AFL trade: Latest contract and signing news from around the league
Essendon will be keen to extend its trio of talented draftees and another emerging forward. But the form of a Bomber barometer could complicate matters.
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Essendon has kicked off contract talks with emerging forward Harrison Jones but must haggle over Jake Stringer’s rising price tag given his stunning early-season form.
The Dons’ forward line appeared decimated as they rebuilt in 2020 but Jones and Stringer have paired well with Cale Hooker (21 goals) and Anthony McDonald-Tipungwuti (18 goals).
Second-year key forward Jones took five contested marks in a three-goal performance against Carlton as a breakout performance of an encouraging second season.
His initial season was wiped out by a footy stress fracture injury but the No.30 selection in the 2019 national draft appears a 10-year player for the Dons.
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Essendon will also be keen to extend their trio of top-10 picks in Archie Perkins, Nik Cox and Zach Reid past their initial two-year deals.
But Stringer’s explosive form will require a chunk of Essendon’s two-million dollar plus cap space given his start to the year as a mid-forward.
He is coming off a four-year initial deal of around $2.2 million at Essendon and having only turned 27 last week is entering the peak of his career.
Stringer’s value to Essendon is as a point of difference midfielder who is equally comfortable in the centre square or as a leading forward.
He has kicked 12.5 from seven games so far this year but is also averaging 5.6 score involvements, 3.2 clearances and 2.8 centre clearances.
As the Herald Sun revealed this week the Bombers have scored from 15 per cent of his clearances since Round 3 – ranked second of the top-25 midfielders to attend a centre bounce.
If he can continue that form for the rest of the season he will show he can command the kind of $800,000-per-season figures that the league’s premier midfielders are able to secure.
It would also allay the need for another crack at Josh Dunkley as a mid-forward given Essendon’s midfield depth includes Andy McGrath, Darcy Parish, Dylan Shiel, Jye Caldwell, Zach Merrett, Perkins, Cox and Kyle Langford.
Essendon is increasingly confident of securing Merrett, who could yet be the club’s next captain given his strong leadership and consistent form.
At this stage the Dons do not have the draft collateral for a serious crack at Dunkley, with the asking price last summer two first-round picks.
Essendon has its first selection in the draft, currently pick four, but moved on its second pick to GWS (who on-traded it to Geelong) in the Jy Caldwell trade.
Dogs chief executive Ameet Bains said the club “absolutely” expected rivals including Essendon to go again over the contracted Dunkley.
The Dons used three first-round picks this year but would likely need to hand over a top-five pick or use a first-rounder this year and next year’s first-rounder on Dunkley.
LIST GURU: WHY PIES WILL CONSIDER DE GOEY TRADE
Collingwood will have to consider trading Jordan De Goey at year’s end given his “pre-agency” status, according to one of footy’s most accomplished list builders.
Hawthorn and St Kilda list manager Chris Pelchen said the Pies would be “fearful” De Goey could walk as a free agent at the end of 2022 for a late first-round pick.
Collingwood coach Nathan Buckley defended De Goey’s output in the same week AFL legend Leigh Matthews said he was not fit to be mentioned in the same conversation as Dustin Martin.
Collingwood’s biggest issue over De Goey, signed last year on a two-season deal of around $1.5 million, is they lose control over his destiny by the end of next year.
De Goey is a wildcard in the contract space because has always been willing to shop himself to rivals — including Carlton last year — and does not have a player manager.
The Pies would have to believe they could secure multiple early picks or a first-rounder and an established player.
But Pelchen said on Friday given De Goey’s diminishing returns, the Pies would need to consider if they fielded offers for a player with only one top-10 Copeland Trophy finish.
“With De Goey his free agency would certainly be at the front of their discussions in list management in the next six months,” Pelchen said.
“It’s better to control the compensation with a trade you can accept or decline than wait for free agency to dictate it to you. With a player like De Goey you would only get one stand-alone pick under free agency so you might think about the opportunity to trade him for multiple picks.
“You don’t want to lose a player of quality because the whole basis of being involved in the AFL is winning premierships. Collingwood want the good Jordan De Goey but they would have question marks. Will he play at a level consistently, and you can control the compensation this year, rather than leaving it up to the AFL next year.”
