AFL trade and free agency news: St Kilda wants long-term contract for under-fire Max King, Waterman to repay Eagles’ faith
The Lions are pleading with the league to leave AFL academies in Brisbane untouched as part of the competitive balance review, while, Jake Waterman is set to turn his back on significant rival interest.
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Brisbane has warned the AFL of poaching threats from the Brisbane Broncos and Olympic sports as it desperately tries to preserve father-son and academy access to the daughters of its three-peat premiership heroes.
Lions chief executive Greg Swann said Brisbane was aware the league’s drafts points system might change, with his club happy if the league granted unfettered draft access to southern-states NGA prospects.
Currently heartland clubs can only take NGA selections if they drift past 40 in the national draft.
But in a month where the Lions lost a 16-year-old academy player to the cashed-up Broncos only weeks after she made the Queensland AFL state side, Swann said Brisbane’s academy was a smashing success that should not be neutered.
AFL free agency and trade: Brisbane Lions continue to fend off free agency
The Lions premiership side has just added five academy players to its list as proof of it growing the game’s talent base – Sophie Peters, Evie Long, Indiana Williams, Jacinta Baldwick and Rania Crozier.
But NRL giants Brisbane’s poaching of a 16-year-old for a cash incentive comes as Lions head of women’s football Breanna Brock said Olympic sports heading into the 2032 Brisbane Games would also try to attract the best and brightest AFL talents.
The Lions hope to have access to a list of daughters of Brisbane premiership stars from their golden era, with Marcus Ashcroft’s 14-year-old daughter Lucy already hugely hyped.
Brock said the Lions were excited by the prospect of the daughters of Lions players following in their footsteps.
“If we don’t have an academy we just go into the same market as Victorian clubs and we are competing for the same kids. We make it a much more crowded marketplace if we can’t grow and access talent up here,” she said.
“We have a whole crew of the three-peat guys who have daughters. Olivia Brown (daughter of Jon) is going quite well, we have the Leppitsch girls who are tall like their dad, Marcus Ashcroft says his two boys (Levi and Will) go well but Lucy’s the best of all of them. And Clark Keating’s girls are blessed with their father’s height so there could be a little flurry of father-daughters in the next little while.
“It’s a really different landscape for us up here. The Olympics are coming quicker than people think. We have a lot of rugby sevens girls who are recruited on the Gold Coast at 17 and they can live in the AIS on $60,000 or $70,000 a year. Rugby doesn’t have a draft and they can lock away kids at 14 or 15 on Broncos contracts. (The player poached) was playing with us until two weeks ago and had just made the Queensland AFL state team.”
Lions chief executive Greg Swann told the Herald Sun Brisbane believed it could counter those threats if it was allowed to continue its own academy, which the club self-funds.
“We think if Victorian clubs have an NGA player they should be able to pick them early and that’s fine as long as the qualification for NGAs are a bit tougher. Some players are eligible because they were born overseas to Australian parents. Is that enough?
“It used to be kids like Mac Andrew (born in Egypt) who came over and had never seen the game. That is great for footy.
“The AFL looks like they will change the points system and we hope it’s going to be next year but every time I go into an AFL CEO’s meeting they talk about measurements for growing the game in the northern states and the academies are a big part of that.”
SPEARHEAD SET TO REPAY EAGLES’ FAITH
West Coast’s new cult hero Jake Waterman is keen to sign a long-term contract extension with the Eagles despite strong interest from Victorian contenders Geelong and Melbourne.
Waterman has been footy’s most improved player this year with 37.15 despite a deep, heavy gash to his knee in the Hawthorn loss that required hospitalisation and surgery.
He is still a good chance to play this week and has expressed to the Eagles his desire for a new deal through manager Paul Peos given he hits free agency next season.
It would be a disaster for the Eagles to lose an up-and-coming young star at a time when Hawthorn and North Melbourne look to be developing quicker in their own premiership builds.
The Cats and Melbourne are both desperate for key talls as Geelong attempts to find a replacement for Tom Hawkins and the Demons continue their quest to fix a broken forward line.
It would take a total breakdown in negotiations for Waterman to want to leave the Eagles as the son of premiership defender Chris.
But having signed a new two-year deal amid serious illness last year that is believed to be around the $400,000-$450,000 mark, the 26-year-old will be in line for a serious pay hike.
He could easily expect to double his salary given his huge potential.
Eastern states clubs are prepared to offer five-year extensions so West Coast will have to come to the party and should be keen to lock in Waterman on a huge pay rise.
Peos told the Herald Sun on Tuesday his player was keen to stay at the Eagles.
“I am happy to say there is a keenness from both sides to revisit his current deal,” he said.
“He’s a free agent next year so we would expect it to progress pretty quickly from here. We would love to get it done sooner rather than later.
