Moneyball: All the latest trade and contract news from across the AFL
Amid recent trade links to Western Australia, Collingwood premiership hero Bobby Hill is set to recommit to the club. JAY CLARK has details.
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Collingwood excitement machine Bobby Hill is poised for an early contract extension that will reward his stunning rise from fringe forward to grand final hero.
The man who reeled in two of the best marks of the season to sink North Melbourne on Sunday is on a bargain deal worth about $450,000 a year at Collingwood.
While Hill still has two more years to run on a contract which doesn’t end until the end of 2026, Collingwood could increase his wage early as part of a long-term extension.
The move would not only reward Hill for his matchwinning form, it would tie him to the Magpies for the long-term and thwart any recruiting raids from his hometown Western Australian sides.
The Magpies aren’t rushing to strike an extension but it is likely talks will ramp up later this year to modify the playing deal which has delivered Collingwood one of the best bang-for-buck outcomes in the league.
He is in the top-few players most deserving of a pay rise in the league with a salary which currently just sits above the AFL player average.
Hill, 24, has been a stunning recruit for Collingwood since the Magpies traded him for a future second-round draft pick at the end of 2022.
GWS was reluctant to lose Hill but the club was recalibrating its salary cap and had to move on players as it set its long-term sights on keeping gun defender Sam Taylor and Aaron Cadman.
But Collingwood has hit the jackpot with Hill playing a starring role in the premiership decider last year booting four goals in a thrilling win over Brisbane Lions.
Hill is also considered one of the most unselfish players in the league due to the many goals he hands off to teammates often in point blank positions deep forward.
He booted 33 goals from 24 matches last year and has already slammed home 20 majors from 14 games this year including the mark of the year against the Kangas.
Collingwood’s salary cap is back in good shape as the club prepares to be active in this year’s free agency market after missing out on Brisbane’s Hugh McCluggage.
The Magpies made a tough decision to part ways with Brodie Grundy who has since revived his career at Sydney Swans after a failed move to Melbourne lasted only one year.
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MAGPIES FATHER-SON TO COMMAND HUGE DRAFT PRICE
Collingwood fans are already salivating at the prospect of securing another highly-rated father-son prospect in Tom McGuane at the end of next season.
Fresh from kicking three goals, having 33 disposals and 10 clearances in his senior debut for Keilor last Saturday and after a strong start to the Coates Talent League with Western Jets, the son of Magpies premiership player and dual best and fairest winner Mick McGuane is being touted as one of the most exciting talents in next year’s draft pool.
But the Magpies are aware they will likely have to pay a high price for the classy 177cm midfielder, given the AFL’s intention of changing the bidding system on father-sons and academy players, potentially as early as this year.
McGuane doesn’t turn 17 until August, but was named last month by AFL talent ambassador Kevin Sheahan as among the top 25 draft prospects for 2025.
Sheahan said of McGuane: “He has clean hands, while strong decision-making is another key asset” while describing him as “a must watch player over the next 18 months.”
The Magpies have had a strong record of father-son selections in recent years, with skipper Darcy Moore and the Daicos brothers, Nick and Josh, all playing in last year’s premiership.
MCKERCHER TIPPED TO TURN BACK ON TASSIE
Tasmania’s biggest recruiting target Colby McKercher is likely to be off the table by the time the Devils come into the competition as he dedicates himself to football with North Melbourne.
Launceston boy McKercher would have been the perfect figurehead for the Devils given his style of play and status as a local star.
But those close to McKercher are aware he is unlikely to want to head home for the early seasons of the Tasmanian team, which is set to come into the competition for 2028.
Like many of the Tasmanian players who set their sights on the AFL he was keen to find himself at an established AFL club amid uncertainty about the future of Tasmania’s new side.
And while you can never say never, players like McKercher are understood to be keen to play their early years at their existing clubs in the early seasons of the Devils.
McKercher is a Launceston boy, not a Hobart local, and while the north-south divide is no impediment to recruiting Tasmanians he would not be returning to his hometown.
His manager Nick Gieschen said recently he was in no hurry to extend his contract talks.
But it would be a shock if he jumped ship even despite what are expected to be monster offers for Tasmanian players.
“Not really, to be honest. I’ve had brief chats with the clubs, there’s no rush,” Gieschen said.
“If you look at comparing it to an AFL player, say someone that’s got two and a half years to go on their contract it is early. Normally those talks start to happen 18 months out.
“I feel like the clubs are just comfortable with where all these guys are sitting. They’re all playing. I’m happy to start whenever the clubs want to start but for now I think everyone’s happy for them to keep playing footy.”
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