Moneyball: All the latest AFL trade, draft and contract news
Clubs have an eye on a number of Cats ahead of the trade period, with one weighing his options as Quinton Narkle signs on. All the latest movement news, plus replay our trade Q&A.
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Emerging Geelong midfielder Quinton Narkle has signed a one-year deal to remain at the Cattery but promising tall Nathan Kreuger is continuing to weigh up his options.
Kreuger has only just returned to Geelong and met with the club on Monday as the versatile tall considers a trade request in search of more senior opportunity.
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Kreuger, who made his AFL debut late in the season, has a two-year offer on the table from Geelong but has interest from Collingwood and St Kilda.
The out-of-contract Kreuger is not expected to make a call on whether he will remain in the hoops until later this week after only recently returning from the club’s stint in Perth.
Kreuger played his two AFL games as a defender but has experience at VFL level playing as a forward, including a six-goal haul in 2019 when he slotted 18 majors in 16 matches.
The South Australian joined Geelong through a deal with Carlton three years ago when the Cats traded pick 42 with the Blues in exchange for a pre-draft compensation selection.
But while Kreuger considers his next move, the Cats have been able to keep one of their most promising prospects on their books for another year, locking away Narkle on a 12-month contract extension on Monday.
Narkle, 23, was linked to several clubs but has opted to remain with Geelong.
The 33-gamer played 13 games this season but was the medical sub on five occasions.
The West Australian will be hoping to become a permanent member of the Cats’ ageing on-ball division, which was comprehensively beaten in the preliminary final hiding against Melbourne, in 2022.
A damaging cameo against Richmond in round 19 provided a glimpse into Narkle’s unquestionable talent.
He had eight clearances, kicked a goal and 10 of his 12 possessions were contested in 41 minutes of game time.
And in the round 10 victory over Gold Coast he had a career-high 34 disposals.
Geelong football general manager Simon Lloyd said the Cats believed Narkle would play a “significant role” next year.
“While there has been speculation about Quinton potentially leaving, our conversations throughout the year have been extremely positive,” Lloyd said.
It’s expected Rhys Stanley, Brad Close, Gary Rohan and Zach Guthrie will remain on the list next year, but the future of veteran Lachie Henderson is uncertain
Where axed Blue could play in 2022
Levi Casboult is staying in shape as clubs including Brisbane and Gold Coast make early inquiries about his availability.
Brisbane simply doesn’t have money to bring in an established back-up for Oscar McInerney, who was brilliant in the final against the Western Bulldogs, but he needs help.
Casboult battled a knee injury at Carlton and was delisted, but is one of a number of key-position targets the Lions could bring in on a base contract of around $120,000. plus match payments.
Brisbane is one of many clubs who have almost no cap space given the deferral of pay into 2022 from last year’s pay cuts.
So, while they are keen to find another tall after Eric Hipwood’s ACL tear, it will only be a minimum chips-variety player and not a Jack Gunston-type as an instant fix.
CERRA IN NO RUSH TO PICK NEW HOME
Outgoing Fremantle midfielder Adam Cerra says he is yet to nominate a club of choice with trade talks set to officially open in under two weeks.
Cerra requested a trade back to his home State at the end of the regular season, with Carlton and grand finalists Melbourne both pitching hard to sign the first-round draftee.
The 21-year-old said there was plenty of time to declare who he wanted to suit up for next year after playing 76 games since being selected by the Dockers with pick five in the 2017 draft.
The AFL’s trade period begins on October 4.
“I’m sure that will come out in its due course,” Cerra told 10News.
“It was obviously a tough decision. Firstly a life decision for me.
“I have obviously loved my time, but I am looking forward now. Still, lots to happen, so it’s out of my control.”
Cerra said he hoped the Dockers were well compensated through the trade, with the Blues’ No.6 pick in this year’s draft set to be the asking price.
“They’ve obviously done a lot for me and I honestly hope they’re better off from it,” he said.
“That’s not in my power though.”
Cerra said thanked the Dockers fans for their support in his four years at the club.
