Moneyball: Latest AFL trade and contract news
Contract latest on Tigers Shane Edwards and Shai Bolton plus Dustin Martin’s flag vow, why a Saints forward could be up for grabs and will the Roos lock away Ben Brown?
Richmond
Don't miss out on the headlines from Richmond. Followed categories will be added to My News.
- List changes: Every retirement and delisting
- Love footy? Why it’s good to subscribe to the Herald Sun
Richmond star midfielder Shane Edwards will push the button on a contract extension for next season, taking him off the free agency market.
One of the most underrated prime movers in the competition would be an ideal target for Gold Coast for the same reasons the Suns are hunting Hawthorn great Shaun Burgoyne.
But premiership star Edwards, 30, has a verbal agreement in place to go on for up to two more seasons at Punt Rd, locking in one of the club’s favourite sons until the end of 2021.
Edwards’ deal will be formalised once the Tigers’ season wraps up and some other list management issues are sorted.
SUBSCRIBE TO THE SACKED PODCAST
While his free agency status has largely flown under the radar, there is no threat of the versatile Edwards leaving Richmond as the clubs look to capitalise on its premiership window.
All-Australian Bachar Houli is also in talks about a contract extension after a long wait this season.
WILL SMITH STAY AT HAWKS?
Isaac Smith’s future is expected to become more clear in the next week as Hawthorn powerbrokers formulate the club’s list management plan.
Smith, 30, remains contracted for one more season, but is on Gold Coast’s wish-list and has been linked to Western Bulldogs.
While his manager, Liam Pickering, isn’t shopping Smith around, there is enough interest for Hawthorn to consider moving the wingman if it can get the club another good draft pick.
Hawthorn is determined to use its top selection (No.10) in this year’s draft, but the temptation to add another choice inside the top 25 could prompt the Hawks make another tough call on a beloved veteran.
Hawthorn’s senior players know there are no guarantees about next season as Alastair Clarkson looks to leapfrog back into the eight with a revamped list.
Veteran Grant Birchall will also have talks about his future after a late-season hamstring injury jeopardised another one-year contract.
James Frawley is signed on.
***Live stream the 2019 Toyota AFL Premiership Season on KAYO SPORTS. Every match of every round. Live & anytime on your TV or favourite device. Get your 14 day free trial >
WHY SAINT COULD BE ON THE MOVE
St Kilda workhorse Josh Bruce is facing a nervous wait over the next few weeks as the Saints look to get aggressive in the post-season.
Bruce had a solid season, but will face competition for his spot in the team from the club’s top draft pick from last year Max King.
King is expected to push for selection from Round 1 next season, alongside fellow marking targets Tim Membrey, Rowan Marshall and potentially Paddy Ryder, from Port Adelaide.
The Western Bulldogs have close ties to Bruce through its chief executive Ameet Bains, who brought Bruce to St Kilda from GWS.
It will be interesting to see if Hawthorn, which chased Jake Carlisle when he was on the move from Essendon, makes another play for the gun defender.
A bit of Alastair Clarkson influence could be good for Carlisle, who has had to manage a serious back problem this year.
DUSTY NOT LOSING SLEEP (OR CASH) OVER ALL-AUSTRALIAN
Dustin Martin’s contentious All-Australian snub didn’t cost him any cash, with every cent of his seven-year contract guaranteed.
Those who know him well say he wasn’t that fussed, telling them he is all about winning another flag.
Martin was totally exhausted by the end of last season after trying to back up his extraordinary 2017 season but, like many Richmond players, was determined to peak for finals this year.
And, ominously for rivals, he couldn’t be in better physical or mental health.
His manager Ralph Carr just signed Mabior Chol on a two-year deal, having secured him mid-season but on the promise he would redouble his efforts to get fit and add a new layer of professionalism.
MORE NEWS:
BETTS BOMBSHELL: EDDIE BACK TO BLUES?
BURGOYNE’S ‘STRESFUL’ SUNS DECISION
SWANS PLAY HARD BALL ON PAPLEY
Similarly, Carr client Shai Bolton has had a breakout year after hiring a personal trainer for daily workouts.
Bolton is considering a Tigers contract offer now despite his initial intention to hold off until the end of the year and surely will stay.
It was Martin who brought him on board the Carr stable, believing he had special qualities if he could find elite fitness.
HOWARD YOU LIKE A CRACK AT DOUGAL?
The Power thought so highly of Dougal Howard they made him captain at one stage this year and locked him away at the end of last year to the end of 2022.
It won’t stop Victorian clubs from making inquiries, given he finished the year in the SANFL and started the year there after a slow summer.
The Dogs are one club pushing for players including Alex Keath and Josh Bruce, so why wouldn’t they have a dip at the smooth moving swingman?
Surely, he’s on the no-trade list but when you finish the season out of the senior side clubs will ask about you.
TRADE HQ: LATEST NEWS AND WHISPERS
Port Adelaide will have about $650,000 of extra cash to spend next year as part of the club’s salary cap banking arrangement this year, having back-ended some contracts and been told by club hierarchy not to spend 100 per cent of the cap.
It is the reality of a club without huge profits, and as long as they spend that cash in the next two years it could prove a long-term positive despite the short term setback.
As part of the banking arrangement the club has several years in the future to use any underspend from previous years in the salary cap.
Port doesn’t want to be a big trade player, keen to take their pick 9 and secure father-son prospect Jackson Meade while losing Karl Amon and Paddy Ryder and potentially Sam Gray.
ROOS IN NO HURRY ON BROWN CONTRACT
Ben Brown comes out of contract next year and remains a star no matter what the All-Australian selectors thought of his form.
Curiously, the Roos haven’t tried to extend his contract yet but if the price is right he would be open to summer discussions.
The Roos will move on Mason Wood and successfully experimented with Taylor Garner up the ground, but even if his goal assists aren’t in the scale of Tom Hawkins, Brown remains a lethal weapon at Roos.
WA’s hottest draft prospect the key to Freo-Bolton deal
Bo Allan played in a Peel Thunder premiership this season and is ready to hit the ground running for whoever drafts him. Freo could be risking the Shai Bolton trade in order to get him.
Why your trade outrage means nothing to Gold Coast
The footy world is bewildered at the Suns paying top dollar – in this case at least pick 6 – for Daniel Rioli. However, CALLUM DICK writes, the Suns’ priorities are different to most clubs.