Wreck It Ralph: Which of the top 30 AFL free agents can clubs drag across?
He was unlucky to be dropped after round 1 and can’t fight his way back into the AFL despite dominating performances at VFL level. Could this free agent be gettable for your team in 2025?
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Essendon finally cracked the code this off-season in a bid to bridge the gap to its powerhouse rivals. Smash open the piggy bank of savings to raid the free agency market and yet still find a way to hit up the draft with a top-10 pick.
Seven weeks into the 2024 season, Ben McKay is thriving, Jade Gresham is having his best start to a season in years and old warhorse Todd Goldstein is holding up an end.
Yet none of those free agency acquisitions have come at the expense of selecting pick 10 Nate Caddy, who continues to bide his time with solid but not exceptional VFL form as a marking forward.
He is the unwrapped Christmas present that caps an exceptional off-season for the Bombers.
St Kilda coach Ross Lyon was at his combative best on Friday night as he jousted with journalists, listing the in-game positional changes he had made, but also making clear his midfield was well short of Port Adelaide.
With Mattaes Phillipou not having an impact in his second season and Paddy Dow injured until last week, the Saints’ midfield is screaming out for talent.
Lyon’s head of talent and acquisition, Graeme Allan, has already made clear that he has the capacity to make someone very rich if they are prepared to come and play at Moorabbin in October. However, the Saints won’t be giving away early draft picks, so the only way to do it is via free agency.
Brisbane’s Hugh McCluggage would be perfect, but extracting him from the Lions might be nigh on impossible.
Call it the kind of challenge worthy of Chris Hemsworth in battle gear in Extraction 3.
So who are the top 30 free agents in the league and could they be extracted or are they staying put?
RALPHY’S 30 FREE AGENTS TO WATCH
CAMERON ZURHAAR (NORTH MELBOURNE)
His manager has made it clear that Zurhaar has a decision to make. His teammates want him to stay, but he is the definition of noncommittal. Bounced back with three goals against Adelaide after four goals in his first five games. He’s very much on the table for a rival, with his good mate Ben McKay saying post-Anzac Day he was sure Essendon would be interested.
As McKay said, making a pitch to his former teammate is above his pay grade, but if the Roos remain uncompetitive, it would be surprising if Zurhaar stays. But surely no one offers him the deal to trigger first-round compensation and another top-five pick.
HUGH MCCLUGGAGE (BRISBANE)
The Lions have the cap space, have offered him a six-year deal and believe he will stay after he told this masthead in the pre-season it was his preferred outcome. But given rivals are also offering six-plus years at $1.3m, he might have to accept seven figures less over the life of the deal to stay. It’s still not likely to be enough to move the needle, so would a club like St Kilda throw him $1.4m-$1.5m a year to extract him? Make it a $9m deal over six years.
His year has just been solid – 37th of all midfielders and 63rd of all players in the league.
JARROD BERRY (BRISBANE)
Has an offer in front of him, but Berry is an inside midfielder playing wing with a bit of inside action. His contested possession rate is elite, but his kicking is below average as a wingman even tried in defence earlier in the year after Keidean Coleman’s ACL tear. After missing the top 10 in the best-and-fairest last year, would a rival make a sizeable play for Berry to help their centre square team? With Will Ashcroft back as early as round 10 and brother Levi coming in November, would the Lions match a bid? Perhaps not.
BLAKE HARDWICK (HAWTHORN)
One Hawk who can truly put his hand up and say he’s given his all this year, playing both forward and back. Four goals against Collingwood, but plenty of time being flicked to both ends. Contract talks have started and you’d expect him to stay the course given he is a restricted free agent, which means he’s already in the top 10 pay rankings at the Hawthorn. At age 27 he would want a four-or-more year deal.
OLIVER FLORENT (SYDNEY)
Contract talks have started with his management at Connor Sports. As an unrestricted free agent (outside the top 10 in pay at the club), Florent will be seeking a hefty pay rise, but as a durable running flanker coming off a 140-ranking point, 28-disposal and seven-score involvement game, he has timed those contract discussions well.
ANDREW MCGRATH (ESSENDON)
The Dons will reward McGrath as one of their “glue guys” with a six-year deal, which he told this masthead this week he was happy to sign. Essendon is still resisting putting CBA contract clauses in their deals to reflect the future rise in the salary cap. The parties are still haggling, but McGrath should expect a deal well in excess of $800,000 a year.