We have had reach-ins from other clubs to see how things are progressing and it’s in a state of flux but I would hope over the next couple of weeks we could see the momentum moving.
“(New CEO) Don (Pyke) and (list boss) Matt Clarke have come in with fresh eyes and are looking across every element of the club and we respect that. But you would think Jake would be one of the more certain elements (of the rebuild) given his age and form.”
Pyke has a decision to make on the future of coach Adam Simpson amid speculation the club’s continued struggles might end up costing him his job.
The Eagles board had seemed likely to move on Simpson with two years left on his deal last year even if it cost them millions in salary and football department taxes.
Instead they backed him in and with Harley Reid making brilliant cameos the Eagles have shown improvement.
But the latest five-game losing streak has included defeats to teams like Adelaide, North Melbourne, St Kilda and the Hawks who the Eagles might have hoped to be more competitive against.
LUCKLESS ROOS YOUNGSTER SET FOR CONTRACT EXTENSION
North Melbourne is set to reward luckless youngster Brayden George with a two-year deal as he begins the long road to recovery from a second knee reconstruction.
George was set to come out of contract at the end of this season, but the Kangaroos have moved swiftly to reassure the talented 20-year-old that he remains a strong part of their plans going forward, despite a wrenched start to his AFL career.
It’s a heartwarming result for the one-time Murray Bushrangers forward, in whom Alastair Clarkson and the Kangaroos have great faith, given he has had no luck since being chosen by the Kangaroos as pick 26 in the 2022 national draft.
George missed the entire 2023 season – his first year at Arden St – rehabbing the knee injury he suffered in his draft year.
Then he suffered a freak dislocated elbow during the last off-season when he was training at home in Wangaratta, which hampered his pre-season campaign.
George was showing good promise in the VFL this season, despite a shoulder dislocation in April, and was on the verge of pushing for his AFL debut when he went down with his knee injury in the VFL clash with Collingwood.
He underwent his second knee reconstruction last week, posting on social media from his hospital bed: “Support has been overwhelming, (I) will be back kicking the pig skin soon.”
As he started his recovery, he received the good news from Kangaroos list manager Brady Rawlings, with the club confident he can play a big role in the club’s future plans.
It’s a show of faith from the Kangaroos in a highly-talented attacking player who possesses good speed and power, which would come in handy as Clarkson’s side take the next step.
SAINTS HUNTING LONG-TERM DEAL FOR KING
St Kilda is working to lock in under-fire spearhead Max King to a long-term contract extension as second-year ballwinner Mattaes Phillipou inches closer to a senior recall.
King has been subject to intense trade speculation amid some poor form, but the Saints have been in talks with him and manager Robbie D’Orazio about a significant contract extension.
The St Kilda goal kicker, who turns 24 on Sunday, is already signed to the club until the end of 2026 after bagging 159 goals in 83 games including a career-best haul of 52 majors in 2022.
St Kilda has revealed he will miss the rest of the season with a PCL injury.
But amid criticism of his recent form, the Saints are eager to secure King to a long-term extension which would make him one of the highest-paid players at the club.
The deal will put to bed any talk of the club trading him.
The Saints are confident King can improve his form and are targeting more explosive midfield talents to help improve the delivery forward to the 202cm full forward from Haileybury.
Phillipou, 19, hasn’t played seniors since the Round 11 loss to Fremantle five weeks ago but shone in the VFL at the weekend gathering 31 touches and kicking two goals.
The Saints are expected to strongly consider recalling the No. 10 draft pick for Sunday’s clash against the Sydney Swans.
Phillipou remains one of the key planks in the Saints’ list build with the club currently holding pick four in this year’s draft which it will use on a top talent.
The Saints have focused heavily on their development this season, including blooding half back Arie Schoenmaker and playmaker Hugo Garcia, while Nasiah Wanganeen-Milera has become one of the club’s best players in his third season.
King has struggled to have much impact in games this season amid a knee injury and previous shoulder issues but St Kilda champion Nick Riewoldt said there was no chance the club would trade him.
“He (King) is not going anywhere,” Riewoldt said on Footy Talk.
“I understand that he would be disappointed and frustrated with his form and that St Kilda people will be frustrated with his form.
“I have been critical of not necessarily him, but (his) forward craft and things like that in the past, which I think is reasonable.
“But he is such a big part of the future of the football club.
“We know that it is a work in progress and they are struggling to score.
“They lack talent up the field and no one knows better than me that you rely on good delivery at times.
“Yes, he can be more competitive and can fight harder in the contest at times, and that is going to be part of his challenges as an individual player.
“But for the Saints to get to where they want to get to, they need to bring in more talent, not get rid of talent they already have.”
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