Which delisted players could get a chance at another AFL club?
Should your club take a chance on axed Bomber Mitch Brown? Could a speedy Tiger find a new home? Four delisted free agents have already been signed by rival clubs. See the full list and who else could get another chance.
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The AFL’s delisted free agency period is open with players who have been cut able to sign with new clubs and join them immediately.
They have wasted no time signing players, with former Cat Wylie Buzza the first to find a new home after he was picked up by Port Adelaide.
SCROLL DOWN TO SEE WHO’S BEEN PICKED UP AND WHO’S WORTH ANOTHER CHANCE
St Kilda’s Jack Newnes has also been handed a new start, joining Carlton after the Saints last week agreed to delist the midfielder so he could pursue another chance at a rival club.
Sydney has added two players — small forward Sam Gray from the Power and key defender Kaiden Brand from the Hawks.
Several other discarded players are waiting for a call — scroll down to see who is worth another chance.
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SIGNED DELISTED FREE AGENTS:
JACK NEWNES
UPDATE: Newnes is officially a Blue after paperwork was lodged on Friday. The former Saints defender played 155 matches but will try to re-establish himself at Ikon Park.
“I am really excited, it has been a bit of a whirlwind the last couple of months but I’m glad the decision has been made ... I’ve got a lot of improvement in my game personally: I haven’t yet reached the highest level I can, so I am really excited to push myself and push the group as well.”
Blues list boss Stephen Silvagni was happy to swoop on the discarded Saint.
“Jack has been in the system for eight years, he is a mature body who has played over 150 games and we think he can strengthen our playing list,” Silvagni said.
“He is an elite runner who will add another dynamic for us through the middle of the ground.”
SAM GRAY
UPDATE: Gray requested a trade out of Port Adelaide during the trade period and failed to find a new home, however, after the Power agreed to delist him the Swans came knocking.
Looking to add more speed to their side, Sydney swooped on Gray and the 27-year-old agreed to move to the harbour city despite interest from rival clubs in Victoria.
Gray has kicked 83 goals in 96 career games and played 20 matches for Port Adelaide this season. He has been a consistent performer for the Power who’s capable of sneaking under the radar and kicking multiple goals.
WYLIE BUZZA
UPDATE: Buzza is off to Port Adelaide, with Ken Hinkley’s team swooping on the former Cats cult hero when delisted free agency period opened on Friday.
He played six games and showed great promise as a forward-ruck. The 23-year-old fell out of favour last year, however, and played just three games before not featuring at all this year as Esava Ratugolea cemented his spot in Chris Scott’s best 22.
Buzza has AFL experience and has the body to play senior football, giving Port added back-up for big men Scott Lycett and Peter Ladhams.
KAIDEN BRAND
UPDATE: Brand is one of two delisted free agent signings by Sydney. The key defender showed promise at Hawthorn in 2017 when he played a career-high 17 games but wasn’t quite able to cement his spot in Alastair Clarkson’s team the following year, playing 10 games in 2018 and five this year.
At 198cm, the 25-year-old has fallen victim to the Hawks’ strong backline talent with James Sicily emerging as one of the premier defenders in the competition alongside James Frawley and captain Ben Stratton. He’s very athletic for his size.
HOPING FOR A SECOND CHANCE:
HARLEY BENNELL
The highly-talented former No.2 draft pick looks set to earn another chance at AFL level after playing just two games in four injury-ravaged seasons with Fremantle. Sydney and Geelong have already met with the former Sun and Docker, while the Herald Sun reported this week Melbourne has joined the list of clubs interested in recruiting him. If he can get on top of the calf and soft-tissue injuries that have plagued him, Bennell has the class and skills to be a matchwinner. Definitely worth the risk on a one-year deal with a games-based trigger for a second season.
JOSH WALKER
Searching for a third club after being surprisingly cut by Brisbane. The swingman played mainly as a forward for Geelong before finding a home in defence for the Lions. But he became a victim of the Lions’ booming youth stocks, losing his place in the team halfway through the season. Could be an experienced key-position back-up at either end, with North Melbourne showing interest.
