AFL Trade: Race on for versatile Tiger Liam Baker, young Saint Mattaes Phillipou looks to re-sign
Richmond will face a fight to hold onto in-demand utility Liam Baker, with Victorian rivals joining the two WA clubs in the race to sign the out-of-contract Tiger.
Victorian rivals have joined the queue of West Australian clubs chasing Richmond’s Mr Fix-It Liam Baker as he postpones contract negotiations until later this season.
Baker re-signed despite intense interest from Fremantle and West Coast two seasons ago and is out of contract as a 26-year-old entering his prime.
Baker is content to assess how Richmond’s season unfolds with a new coaching team and game plan under senior coach Adem Yze.
He has also been told he will be playing as a full-time midfielder this season as the Tigers again attempt to compete in the first year without premiership coach Damien Hardwick.
Baker is well paid given that interest on a deal of around $600,000 but with so many clubs boasting huge cap space - North Melbourne, St Kilda, Hawthorn and Essendon have ample room - teams are aggressively chasing quality midfielders.
Baker finished sixth in the club’s best-and-fairest last year and will join the likes of free agents Jack Graham and Dion Prestia who are in no hurry to decide their futures.
Richmond will be optimistic he will again sign on after stating when he signed his latest contract he was always keen to be at Punt Road despite Fremantle joining West Coast’s season-long interest.
One interesting wrinkle in his talks could be the likely announcement of Richmond recruiting boss Matthew Clarke as West Coast’s new list boss.
SAINT NEARING DEAL
St Kilda’s young star Mattaes Phillipou is closing in on a new contract extension as his 16-year-old brother emerges as a prospect just as exciting as the No. 10 pick.
It comes as the Dons on Thursday re-signed fellow second-year star Elijah Tsatas until the end of 2026.
Tsatas of his new deal: “I am super excited about our young core group of players and how committed we are to improving every day,” Tsatas said.
Phillipou’s deal is being negotiated by the Sports Minded agency and is on track despite him being one of the few remaining second-year top-10 picks not to sign an extension yet.
His younger brother Jevon, also from Woodville-West Torrens, is currently trying to quality for the Under-20 world championships as a decathlete and also plays high-level basketball.
But he is likely to chase his football dream as a player who is draft eligible for next year’s draft.
Some good judges believe he is better progressed at the same age than big brother Mattaes, who played every game in his debut season for St Kilda.
BRAYSHAW UNCERTAINTY
The AFL is expected to have discussions with Melbourne about the salary cap implications of Angus Brayshaw’s retirement given he has five more seasons left on his contract.
The league medically retired Brayshaw and while the Demons spent Thursday farewelling their premiership star, his position will clearly set a precedent for all clubs.
Brayshaw could agree to accept a smaller figure on a contract of between $700,000-$800,000 as part of an agreement with the club or the AFL could grant the Demons some cap relief.
Rival list bosses agreed there was no set protocol for medical retirements given most players to retire recently including Marcus Adams, Paul Seedsman and Paddy McCartin did not have long-term deals.
The AFL’s intervention into Brayshaw’s career will give the Demons the best chance of reducing the cap implications of his deal until 2028.
FATHER-SON UNCHANGED
Clubs expect the AFL will only change its bidding rules for father-son and academy bids next season as Brisbane looks set to scoop the father-son pool this year.
The league will avert the headlines of Gold Coast’s quartet of star academy players this year with fewer academy players likely to be top-five picks.
But Brisbane’s Levi Ashcroft is expected to be a top-three pick as a clone of his brother and No. 1 overall pick Will in a huge boost for the Lions.
He hasn’t officially committed to the Lions yet but is expected to join his brother, with the Lions also hopeful academy midfielder Sam Marshall has a strong season.
Carlton’s Ben and Lucas Camporeale are not expected to be top-10 picks but are both elite runners who are in the AFL academy.
Adelaide key forward Tyler Welsh, son of Scott, is a quality talent while Gold Coast’s Leo Lombard is a solid talent but not as highly rated as fellow academy talent Jake Rogers, taken at pick 14.
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