Moneyball: All the latest AFL trade, free agency and contract news
One of the heroes in Carlton’s emergence as a genuine premiership contender has been rewarded with a contract extension. Plus, all the latest trade whispers in Moneyball.
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Valuable Carlton recruit Elijah Hollands has earned back the multi-year deal at the Blues that slipped away, while youngster Hudson O’Keeffe has also signed a new deal.
Hollands was traded in to Carlton from Gold Coast in the off-season, with initial talks with the high half-forward expected to net him a multi-year contract.
But he plead guilty to possession of cocaine late last year and the Blues signed him to just a one-year deal and he copped a two-match suspension from the AFL.
Hollands, 22, has since earned the trust of the Blues brass in his first season at the club, putting his head down and seemingly locking in a spot in the premiership contender’s best side as a forward capable of rotating through the midfield.
And Carlton announced on Friday he was sticking around, having inked a new two-year contract.
“Elijah came to the club knowing he had to earn a spot if he wanted to play at AFL level,” Blues list boss Nick Austin said.
“The way he accepted that challenge and has taken his game to another level because of it says a lot about his competitiveness and hunger to be a part of this side.”
The Blues also handed a two-year deal to young ruck O’Keeffe, who has shown strong signs in the VFL this year.
The Blues have locked in much of their priority targets so far this year, with Jack Martin and Matt Owies two notable players coming out of contract at the end of the year.
Star full-back Jacob Weitering continues to work through an extension on his deal, which ends next year.
FREO’S TRADE PLAN TO OPEN DOOR FOR WARNER MOVE
Fremantle could move into the box seat for a crack at Sydney Swans superstar Chad Warner by trading one of its three first-round picks for an early pick in the 2025 draft.
The Dockers are eyeing Warner, but will need two first-round picks in next year’s draft to pull-off what is likely to be one of the biggest trade moves of next year’s exchange period.
Justin Longmuir’s men are in a strong position to make a play for him as they have their own first-round pick in this year’s draft, plus Collingwood and Port Adelaide’s.
The long-term plan means rather than use all three top-20 selections in this year’s draft, the Dockers could move one of the top picks into next year’s draft to ensure it has at least two first-round picks in 2025 to eye-off the Swans’ jet ball-winner.
Warner, 23, has become one of the best midfielders in the game and could help catapult the Dockers into flag contention for 2026. Fremantle already has one of the best midfields in the game and will attempt to re-sign 2025 free agent Andrew Brayshaw over summer.
Warner, who is from Western Australia, would command a seven or eight-year salary in the vicinity of $1.5 million a season to head home at the end 2025.
It means Fremantle will assess likely trading partners in the lead-up to this year’s draft to see which clubs would be interested in off-loading a top pick in next year’s draft for one in 2024. Rival clubs are aware of the Dockers’ situation and will ramp-up talks at season’s end.
THE RIOLI DEAL
Gold Coast is prepared to give up two first-round selections for Richmond’s Daniel Rioli.
The problem is that one of them is an end-of-first-round selection that might drift into the mid-20s. The Suns have their own first-rounder, the Western Bulldogs’ first-rounder and the Kangaroos’ end-of-first-rounder (from the club’s AFL assistance package). So, the Tigers might be able to add two early picks to a draft hand that is currently 2, 22 and 34. But while Richmond would ask for the best of the Dogs’ or Suns’ draft picks, last year the Roos’ end-of-first-rounder fell as far as pick 29.
COTCHIN’S BAKER WORRY FOR TIGERS
Premiership captain Trent Cotchin has conceded Liam Baker will leave a significant hole at Richmond if he opts to return to his home state of Western Australia.
The Tigers vice-captain is out of contract at the end of the season and has been weighing up interest from Fremantle and Western Coast.
The Eagles are reportedly frontrunners if Baker decides to leave Punt Road.
“He would (leave a big hole). He’s loved at the footy club. He’s a great person to be around,” Cotchin said on Channel 7.
“People have touted him as potentially another captain-in-waiting. It’s going to be a challenging period for the club and hopefully for their sake, they get his services.”
Cotchin said playing in WA was a “big drawcard” for his former teammate.
“I think being a Tiger fan, it would be hard to hear any conversation of one of your favourites entertaining going anywhere else,” he said.
“But I do know that he barracked for the West Coast Eagles and it’s a pretty big drawcard to get home. I know he’s very tight with his family.”
Baker recently met with the Eagles, but Fremantle boasts the stronger draft hand to satisfy Richmond in a trade.
