Moneyball: Follow all the latest trade, contract, draft and coaching news across the AFL
Hawthorn’s effort to build a strong team around new coach Sam Mitchell has extended to a favourite son who has carved a remarkable VFL coaching career.
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Sam Mitchell has elevated VFL coaching legend Andy Collins to his head of development at Hawthorn after a season working at Box Hill with the VFL premiership coach.
The Herald Sun can reveal Collins, who played 212 games and won three premierships at Hawthorn as a tough back pocket, will take on the critical role fast-tracking the club’s junior players.
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Mitchell was the Box Hill coach last season and Collins his senior assistant, but the VFL coach with Box Hill, Coburg and Williamstown will not take on the VFL senior duties in 2022.
It will be his task to continue pushing junior talent into the seniors at a club with names including Will Day, Connor Downie, Emerson Jeka, Denver-Grainger Barras, Changkuoth Jiath, Tyler Brockman and Lachie Bramble.
Collins spent last year working at Box Hill as well as working at Forest Hill College in the school’s sports academy and teaching maths to the school’s deaf facility for students profoundly deaf or hard of hearing.
Given the Hawks have only a handful of players taken with top-20 draft picks by Hawthorn, Collins’ role is as critical as any at the club after Mitchell.
“I think this was a role designed for me with the experience in coaching and around the teaching space. To come back into what is a real natural passion of mine in helping people should be fantastic,” he told the Herald Sun on Thursday.
After a year spent alongside Mitchell at VFL level he has no doubt he can become a successful Hawthorn senior coach.
“Sam is one the smartest footy brains I have ever encountered, and I played with some pretty good players and have been around some pretty good players.
“He has just got a care factor of 100 and he has a great connection with the young kids and the guys in the Hawthorn development program would say they have nothing but love for Sam and he has nothing but love for them.
“He has these wonderful parenting skills from his own kids and if one of the players needs to be realigned he has a really nice way of doing it.”
Collins is bullish about the kids on the Hawthorn list, which will add three top-25 draft picks in coming months.
“We have so many developing players on our list and if you looked at the list there are so many players who haven’t reached their peak as players. We have four premiership players, but when you look at the rest of the list there are a lot of players with upside. Whether they become players, well that will be dependent on the skill of the head coach and the head of development, and that’s what the coaching program is all about.”
The Hawks have already appointed Adrian Hickmott as one of Mitchell’s new lieutenants, while Brendon Bolton has been linked to a move to Collingwood with the departing Craig McRae.
Chris Newman also signed last month for another two seasons as a Hawks assistant coach.
The Hawks will be on the lookout for another assistant coach, and will have to pay Alastair Clarkson’s $900,000 salary in their football cap over the next two seasons.
But with the AFL’s football department soft cap increasing $250,000 next year the Hawks are hopeful of paying less than $100,000 in tax by exceeding that cap.
Parker’s Swans future decided
Opposition list bosses can forget about making a Hail Mary recruiting pitch to star Swan Luke Parker.
The Sydney co-captain has effectively committed the rest of his football life to the Swans, re-signing for four more seasons.
Parker’s contract negotiations spilling into Sydney’s off-season had offered hope to rivals that they could bolster their midfield with the Melbourne-raised unrestricted free agent.
The latest inference was the 28-year-old could be an option for Brisbane, with Brownlow medallist Lachie Neale weighing up a return to Western Australia and potentially Fremantle.
But Parker’s new deal ties him to the Swans until 2025, in a huge signing that helps maintain the momentum the club gathered this year.
“I absolutely love the club and I wanted to be part of the long term and really drive the group through this next period,” he said.
“I’m really excited about what the future looks like. We have a great group and we have taken some big steps forward this year. The group we’ve got coming through is so exciting.
“We’ve got some young guys who are just starting out in their careers and you ride the bumps with them, you ride the exciting times with them, and it’s such good fun.”
Parker told News Corp Australia in April he wanted to repay Sydney for what the club and his teammates had done for him in the early stages of his career.
The 235-gamer averaged a career-most 28 disposals this year, to go with 13 contested possessions, six clearances and five tackles as he claimed his third Swans best and fairest award.
He was again short-listed for the All-Australian squad and has featured in the top three of Sydney’s club champion count for five-straight seasons.
Parker and Josh Kennedy provide the experience in a reshaped and youthful on-ball brigade that includes Callum Mills, James Rowbottom, Chad Warner and Ollie Florent.
