Moneyball: Alex Keath to hit a six on new Crows deal, rival clubs eye Essendon’s Aaron Francis

Aaron Francis regained his spot in Essendon’s team on Sunday and rival suitors would have been watching his performance with interest against Geelong. Plus trade and contract news on Alex Keath and Peter Wright in the latest MONEYBALL column.

Ex-cricket sensation Alex Keath is about to cash in on his white-hot form.

And the Crows won’t mind a bit after he took 14 marks against St Kilda in Round 6.

They have already kickstarted contract talks with his Melbourne-based manager Neil McMullin after an inspired decision to recruit him.

The Crows told him he could play cricket over the summer and decide upon his football career after he signed with the Adelaide Strikers in the Big Bash.

STUNNING STATS: WALSH IN LEAGUE OF HIS OWN

DRAFT: CLUBS INTERVIEWING INELIGIBLE PROSPECTS

Keath eventually walking into Don Pyke’s office in February 2016 to tell him he wanted to play football full-time but only this year has he emerged as a true prospect after six games last year.

The club is aware the 27-year-old is only six games into his year, with ongoing dialogue about a new deal for a player who is well entrenched in the city.

The Crows are confident Josh Jenkins will win back his spot and finish his career in Adelaide despite speculation about talk rivals might make a play for him,

Alex Keath has emerged in the AFL. Picture: Sarah Reed

DAISY STILL BLOOMING

Dale Thomas is making every post a winner, with his late-career resurgence giving him a strong chance of a third one-year deal.

Thomas turns 32 in July and has started the year strongly, his clash against Hawthorn his best of the year with 113 ranking points, 25 possessions and seven rebound 50s.

A bloke who shanked his first shot at goal against former team Collingwood all those years back is kicking the ball beautifully — 80 per cent efficiency across the year.

Turning 32 in July, he is about to hit 250 games in six weeks, incredible for a player who looked shot when he came to the Blues.

His resurgence is one of most surprising in footy, putting him in the Chris Mayne category for much-maligned players hitting back hard.

Dale Thomas could be handed another one-year deal. Picture: Michael Klein

PORT SILENT ON SIGNINGS

Port Adelaide has not announced it, but two of their biggest superstars are locked away until next year.

Gun pair Travis Boak, from Torquay, and Oakleigh product Robbie Gray have both quietly agreed to deals until the end of next season.

Surprisingly, the huge coup was never publicly trumpeted by the club.

Boak, who plays his 250th game tonight against the Magpies, and Gray have shown tremendous loyalty to the Power.

They will qualify for free agency next year when Victorian clubs will surely try once again to lure them home.

The Power are working on luring their trio of stars Xavier Duursma, Connor Rozee and Zac Butters into extensions past their initial two-year deals but haven’t made much progress yet.

WAFL STAR STILL ON RADAR

Dual Sandover medallist Jye Bolton continues to rack up massive numbers in the WAFL ahead of the AFL’s mid-season draft.

The 27-year-old former Collingwood rookie has long been on recruiters’ radars and has once again nominated for the May 27 draft.

After winning the league best and fairest in 2016 and 2018, he has ran hot over the first four rounds of the new season, averaging 35 disposals, 15 contested possessions and seven clearances a game.

One recruiter said he was “probably still the best WAFL prospect”, along with former Kangaroo Declan Mountford and ex Gold Coast Sun Kane Mitchell.

Perhaps a club like Hawthorn, which has been linked to VFL product Luke Meadows, could do with another ready-made mid like Bolton.

Jye Bolton continues to shine in the WAFL. Picture: Sarah Reed

ANOTHER SUN TO RE-SIGN

Peter Wright will sign a three-year deal at Gold Coast, following on the feel-good vibes that have seen David Swallow, Touk Miller, Alex Sexton and Rory Thompson clinch new deals.

Negotiations on the mobile forward are down to the fine details, with Wright committing his future to the club on a deal that will take him through to free agency.

The Suns are desperate to keep Jack Martin, aware that despite 2.9 this year and an average of 20 possessions, he will be a star in a good team when they mature.

Melbourne rivals will come hard but at least the Suns would likely get overs for him if he did depart given the big field chasing him.

The Suns have reversed a diabolic cap position and now have salary cap space but with their own pick and Brisbane’s first-rounder will go seeking out early midfield talent in the draft.

RIVALS HAVE KEEN EYE ON FRANCIS

Aaron Francis will have rival clubs watching with interest after being forced out of the Essendon side and back into the VFL for the early rounds of 2019.

In a year with few quality trade or free agency targets a contested marking beast who can play forward and back — and isn’t being maximised by his club — will always have suitors.

But Francis and his manager Michael Doughty had always been happy to wait until mid-season to consider his next contract.

After being recalled to the Essendon side against Geelong on Sunday, the next few months will shape his value and his contract status.

Best-case scenario is he firmly entrenches himself in the side and Essendon can make the strong offer that makes it easy for him to stay at the Bombers.

Liam Stocker is set to make his Blues debut. Picture: Sarah Matray

BLUES WINNING STOCKER TRADE DEAL

Carlton just needs to finish out of the bottom four to be vindicated on the Liam Stocker trade deal with Adelaide.

As the Blues prepare to hand Stocker his first game this weekend, Adelaide sits ninth and the Blues 15th.

It means Adelaide has Carlton’s No. 4 pick and the Blues have Adelaide’s No. 10 pick, with the Blues rating Stocker as worthy of pick 6 on their draft board in last year’s draft despite taking him at pick 19.

On the AFL’s draft points index pick 4 is worth 2034 points and pick 10 worth 1395.

When you add in Carlton’s value for Stocker as a pick 6 (1735 points) they will believe they are well ahead on the deal.

The only problem will be if the Blues slip down the ladder and hand over the kind of top-two picks likely to hand Adelaide one of the No. 1 contenders in Matt Rowell or Noah Anderson.

Adelaide, for their part, keep looking at the AFL ladder every Monday morning happy the Blues have won only one game and are still in contention for a bottom-two pick.