JACK GRAHAM (RICHMOND)
Is he exactly the kind of selfless hard-running prototype midfielder for the transition game a club would love to get its hands on, or is he just a handy type? Graham racked-up 15 tackles in his first two games, in a year interrupted by a quadricep issue, but hasn’t hit 20 possessions in any of his three games. He ranks below average for disposals, contested possessions, clearances, and scoreboard impact and poor for kicking. They are unflattering numbers.
But with clubs like the Crows desperate to lure free agents home to Adelaide, they will have to be interested in him to bulk-up their midfield.
ELLIOT YEO (WEST COAST)
GET THE DEAL DONE, WEST COAST.
Footy’s hottest player Yeo was keen to sign a new two-year deal but after early discussions over summer and one counter-offer the Eagles are yet to come back with a final offer.
In the meantime rivals are knocking down his door with offers of three years at well over $700,000 a year.
He wants to stay but those offers are so big they could turn his head given the delay in the Eagles offering him a concrete deal.
So even if that new deal comes back now it will be less years and less money, not ideal given his signing is the first big deal of the new Don Pyke regime.
How much will the Eagles cost themselves given they have allowed him time to go to the market to see what rivals would pay him?
HARRY PERRYMAN (GWS GIANTS)
Port Adelaide is keen on the general defender, who in some sides might play midfield, but has been used in the backline for the Giants under Adam Kingsley. He wants to stay, but after signing a pair of two-year deals, would a rival turn its head with a long-term deal on reasonable money? The Power certainly has the cap space and needs another mid-sized defender in a week when they dropped Ryan Burton. Perryman faces the free-agency conundrum – stay for less at a club he loves, or use the privilege of eight years’ service to jump ship to shore up his financial future.
ISAAC CUMMING (GWS GIANTS)
Another Giants defender keen to stay, with clubs like Gold Coast interested in his services.
Has pace and elite kicking skills, which don’t always stand out, given brilliance of Lachie Whitfield and Lachie Ash around him, but his upside is what excites rivals. In 2022 he averaged nearly 550m gained. Another player who would need to be offered a deal of several hundred thousand dollars a year higher than the Giants to consider moving on. Has battled a 2024 calf injury, so is returning through the VFL.
JACK HENRY (GEELONG)
Not going anywhere given brother Ollie is an attacking mainstay, but the Cats just wanted to see how his body responded after twin foot issues. A new deal in the offing.
NICK HAYNES (GWS GIANTS)
Another loyalist who won’t want to leave, but after only two games in 2024 (one against the Roos with 36 minutes of game time), Haynes is surplus to requirements. Just racked up 36 possessions against the Roos in the VFL, so he’s still got it, but he turns 32 next month. Would he accept a two-year deal on modest money elsewhere to extend his career? Not sure.
BEN AINSWORTH (GOLD COAST)
He and his partner are very keen to remain on the Gold Coast, but the Suns do have a reasonably tight cap (with Matt Rowell and Charlie Ballard out of contract next year). So after being paid very well so far across his career, Ainsworth has the choice to stay on good, but not ridiculous money on a new deal – or chase a fortune elsewhere. His free agency status means he will have suitors after a strong start to the year without shooting the lights out – averaging 15 possessions and kicking six goals in seven games.
TIM ENGLISH (WESTERN BULLDOGS)
An enigma. He ranks sixth of all rucks this year and his critics have come hard. As Leigh Matthews said of him last week: “Tim English is a big man playing like a little man. He’s not playing with enough aggression. You can’t have soft big men. He is playing soft”. English responded with 23 touches, six tackles, six clearances and 28 hit-outs and, to be honest, it’s hard to find a suitor for him. The Eagles have three rucks, aren’t in the window and would be cautious about his concussion history. Might not get the very top dollar he wants, but English should stay at the Bulldogs on a six or seven-year deal on seven figures a season.
WILL HAYWARD (SYDNEY)
A medium forward with significant interest from rival clubs, including Adelaide, given his free agency status and goal power. Hayward is elite for inside-50 marks and has kicked 11.4 so far this season. He’s not a superstar, but would fit well into Adelaide’s forward line as a consistent lead-up presence and enable the Crows to release Izak Rankine into the midfield.