The gun midfielder played in the Swans’ 2012 premiership in his second season, as well as the 2014 and 2016 grand final losses, and should again have belief they can reach the summit before his career ends.
Sydney football boss Charlie Gardiner said Parker had helped set a high standard for his peers for an extended period.
“He leads by example, on and off the field, and has been a wonderful mentor to many of our younger players,” Gardiner said.
“It is testament to his professionalism that Luke has been able to consistently perform at a high level throughout his career.
“He was an outstanding contributor for us in 2021 and we are confident in his ability to drive our group forward for the next four seasons.”
It’s been a big year for Parker, who also proposed to his now fiancee Kate Lawrence in March.
The Swans still have several high-profile players out of contract, including restricted free agent George Hewett — who’s being strongly linked to Carlton — Jordan Dawson, Dylan Stephens and Sam Reid.
RULE QUIRK ALLOWS TIGER TO RETURN FOR WAFL FINALS
Richmond’s Mid-Season recruit Matthew Parker will turn out for South Fremantle in the upcoming finals series after the WAFL gave the return the green light on Tuesday.
Parker played seven league games for the Bulldogs in 2021 before he was snapped up by the Tigers with pick 10 back in June.
He then played six straight games for the Tigers to see out the 2021 AFL season, averaging 13 disposals a game and kicking three goals.
It was Parker’s second taste of AFL action, after spending two seasons at St Kilda before he was delisted at the end of 2020.
In a statement, the WAFC confirmed Richmond Football Club approved Parker’s involvement in the WAFL finals.
“Under the WAFL Rules and Regulations, any WAFL player that is selected in the Mid-Season Rookie Draft has the right to return to their original club to participate in finals,” a WAFC spokesperson said.
“The West Australian Football Commission, Richmond Football Club, South Fremantle Football Club and the AFL have reached an agreement, which will allow Parker to play in the upcoming Optus WAFL Finals Series.”
South Fremantle coach Todd Curley was thrilled with Parker’s availability for the qualifying final against Claremont on Saturday.
PARKS TO PLAY FINALS FOOTY 💪
— South Fremantle FC (@SFFCBulldogs) September 7, 2021
This is huge news for the Bulldogs family 🚨
Matty Parker has been cleared to play in the 2021 @Optus@WAFLOfficial Finals Series!
Read more👉 https://t.co/8hLGkzSlgz
📸 - @sportsimageryaupic.twitter.com/XEoEuoXOZQ
“Matt is one of ours and was voted into the leadership group in 2021,” he said.
“He trained hard all summer, played with us until drafted and has remained invested in our team after his return to the AFL with the Richmond Football Club.
“Matt, our players and our coaches are all excited to have him back and involved for finals.”
Parker’s return comes just 24 hours after West Coast denied West Perth’s bid to have Connor West return for the WAFL elimination final against Swan Districts.
“Whilst it would have been a lift to have Connor available for selection it wasn’t to be, due to a couple of injury concerns,” Falcons general manager of football Steve Trewhella said.
“We will be going into Sunday’s game selecting fully fit players and unfortunately Connor isn’t available for us to consider. We wish Connor the best with his recovery and hopefully see him around the Club during the finals.”
The Eagles medical team blamed both an ankle injury and groin soreness for West’s omission from the Falcons’ finals campaign.
CARLTON’S MASSIVE CLARKO CONTRACT OFFER
Talk of Carlton offering Alastair Clarkson $12 million over seven seasons and Gold Coast offering Alastair Clarkson $2 million a season from 2023 ignores the nature of the AFL’s football department cap tax.
The AFL might attempt to lure Clarkson up north, having pushed officials including Greg Swann and Mark Evans into CEO roles in Queensland, but it could never be seen to pay for any of his salary.
That would rip away the entire purpose of the AFL’s football department salary cap, which is to equalise the competition.
If a club overspends a football cap set to be $6.45 million next year by $500,000, they would have to spend $1 million in tax, or $2 for every extra $1 they spend.
If the club overspends for three years in a row, the tax they are hit with is $3 for every extra $1 they spend over $500,000.
So a club spending regularly $1.5 million or more on a senior coach would either have to cut multiple coaches or spend $1.5 million in tax every year.
BOB’S BUILDING FREO
Bob Murphy is joining Fremantle’s football department.
The former Bulldogs star has been appointed to head of football operations and performance, covering both the AFL and AFLW programs. He and his family plan to move to Perth in October.
