicks but veteran forward Reid remains up in the air.
The 181-game forward didn’t get on the park this year and will hope to be retained as a veteran mentor to forwards Logan McDonald, Joel Amartey and Hayden McLean.
Injury-prone St Kilda winger Dan McKenzie was linked with a move to Gold Coast but nothing eventuated during the trade period and he is searching for a new deal, alongside Tom Highmore and ruck stalwart Campbell.
Campbell has been a back-up big for the Western Bulldogs, North Melbourne and now the Saints, having played 56 games across 12 seasons but went unused in 2023 as Rowan Marshall enjoyed a career year in the ruck.
Hayden Crozier remains out-of-contract at the Western Bulldogs, while veteran Brisbane Lion Dayne Zorko is closing in on a one-year deal.
Port Adelaide forward Orazio Fantasia went through a medical amid interest from GWS as the Giants weigh up bringing him in as a rookie.
Power ruck Scott Lycett is weighing up retirement or playing elsewhere, while Sam Hayes is also off-contract and likely to leave Alberton.
Adelaide is keen to keep defender James Borlase, who needs to be moved to the primary list after three years as a Category B rookie.
Collingwood’s Josh Carmichael and Nathan Kreuger are expected to stay.
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