“They’ve always been great to me, I’ve always loved playing in front of the purple army,” he said.
“I know there are some exciting things ahead at the club, so they should be really excited about their future.”
Earlier this week, Melbourne chief executive Gary Pert moved to head off any speculation that WA ruckman Luke Jackson would be involved in any deal for Cerra.
“In regards to Luke Jackson, Fremantle and every other club … we love him and he’s going to be with us for a long time,” Pert said.
“We haven’t seen anything yet. Some of the stuff that he can do, his body is still very young, he hasn’t ever properly grown into it yet.
“He’s going to be a superstar with each year that he develops. He’s very exciting.”
Pert said the Demons would love to secure Cerra though.
“We talk to lots of players and lots of player managers at this time of the year. A lot of those conversations are really positive and solid because players and player managers can look at the young list at Melbourne and see where they might be able to slot in and add value and be part of something special,” he said.
“He (Cerra) is one of the most talented young players coming through and he’s going to have lots of options. I never talk publicly about how they’re going to pan out, but he’s certainly a fantastic talent.
“We’re going to chat to him and explore all the different options. But like I said he’ll be chatting do a few clubs.”
CONFIRMED: KEY DEFENDER LOCKS IN SHOCK MOVE TO TIGERLAND
North Melbourne veteran Robbie Tarrant has told the Kangaroos he will play for Richmond next season.
In a boost for the Tigers, the unrestricted free agent has agreed to line up for them in a key defensive boost for next year, replacing retired stopper David Astbury.
The Kangaroos were hopeful Tarrant would remain at the club after recently increasing their offer from a one-year to a two-year contract.
But the 32-year-old will instead move to Punt Rd to have a crack at a premiership tilt in yellow and black.
Tarrant can sign as an unrestricted free agent meaning it will cost the Tigers nothing in a trade.
But if he departs as a free agent it could water down the free agency compensation Richmond receive for Mabior Chol’s move to Gold Coast.
It means the Tigers may instead look to offer North a late draft pick as part of a trade for Tarrant, but in any case a move will be made.
Tarrant is confident he has two seasons of good footy in him after missing the first half of the year to have a lump removed from his kidney.
Tarrant has been a top defender in the league across the bulk of his career.
It is a blow for North which is also trying to keep captain Jack Ziebell. The futures of Shaun Atley and Trent Dumont remain unclear.
The Tigers are set to lose key talls Mabior Chol (Gold Coast) and Callum Coleman-Jones (North Melbourne) but have circled Tarrant and Adelaide’s Daniel Talia in a bid to help bolster the back line.
Captain Jack Ziebell is also unsigned, along with teammates Shaun Atley and Trent Dumont.
North Melbourne finished bottom of the ladder this year and is unlikely to return to the top-four before Tarrant retires.
Tarrant had surgery to remove a lump from his kidney earlier in the year but returned to the team in June and played 11 games for the season.
Tarrant has been a loyal and popular club man at North Melbourne, and his move leaves a void in defence at the Roos.
“We’re disappointed that Robbie has chosen not to accept our contract offer. We wanted to see Robbie remain a one-club player given what he has done for our football club,” the Roos’ football manager Brady Rawlings said on the club’s website on Saturday.
“After overcoming injuries in the early part of his career, Robbie has gone on to be a great contributor for North Melbourne over a long period of time.
“Robbie has been an elite defender in the competition and has provided us with great leadership and spirit.
“He has been popular with our fans, his teammates and everyone involved with the club, so it’ll be hard to see him in opposing colours, but we wish him well.”
RELIEVED TIGERS LOCK IN PREMIERSHIP TALL
Richmond’s future big man stocks may have taken a hit in recent days, but the Tigers have at least been able to secure the signature of premiership player Ivan Soldo.
Soldo’s decision to sign a new deal through until the end of 2024 comes in the wake of Mabior Chol’s decision to move to Gold Coast and Callum Coleman-Jones seeking a trade.