“I am really excited,” he said on his SEN show. Murphy will have no problems settling in, linking up with former teammates Simon Garlick (Dockers’ CEO) and Matthew Boyd (assistant coach).
GOODWIN’S $1M CONTRACT CARROT
Melbourne coach Simon Goodwin will be in-line to secure a bumper contract extension if he can guide the club to a drought-breaking premiership this month.
Goodwin, 44, entered the season under enormous pressure to steer the Demons back into the finals but has been lauded for his efforts this year steering the club back into the eight.
He is out of contract at the end of next season but talks on a new deal are certain to ramp up throughout the off-season once the finals are over.
Melbourne’s performances over the final two weeks of the season will set the scene for those talks with the club desperate to win its first flag since 1964.
The club has high expectations of its team over the next few years with the Demons in the sweet spot of its patient list build which has netted superstars Clayton Oliver and Christian Petracca.
Goodwin would be in an incredibly strong position to secure a lucrative extension in the vicinity of $1 million a year if he can lead Melbourne to a premiership.
A huge hurdle looms on Friday night, however, as Melbourne must first topple Geelong in Perth.
The Demons have shown strong support for Goodwin since Kate Roffey took over as new president from Glen Bartlett earlier this season.
Goodwin last signed on the back of a preliminary final loss to West Coast in 2018 and now has one of the most talented lists in the competition.
Hawthorn premiership mastermind and ex-Collingwood coach Nathan Buckley will also be on the coaching market next year with Clarkson strongly linked to Gold Coast.
LONIE’S NERVOUS WAIT
Jack Lonie will have to wait until deep into the trade period for his future to be decided as he attempts to find a club with more opportunity next year.
Lonie is contracted but played only 11 games – and none after Round 13 – as he was pushed out of the side as a crafty small forward.
He would leave if there was a club with an identifiable need for a small forward and the Saints would be happy enough to broker a trade.
Last year the Western Bulldogs were interested in Lonie but the emergence of Cody Weightman means they are no longer keen.
There is some interest but he is one of many players who will have to wait for clubs to assess other options until they decide if he fits into their small forward needs.
SEVEN LOCKS IN STEVENS REPLACEMENT
Channel 7 has poached Mitch Cleary, the journalist stood down by AFL Media for tweeting Brooke Cotchin’s Instagram post of her Gold Coast spa visit, to replace news hound Mark Stevens.
Cleary is a rising star of the journalism field and has strong trade contacts which will be missed in the player movement space at the AFL’s media arm.
His new role comes hot on the heels of Tom Browne’s appointment as the Channel 7’s chief AFL reporter.
AFL Media indefinitely stood Cleary down and then finally reinstated him after an AFL decision not to publish the names of players sanctioned over last year’s Gold Coast Covid breaches.
The Tigers were fined $45,000 — $25,000 suspended — after Brooke mistakenly believed she could attend the day spa for a medical treatment.
Stevens has moved on to work with the Victorian Liberal party, which on Tuesday replaced Michael O’Brien as leader with Matthew Guy.
YOUNG PIES LEARN TO FLY
Collingwood’s push to return its coaching numbers back to the pre-Covid soft-cap cut days means Nick Daicos and the next wave of Magpie stars will get extra attention in their introduction to AFL football.
It also means new coach Craig McRae and his coaching/development team – which will be finalised in coming weeks – will look to boost the defensive capabilities of the club’s young list.
“We are almost back to pre-Covid soft cap cuts with the amount of coaches (we will have) to develop this group, which is exciting” McRae told Moneyball.
McRae is excited by the development of Collingwood’s nine debutants in 2021, but has expressed a desire to boost their tacking and pressure numbers.
“(I’ve been impressed) by all of them – (Ollie) Henry, (Caleb) Poulter, (Trent) Bianco) and (Finlay) Macrae” McRae said.
“They have all had exposure, but the thing that stood out to me – and it is no disrespect to those guys and I won’t name names – is that they had 12 games and nine tackles, 13 games and eight tackles, five games and four tackles.
“For me, that is not enough.
“I don’t want to denigrate the past, but in the future we are going to need that to look better. If we are not doing that in games, we need to practice and improve on that part of the game.”
A conversation he had with former Demons football boss Chris Connolly also convinced McRae that the Magpies’ boom recruit, exciting father-son pick Nick Daicos, will work closely with the club’s most senior coaching staff.