RISING DON SET FOR NEW DEAL
Hard-edged Essendon midfielder Jye Caldwell is set to be rewarded for his strong start to 2024 by signing a new deal in the coming weeks. Caldwell, 23, has played a big role in the Bombers’ engine-room resurgence this season, partnering Zach Merrett, Sam Durham and co, but also shutting down some of the game’s most dangerous midfielders.
It is understood that discussions on a new deal are well advanced, with the only sticking point at this stage being the tenure at this stage.
It could be a deal as long as four years, with the Bombers happy to lock into the longer term, given Caldwell’s impact to the team.
Caldwell is in career-best form at the moment. He is in his fourth season at Essendon, following two seasons with the Giants, having originally been drafted to GWS as part of the Dylan Shiel trade in 2018.
He ranks elite in scoreboard impact and pressure, as well as above average in disposals, contested possessions and metres gained.
It would be a fitting reward for Caldwell, who was traded to the Bombers at the end of 2020, given his impact in recent seasons and his cohesion with the next wave of midfield stars.
HENRY WINS OVER CATS
Jack Henry is closing in on a new free agency contract after playing every game for the Cats this year, showing Geelong that his foot issues are behind him.
He certainly hasn’t shot the lights out with his form in a besieged backline, but the Cats had been keen to assess his durability after twin foot issues.
Henry had been told by his medicos that the foot concerns should not affect the rest of his career, and is clearly keen to stay given his brother Ollie also plays at the club. The deal of at least four years will cement his career at the Cats.
TEX’S FUTURE ON HOLD
Taylor Walker and the Crows have put contract talks on hold until the end of the season as the 34-year-old continues to battle back issues that have curtailed his influence this year.
Melbourne media has continued to push the narrative that he might move clubs, which seems an annual storyline. In recent years, Adelaide and Walker have waited until the bye period to assess his form before working through fresh deals. It will give them time to assess his form and their future, with the club very open to him continuing on. While Walker (17.14 in 11 games in 2024) might decide to play at a rival club next year, it would be a disastrous result if he moved to a new home after 16 seasons and broke down with back issues.
CAN ROOS CONVINCE FREE AGENT TO STAY?
Cam Zurhaar is happy with the Roos’ five-year offer and financial terms, but will wait until year’s end to make a decision on his future. He has made clear to the club and those close to him that he is not driven by money or tenure, but instead needs to see improvement at North Melbourne to stay despite rival bids. The Roos have finally turned a corner in the last three games and, critically, Zurhaar’s form has also improved with seven goals in the past two weeks. He doesn’t need to believe they will play finals next year, just that the club’s future is much brighter than it was when the Roos lost the first 11 games, 10 by over six goals.
OUT-OF-CONTRACT ROO IN NO RUSH
North Melbourne won’t rush talks on a new contract for wingman Bailey Scott. The man who has twice finished top-three in the club’s best and fairest is out of contract at season’s end.
While he has been one of the club’s most consistent players, he would have been leapfrogged this year on the contract pecking order by some of his up-and-coming teammates, including Rising Star favourite George Wardlaw. Scott, 23, has averaged 19 touches a game across 14 matches this season. The Kangaroos have significant salary cap room to add to their list. Scott has previously attracted interest from Geelong, where Scott’s father, Robert, played for nine years between 1986 to 1994. Robert Scott then joined North in 1995-2000.
HAYNES’ GIANT REVERSAL
Nick Haynes is hopeful of securing a one-year extension at GWS after winning his spot back in the backline as a more versatile defender. Interceptor Haynes has played the past five games on smaller opponents, given Harry Perryman and Isaac Cumming have been injured.
He spoke openly recently about his willingness to move on to another club if he continues to be starved of opportunities. But with the futures of Perryman and Cumming in doubt, he might have carved out a new role for himself. He will miss the next three weeks with a hamstring that saw him miss against Sydney, but there is still a role for the 32-year-old, who is finishing the last year of a hugely back-ended deal.
FRINGE DEE TO MOVE ON
Adam Tomlinson will explore rival opportunities in the off-season given his desperation to get more senior chances after being starved of AFL games this year. Tomlinson has been in brilliant VFL form but has twice been unlucky to be dropped as Jake Lever returns this week and potentially forces him out again. While Tomlinson loves the Demons, he is open to playing elsewhere and not necessarily at a premiership fancy, given he is keen to extend his career. The 30-year-old former GWS player turns 31 in August, but can play back and wing and is consistently one of the Demons’ best runners across pre-season. He is finishing a five-year deal at Melbourne but has only played 13, seven, eight, nine and four games across those seasons.
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