JOSH BATTLE (ST KILDA)
The Saints are supremely confident Battle will stay, with talks on track for a long-term deal. Elite for disposals and above-average for one-on-one contests, but his intercept game isn’t at the level it has been previously – only four intercept marks in the last three weeks. If Dougal Howard could get back to form, it would release him to fly for marks.
ELLIOTT HIMMELBERG (ADELAIDE)
GWS missed out on the 2024 unrestricted agent last year and the Crows at least played him on the weekend – rewarding them with two goals, 98 ranking points and seven score involvements. Still expect him to get to the Giants alongside brother Harry, but just not sure he would play in the senior side very much.
MATT TABERNER (FREMANTLE)
Still only 30 and finally putting games together (six goals in four contests). Taberner is a low-possession winner, but hasn’t gone goalless in 2024 so far. If the Dockers’ keep Sean Darcy it’s hard to see where he fits into the Luke Jackson/Jy Amiss/Josh Treacy forward line. He needs to stay fit all year – after his back issues – to be an attractive proposition for rivals.
BAILEY BANFIELD (FREMANTLE)
An extremely bright start to the year after only 14 games in 2023, kicking nine goals to go with 16 touches a game. The hero against the Dogs with three goals, Banfield is keen to stay in Perth, but told Fox Footy on the weekend that talks with the Dockers were yet to kick off.
DUSTIN MARTIN (RICHMOND)
Do whatever makes you happy, Dusty. No suitors yet. Gold Coast a little interested, but aware that he might be happy to stay at Punt Rd or retire. It would help if he wouldn’t be seen to want top-dollar to play elsewhere. Will sit down with manager Ralph Carr at season’s end to work through his future.
BRANDAN PARFITT (GEELONG)
Quieter on the weekend after a five-week hot streak where he averaged five clearances and eight tackles a game. As an unrestricted free agent, Parfitt would be mad not to want to shore-up his financial future. Last year it was apparent with tight list sizes that he didn’t have suitors, but he will this year. How much will he sacrifice to stay at the Cats?
TYSON STENGLE (GEELONG)
The Cats are keen to lock Stengle away and after 12 goals in his first seven games in 2024, he has the form on the board to start negotiations. He will want to set himself up financially and Geelong will want to offer a responsible deal, so it might take some time to broker. Not going anywhere.
CONOR NASH (HAWTHORN)
The unrestricted free agent wants to stay at the Hawks, but has put talks on hold with his manager Peter Lenton until mid-season. Nash is still putting up huge tackling numbers (six per game) and averaging 4.9 clearances. The Hawks have so much salary cap space they would be crazy to low-ball him and allow him to consider a rival deal.
ADAM TOMLINSON (MELBOURNE)
Unlucky to lose his spot after nine spoils and eight intercept possessions in the first game of the season against Sydney and now putting up huge VFL numbers. As an unrestricted free agent, a rival would be silly not to swoop for Tomlinson. His latest VFL game? 38 possessions, six intercept marks, 17 intercept possessions, 15 marks. And he’s only 30.
TOM MCDONALD (MELBOURNE)
Admits he came into 2024 aware it could be his last season. More likely to sign a one-year deal or retire than play elsewhere. But in a market with so few key defenders, will never go out of style.
TRENT MCKENZIE (PORT ADELAIDE)
Has only played a single SANFL game this year due to injury and the club’s inclusion of Brandon Zerk-Thatcher and Esava Ratugolea means others have gone past him at the Power. He’s 32, but played 19 games last season, and a club like North Melbourne could do worse than ask about McKenzie if he is deemed surplus to requirements at Alberton.
DION PRESTIA (RICHMOND)
More likely to sign a one-year deal at the Tigers, given his many injury issues of late.
LEWIS MELICAN (SYDNEY)
A strong season so far, after only eight games due to hamstring issues last year. Melican is 27 and will be keen to stick around in Sydney to add to his tally of 67 games.
LIAM DUGGAN (WEST COAST)
The Eagles’ co-captain has finished top-five in the best-and-fairest in three of the past four seasons. He will be looking for a five-year deal in excess of $800,000 to stay.
JASON JOHANNISEN (WESTERN BULLDOGS)
Had a sneaky-good start to the season, averaging 23 possessions and 76 per cent kicking efficiency. The 31-year-old is worthy of another one-year deal, with clubs always looking for rebounding backs.
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