AFL Trade 2023: The latest on Ben McKay’s free agency move to Essendon

Dylan Shiel fell out of favour at the Bombers at the end of 2023, and the veteran midfielder appears to be taking it as a sign that his time at Essendon is over. Jon Ralph has the latest trade news.

Paddy Dow of the Blues.

Dylan Shiel is open to finding a new home at Moorabbin as clubs seek clarity on the size of the contracts required to trigger first-round compensation this off-season.

Essendon will offer Ben McKay a deal that is understood to have less than $800,000 of guaranteed salary each year, which puts North Melbourne at risk of missing out on pick 3 as compensation.

It raises the possibility North Melbourne could match a free agency bid if they are only offered an end-of-first-round compensation pick.

This masthead revealed last week Essendon was open to a complicated deal which would see them secure St Kilda’s Jade Gresham, which would hand the Saints a free agency compensation pick.

Essendon would then be open to trading with St Kilda for Shiel, who has two more seasons on his deal.

St Kilda is believed to have engaged with Shiel to discuss his interest in a move to Moorabbin.

While there have been various reports about the length of his contract, it is understood he signed a seven-year deal worth over $800,000 with Essendon at the end of 2018.

Shiel has been happy at Essendon and keen to help them play finals but is aware the club is well stocked in its midfield and might consider moving him on.

Ben McKay will leave the Roos, with his compensation set to be decided. (Photo by Dylan Burns/AFL Photos via Getty Images)

Dylan Shiel is open to a move. Pic: Michael Klein

St Kilda fans are sceptical about whether Shiel would improve their midfield but he was in exceptional form in the first seven weeks of the year until injuries hit.

He had kicked six goals and kicked the ball at a high efficiency rate in round 8 before injuries including a lingering foot issue.

Champion Data rated Shiel as Essendon’s best player to round eight and the 19th-ranked player in the competition.

Clubs are having meetings this week with the AFL about issues including how the new pay deal will influence free agency compensation.

Last year clubs believed the contract figure needed was $790,000 over at least three seasons for band-one compensation but the pay deal will increase wages 10 per cent in 2023, 5.1 per cent in 2024 and 12.6 per cent in 2025.

So clubs are eager to know if contracts for players like McKay and Gresham would need to be more than $850,000 from 2024 onwards to secure first-round compensation.

The Bombers are very keen on bringing in Jade Gresham. (Photo by Albert Perez/AFL Photos via Getty Images)

While Hawthorn offered up to $850,000 a year for Ben McKay, Essendon’s deal could reach that scope with incentives but is understood not to reach $800,000 of locked-in salary each year.

The AFL’s free agency compensation formula compares the new contract to every other deal across the competition for players over 25 years of age, with the contract needing to be in the top five per cent of those deals to trigger first-round compo.

North Melbourne will hope the league helps massage that compensation with his age at only 25 years of age helping them in their bid to secure the No.3 draft pick for his loss.

Clubs can ask the AFL before a contract is lodged what compensation it will trigger and adjust their deals accordingly to ensure rivals are satisfied with the pick they receive and do not match the free agency offer.

HARLEY REID TO NORTH?

North Melbourne is certain to trade next year’s pair of end-of-first round draft picks and seems the only club with a genuine shot at trading up for this year’s No. 1 overall pick.

The Roos have been handed a trio of end-of-first-round selections by the AFL as part of an assistance package – one this year and two in the 2024 national draft.

Those 2024 selections came with a warning from the AFL that they would review them based on the Roos ladder position in a clear signal the league wanted North Melbourne to trade them for established talent.

Under the guidelines, the Roos do not have to trade them for a player to ensure they are not at risk of the AFL taking the picks back.

Instead they can trade them to a rival club for picks in this year’s draft or even similar selections in next year’s draft to ensure they are off limits to the AFL.

But with a raft of picks – likely three first-rounders this year and three next year as they await Ben McKay free agency compensation – they have ample opportunities to offer the Eagles a trade package for the No. 1 overall pick.

Could the Roos make a play for pick one in this year’s draft? Picture: Linda Higginson

Clubs believe West Coast will not trade out the No. 1 pick – and rights to Reid – unless they can secure the No. 2 pick which would see them select homegrown talent Daniel Curtin.

If North Melbourne has picks 2, 3 (Ben McKay compensation), 15 and 20 as well as three first-rounders next year they could also attempt to secure the Suns’ first-round pick.

That pick is currently No. 4, but would shuffle back to five following Hawthorn’s initial pick with the McKay free agency compensation.

The Roos would have to offer a superior package to the Dogs’ current offer, which is picks 10, 17 and a future first-rounder, with the Suns giving back a future third-rounder.

But if they could trump that deal for the Suns current pick 4, they could end up with picks 2, 3 and 5 after Ben McKay departs, with the Eagles retaining pick one.

The Roos could then offer two and five for the No. 1 overall pick, meaning they would secure Vic Country mid-forward Reid and another elite junior this year while the Eagles take Curtin and another early talent.

It would be a huge amount to give up for Reid, but Alastair Clarkson has made clear he is intent on securing multiple early picks in multiple drafts to shoot up the draft order.

The Roos are set to secure Carlton’s Zac Fisher and Sydney’s Dylan Stephens to shore up their midfield and wing spots.

Fisher met his manager Andrew McDougall on Monday and is expected to request a trade to Arden Street.