Collingwood football boss Graham Wright, who will take over as interim list manager, said on Saturday the club would have its salary cap in check by this year or the end of 2022.
Clearly the timeline depends upon whether the club trades out more established players in this off-season.
He said the Pies had chosen to address their issue early given back-ended deals and incentives in contracts had all intersected to brew a perfect storm.
List manager Ned Guy walked away this week but Pelchen, in an identical position when the incoming St Kilda list manager in 2011, said he feels for the former player manager.
“I really feel for Ned. Administrations by their very nature inherit the ramifications of others’ decisions. The person who wrote Buddy Franklin’s deal isn’t the person who has to end his contract.
“History will say Collingwood got their salary cap wrong, but they had no option but to fix it.
“I arrived at St Kilda in 2011 and if it wasn’t rectified with the co-operation of the AFL and (salary cap cop) Ken Wood, the salary cap would have been $400,000 over the limit. We rectified that and it took two years and then another two years in 2013-14 to get under the cap to build the club going forward. They aren’t always popular decisions but someone has to make them.”
Trade latest: Rivals sniffing around uncontracted Dogs
— Sam Landsberger
Tom Liberatore is on the verge of signing a rich contract extension, although the Western Bulldogs have conceded their deep list is already under attack from rival poachers.
The Herald Sun understands Liberatore, 28, will secure a multi-year extension and a pay rise after recapturing his best form as the AFL’s No.1 clearance player.
Liberatore was only offered a one-year deal after suffering a second ACL injury in 2018 and then inked a two-year deal in 2019, which expires this year.
But coach Luke Beveridge said his heart-and-soul midfielder was going nowhere in what shapes as a busy year for shrewd list boss Sam Power.
“Sam’s talking to Tom’s manager about his future and we’re working something out,” Beveridge said.
“Hopefully that’ll get done at some point soon.”
Captain Marcus Bontempelli, who is a restricted free agent, is also expected to re-sign, although the Dogs are against long-term contracts such as the $7 million extension Melbourne gave Christian Petracca, which expires at the end of 2029.
The Dogs have close to 20 players out of contract this year.
They include fringe players Patrick Lipinski, Riley Garcia, Cody Weightman, Jordan Sweet, Louis Butler, Ryan Gardner, Buku Khamis and Ed Richards, who are all valued highly both internally and externally.
Garcia and Khamis are likely to be the club’s next debutants while three-gamer Weightman’s 2.4 last week showed he is creating opportunities which will warrant consideration.
Vice-captain Mitch Wallis is also a free agent and stuck in the VFL.
“We can’t bury our head in the sand and think there hasn’t been overtures towards our players,” Beveridge said.
“When you haven’t got the opportunity presented to you, and you feel like you should have them, that you might start to wander a little bit.
“I’m always talking to the players about that and I want an open conversation about that.
“It’s (rival offers) happening, no doubt.”
DOGS LOCK AWAY YOUNG GUN ON NEW DEAL
Laitham Vandermeer will remain at Whitten Oval until at least the end of 2023 after the Western Bulldogs pressure forward inked a new two-year contract extension.
Selected as a defender with pick 37 in the 2018 national draft, Vandermeer has solidified his spot in the Bulldogs’ best 22 as a forward and has missed only seven games – all through injury – since making his AFL debut in Round 2 last year.
Vandermeer won the Chris Grant Best First Year Player award last season after averaging 9.8 disposals and kicking nine goals from his 12 games.
“Going into this year after what I was able to achieve last year was a real confidence booster,” Vandermeer said.
“It’s nice to know I have the belief of the footy department and everyone at the club.
“I still feel like I’ve got so much room to improve my game and I just want to keep growing and getting better.”
PETRACCA SNUBS PIES INTEREST, SIGNS MEGA DEAL
Melbourne star Christian Petracca will be a Demon for life after agreeing to a monster long-term deal.
The Demon has put pen to paper on a new deal that will see him remain in the red and blue until the end of 2029.
The deal is reportedly worth up to $6.5 million for its duration.
He’ll be 33 by the time the contract is up, which effectively makes him a Demon for life.