He will meet with Daicos soon ahead of his selection in November’s national draft.
“I was fortunate enough to catch up with Chris Connolly and his experience with Jack Watts at Melbourne,” McRae said. “Jack Watts was the No. 1 pick and (Connolly’s) comment … was ‘he was coming in to develop and we (gave) him to the least experienced coach’.
“I don’t want to fall into that trap, so maybe the highest pick needs to go to (our) most experienced coach.”
Justin Leppitsch will soon join McRae’s coaching panel, while the Magpies are also keen to secure Hawthorn assistant coach Brendon Bolton.
The Magpies plan to appoint a director of coaching to help oversee the program.
GUTHRIE INKS BUMPER CATS DEAL
Geelong has agreed to terms with star free agent Cam Guthrie on a four-year deal that will make him a Cat for life.
The All Australian and best-and-fairest winner has just turned 29 but is one of Geelong’s most consistent ball winners and has continued to improve in recent years.
While it has taken until preliminary final weekend for talks to conclude, the Herald Sun understands an official agreement has been reached.
He has had another outstanding season averaging 111 ranking points, 29 possessions and four tackles in the Geelong engine room.
While the Cats’ salary cap is tight, the four-season deal will give him security in coming seasons as Geelong continues to chase flags.
Last year he won his first best-and-fairest trophy and All Australian jumper, beating out Tom Hawkins and Mark Blicavs in the Carji Greeves Medal.
Guthrie’s brother Zac remains unsigned but is set to receive another contract to continue his career at the club.
It can also be revealed Rhys Stanley will sign a two-year deal at the Cats as he continues his rollercoaster of a season.
Stanley has been maligned for his inconsistency but bounced back from a poor final against Port Adelaide to tally 19 possessions and nine score involvements against GWS.
The Cats swung and missed on Todd Goldstein several years ago but their tight cap has prevented them from an assault on a premier ruckman in recent years.
Esava Ratugolea, who has also re-signed this year, has the capacity to grow into a solid ruck-forward who helps out Stanley, who turns 31 in December.
Stanley has a massive battle in front of him against Max Gawn in this weekend’s preliminary final after a seven-clearance display in Round 23.
Coach Chris Scott believed he decisively won the ruck battle in the first half of that clash.
And while Gawn’s winning mark and goal in the dying stages of the Demons victory saw Stanley fail to man him up, Scott made clear it was not his role to be on Gawn given he was defending the goal line.
MUMFORD FUTURE REMAINS UNCLEAR
GWS will happily transition Shane Mumford into coaching not only to preserve his body later in life but so their young rucks see the opportunity ahead.
No one has officially 100 per cent ruled out Mumford playing on but the strong expectation is that he will retire.
It is understood when Mumford signed onto a rookie deal that allowed the Giants to put some of his contract outside the cap as per AFL rules, he signed a three-year deal.
It had a one-year playing contract and two-year deal as a development coach.
It means the Giants can immediately roll him into an assistant coach.
Braydon Preuss is the same kind of aggressive crash and-back ruckman to replace him after a torrid season of injuries.
But in Kieren Briggs and Matt Flynn they have two development ruckman who would be exposed to rival clubs if they are pushed further down the pecking order.
DONS BULLISH ON TIPPA’S 2022 PROSPECTS
Essendon expects Anthony McDonald-Tipungwuti to be in fighting shape for the start of the pre-season after personal issues saw him take time away from the AFL team.
McDonald-Tipungwuti missed the last two three games of the season including the elimination final as his fitness dropped away alarmingly as he worked through personal issues off the field.
But after a strong two-week fitness push late in the year he would have been available for a semi-final and the Dons will spend the summer getting him into elite shape.
The Dons will continue a methodical list build and will not overreach to use draft picks or cap space to secure a key forward unless one miraculously presents.
They would be the favourite to secure Ben King if he remains out of contract next year.
But they are not interested in Sam Weideman or GWS swingman Jake Riccardi.
History is littered with clubs which have topped up after reaching the elimination finals and getting ahead of themselves.
Essendon knows exactly where it is in its list build and believes it can make strong ground next year towards a premiership build even if it misses finals.
Unfortunately Essendon will have to work to find another small forward after Gold Coast forward Malcolm Rosas decided to re-sign for two seasons at the Suns.
With a significant upside and elite speed, the Suns always had high hopes of keeping him and have now brokered a deal.
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