MITCH BROWN
Brown was surprisingly delisted by Essendon on the eve of the first list lodgement deadline despite kicking 21 goals from 16 games this year. The forward played a key role in helping lead the Bombers’ forward line in the absence of Joe Daniher, ranking behind only Jake Stringer and Anthony McDonald-Tipungwuti for goals kicked. Brown averaged just over a goal a game in his 55 matches for Essendon and, at 29 years old, still has football ahead of him. He plays smaller than his height, at 196cm, with his elite running ability that allows him to get up and down the ground. Would Collingwood have a look at him to help Mason Cox and Brody Mihocek?
NICK ROBERTSON
The hard-nosed Lion was unlucky not to be offered a new deal after playing in Brisbane’s semi-final loss to GWS. Robertson played 73 games in six years and has filled a variety of roles, including in the midfield as a tagger, and would offer a new club the ability to lock down on the opposition’s most dangerous player. He plays his footy on the edge and can get under the skin of opposition players, but he puts his head over the ball and attack it with ferocity.
LACHIE HENDERSON
On the lookout for a fourth AFL club after Geelong opted not to offer the swingman a contract for 2020. Henderson played just seven games in 2017 as he battled knee and leg injuries, which opened the door for young guns Jake Kolodjashnij and Jack Henry to cement their spots in the Cats’ best 22. It meant Henderson fell out of favour this year, playing just six senior games, but he was part of the losing preliminary final team where he played forward in place of the suspended Tom Hawkins. He’ll turn 30 in December, so if he does get another chance it would likely be as a key defender for a team desperate for key-position depth in the finals/premiership frame. Would Melbourne or the Bulldogs, despite trading for Alex Keath, take a look?
SAM MURRAY
The ex-Magpie’s drug ban ends on December 18, meaning he can complete nearly a full pre-season and be available to play Round 1. Murray has been training hard and has engaged a top personal trainer to get him ready to hit the ground running should he earn another chance at AFL level a after testing positive to cocaine on match-day. Murray played nine games for Collingwood and showed glimpses of his talent as a line-breaking half-back who has electric speed and loves to take the game on. His ball use can let him down at times, but with more experience and development in a full-time AFL environment that can be fixed. He’s still only 22.
LYNDEN DUNN
Dunn is nearing a full recovery from his second knee reconstruction in as many years and was unlucky not to be given a one-year deal by Collingwood. He reignited his career as a reliable defender at the Magpies in 2017 when he arrived at the club from Melbourne for next to nothing via a trade, and was rarely beaten in one-on-one contests. Dunn will nominate for the national and rookie drafts in the hope of playing again, with Collingwood to consider him as a rookie should no other club pick him up. He will turn 33 in May next year but would offer a club in the premiership window depth and experience in defence.
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CONNOR MENADUE
The hard-running wingman has never been able to cement his spot in a very strong Richmond side and was linked to Fremantle during the trade period. The Dockers are in need of outside runners after losing both Bradley Hill (to St Kilda) and Ed Langdon (Melbourne) during the trade period. Showed his potential with 26 disposals and three goals in the Tigers’ VFL preliminary final win.
JACOB TOWNSEND
Townsend burst on to the scene late in the Tigers’ premiership run in 2017 as a tough pressure forward who had a knack of kicking goals, but he hasn’t been able to recapture that form since. Remarkably, he played just 20 games for Richmond in four seasons. The 26-year-old has been linked to GWS, where he started his career as an inside midfielder, and could help fill a role as the Giants continue to evolve as a more hardened and physical side under coach Leon Cameron.
CHRIS MASTEN
The forgotten midfielder at the Eagles who agreed to part ways with the club despite playing 17 games this season, including the elimination and semi-finals. Masten was part of West Coast’s premiership team last year but is probably a victim of the club’s already strong midfield adding star Tim Kelly during the trade period and has been squeezed out. Masten averaged 16 disposals this season and at 30 is nearing the end of his career but would add experience to a young team or midfield depth to a contender. Has been linked to Gold Coast.
CODY HIRST
Hirst was drafted by the Swans in the mid-season draft this year and was unlucky to be delisted just five months later. Will spending half a year in the NEAFL help or hurt his chances of being recruited given the 19-year-old midfielder was dominating in the under-18 NAB League when the Swans swooped? He was played mostly as a forward for Sydney’s reserves, kicking nine goals in 12 games.
Originally published as Which delisted players could get a chance at another AFL club?
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