“Christian will now be a Melbourne player for life and our members and supporters can look forward to cheering him on through what we are sure will be the best years of his career,” Demons list manager Tim Lamb said.
“Over the past couple of seasons, Christian has established himself as one of the competition’s elite players and we are confident his best is still to come.
“To turn his back on free agency, and what would have undoubtedly been significant offers from other clubs, is a testament to his character and shows how much he loves this club, his teammates, coaches and the environment we have worked so hard to create.”
The deal was announced on Wednesday morning, much to the joy of Demons supporters already basking in their unbeaten 7-0 start to the season.
Petracca still had another year remaining on his current deal, but the club has worked hard to lock down the 25-year-old who has been in career-best form this year.
Last year’s best and fairest and current equal favourite for the Brownlow, Petracca said the Demons, who are undefeated this season, could “achieve anything” and added he was buoyed by the signatures of several teammates.
“I signed at the club because I know we can win premierships, that’s what I am here for,” he said.
“It’s not the first seven rounds which have influenced me to stay. It’s my first five years since I’ve been here, the culture we are developing, there are so may young exciting guys coming through.
“Guys like Oliver and Salem who are my close mates re-signing, that’s a great thing.
“We can achieve anything we want. The first seven games have shown that, but we can’t be complacent now. We haven’t really done anything. The test is the back end of the season, when finals are on.
“We really want to take this club to where we know it can get to.”
"I'm just happy with where the club's going, the people around me and the coaches. I think it's just a really exciting time."
— Melbourne Demons (@melbournefc) May 5, 2021
Not sure if Trac can wipe the smile off his smile. ðŸ˜
More from our No.5 👉 https://t.co/zcbxoqVNAMpic.twitter.com/krtloyWB6r
He had been linked to Collingwood recently, but said recently the talk had not been a distraction.
“I did see it. I got a fair few text messages and a few group chats from mates, but it’s all noise,” he said on Fox Footy’s AFL360 earlier this year.
“I’m contracted for two years. At the moment we’re 3-0, that’s all I really care about is just winning games of footy.
“I’ve been at the club six, seven years now, and I give so much back to the club. I’ve created so many friendships with them. It’s great.
“I’m there for two more years, so, at the moment we’re playing great footy. We’re 3-0. The club’s in great form, and we’ve just got to keep going.”
The Demons have also recently locked Max Gawn (2025), Christian Salem (2026) and Clayton Oliver (2023) into new contracts.
Petracca has played 109 games since debuting in 2016, booting 102 goals.
He finished equal third in last year’s Brownlow Medal.
GREENE’S NEW DEAL TO BECOME ‘GIANT FOR LIFE’
Toby Greene has effectively become a Giant for ‘life’, adding two more years to his current deal, locking him in until the end of 2026.
The acting Giants skipper said it was a no-brainer for him to commit even further to the club, saying it had always felt like home for him.
Greene, 27, had already committed long-term with a six-year deal signed in 2018, but adding two extra years that will see him through until he turns 33.
“I’ve always known my future was at the Giants, it’s been my home since I was 18,” Greene said.
“We’ve got a young and exciting group this season and I’m privileged to lead them out until Cogs (Stephen Coniglio) returns.
“It’s been a really enjoyable start to the season and I’m looking forward to being back in Sydney in front of our orange army (against Essendon) this weekend.”
Greene has been crucial for the Giants this season, kicking 19 goals so far, including two bags of five.
Giants general manager of football Jason McCartney said Greene remained one of the best forwards in the competition and had shown great leadership as well.
“Toby’s obviously a star of the competition and is having a brilliant start to the season,” McCartney said.
“He’s flourished with the added responsibility this season which is really pleasing.
“It was a pretty easy option for us to add another couple of years to his contract, we’ve always known he’ll be a Giant for life.”
HAWKS’ DRAFT SNUB FINALLY PAYING OFF
There was a tinge of disappointment when Hawthorn didn’t match Essendon’s surprise bid on Next Generation Academy prospect Irving Mosquito in 2018.
Cyril Rioli, the star goalsneak Mosquito idolised and modelled his game on, prematurely retired four months earlier and the Hawks weren’t rife with small forward options.
The Bombers swooped on Mosquito at pick 38 and the Hawks would have had to give up what were selections 49 and 91 at the time to secure him.
Hawthorn’s then-national recruiting manager Mark McKenzie – who’s become the list boss since Graham Wright’s defection to Collingwood – stood firm and elected to let Mosquito walk to Tullamarine.
McKenzie and co. had other plans.
“We thought there’d be a few clubs interested, and overall it’s a great story for Irving to be on an AFL list,” McKenzie said at the time.
“If he was at Hawthorn footy club, it would have been great, but that’s the way the industry works … that was just the decision we made with the players we had in our order.”
The Hawks’ next pick ended up being No. 52 and they used it on Jacob Koschitzke, a Murray Bushrangers swingman who happened to be the cousin of ex-Saint Justin Koschitzke.
That draft-day call almost three years ago suddenly looks a wise one.
Five goals and eight marks inside 50 in a win over Adelaide scored Koschitzke the Round 6 Rising Star nomination, then he backed up with two more goals last weekend in a heavy defeat to St Kilda.
The 20-year-old’s competitiveness is among his best qualities, something that’s sure to endear him to coach Alastair Clarkson.
Those two performances followed Koschitzke’s six-goal explosion in the Community Series against North Melbourne in early March that rubber-stamped his Round 1 debut.
A VFL demotion in between sparked his past two efforts, but there’s enough to like in this year’s small sample size for any lingering Mosquito itch to subside.
Koschitzke played mostly as a defender in his first two injury-marred seasons, didn’t get particularly close to senior selection and secured just a one-year deal after waiting until late 2020.
Jon Patton’s retirement and Jack Gunston’s late start to the season offered him an opportunity he’s grasped in attack after struggling to grab one down back.
Meanwhile, Mosquito is on the comeback trail from an ACL rupture after playing the first four AFL games of his career last year.
Koschitzke now looms as Hawthorn’s potential Jarryd Roughead successor – and only because McKenzie passed on Mosquito.
BONTEMPELLI: NO TIMELINE ON NEW DOGS DEAL
A new contract for Marcus Bontempelli could “take time” but the Western Bulldogs captain is adamant talks are going well.
Bontempelli is out of contract at the end of the 2021 season, and the 25-year-old star qualifies as an unrestricted free agent this year after eight seasons at Whitten Oval.
On Tuesday Bontempelli said there was “no timeline” on putting pen to paper and conceded there were a couple of sticking points.
One of those could be the length of the deal, with Bontempelli also potentially able to command up to $1m a season.
“The dialogue’s been really good between the club and my manager,” Bontempelli said.
“There’s no real timeline on it … but things are progressing pretty well.
“So without giving you a date, hopefully it’s sooner rather than later.
“But these things obviously just take time and it’s different for everyone, but the good thing is they’re progressing well.”
Collingwood has attracted scrutiny for signing Brodie Grundy on a seven-year contract, and Bulldogs CEO Ameet Bains has stated publicly that they are hesitant to hand out long-term contracts.
Bontempelli said talks would continue “until there’s a result”.
“There‘s probably a couple of things that are part of it and, like I said, the dialogue’s been good,” Bontempelli said.
“The discussions are open and it’s just sort of working through it in the right time.
“I won’t run into the specifics of it, but I think the most important thing is that the chats are good and they’re going well.
“We’ll continue to progress until we have a result.”
DANGER, DANGER, DANGER: BUTLER EYES LONG-TERM DEAL
Dan Butler will push for a longer term contract at St Kilda next year after signing an extension that will keep him at the club until 2022.
The 24-year-old small forward, who kicked 29 goals in 19 games last season, his first as a
Saint, is excited about the club’s future despite a rollercoaster start to the year.
“I just wanted to put the one year (contract) to bed and then hopefully over the next couple of years we can sort out something longer term,” Butler said on Tuesday.
“We’ve got a lot of young talent … you get really excited when you seem them play.
“Some of the football we produced last year is good enough to beat the best. Hopefully, we can kind of get that a bit more consistently through the year.”
Butler has played all 27 matches since making the move from Richmond at the end of 2019.
Last year he was included in the 40-man All-Australian squad and was runner-up in the club’s best and fairest.
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