The 25-year-old, who played a key role in the Tigers’ 2019 premiership side, suffered a serious knee in late 2020 which meant that he missed all of this season’s action.
He is expected to return from the start of pre-season training and will add another dimension for the Tigers, especially given the departures of Chol and Coleman-Jones.
Richmond general manager of football talent Blair Hartley said the club would be boosted by Soldo’s return in 2022.
“Ivan is a key member of our team and we look forward to welcoming him back next year,” Hartley said.
“His knee injury late last year was very unfortunate, but he has worked hard throughout his pre-season to put himself in a position to return strongly in 2022.
Meanwhile, Carlton’s daily drip-feed of contract extensions continued with Brodie Kemp signing on for two more years.
It follows deals for Nic Newman, Marc Pittonet and Ed Curnow in recent days.
PHIL OUT: CLUBS SET TO CIRCLE PIES MIDFIELDER
Collingwood midfielder Brayden Sier is on the hunt for a new home.
The man who starred in the 2018 Grand Final, but has since been hit by injuries, is unlikely to be offered a new contract by the Magpies.
But Sier, who is still only 23, is expected to generate interest over the next few weeks which could yet result in a lifeline at another club for next season.
Sier played 12 games in 2018 and shone in the premiership decider, gathering 21 possessions in the engine room.
But the man who was taken pick No. 32 from Northern Knights fell out of favour over the past two seasons under Nathan Buckley and Robert Harvey and is looking for a fresh start.
At his best, Sier is a tough-tackling hard nut who could bolster a team’s clearance work.
There is strong competition for fresh onball opportunities with ex-Saint Luke Dunstan, Gold Coast’s Will Brodie and Geelong’s Charlie Constable also looking for another team.
YOUNG SWAN TURNS BACK ON RIVAL INTEREST
Dylan Stephens won’t be following Jordan Dawson out the Sydney Swans’ door.
The Swans have seen off interest from Collingwood, Adelaide and Essendon to secure Stephens – the fifth pick in the 2019 AFL draft – for two more seasons.
The 20-year-old winger joins key forward Hayden McLean and defenders Robbie Fox and Will Gould in re-signing at Sydney for at least next year.
Stephens played only 15 games across his first two seasons, but is sure to have a more prominent role in 2022 after Dawson’s decision to request a trade to one of the South Australian clubs.
There is still fascination about what is to come for the Swans, with restricted free agent George Hewett tipped to sign with Carlton after Sydney was unable to find a trade suitor for him last year.
Hard-luck speedster Matt Ling – the club’s first-round selection four years ago – headlines four delistings, alongside ex-Hawk Kaiden Brand, former Power forward Sam Gray and rookie Malachy Carruthers.
Injuries marred Ling’s four-game Harbour City stint, with a foot injury the latest ailment to sideline him this season, but at least one opposition club is tracking him.
McLean, 22, leapfrogged out-of-contract veteran Sam Reid to be the Swans’ first-choice forward-ruck late in the year, and his improvement this season impressed St Kilda enough to inquire about him.
He signed a two-year extension as well, while Fox, 28, and the untried Gould, 20, inked deals for 2022 only.
It’s been a steep rise for McLean since he joined Sydney via the pre-season supplement selection period ahead of the 2019 season. He played 12 of his 22 career games this year.
Fox continues to be a versatile part of the Swans defence, while 191cm backman Gould will hope to translate his good form at reserves level into senior opportunities.
Sydney’s executive general manager of football, Charlie Gardiner, was pleased to retain the quartet.
“We are excited to have these players commit to our program,” Gardiner said.
“We are confident in the direction our young group is heading and believe that all four players can play important roles for the club going forward.”
Of the remaining players without a deal, Sam Wicks has had a two-year offer in front of him for about a month, while the Swans are close to re-signing Irishman Colin O’Riordan.
Sydney suddenly has a logjam of tall forward options, with McLean re-signing and Lance Franklin, Logan McDonald and Joel Amartey also on the list, so 29-year-old Reid’s future is murky.
Back-up big man Callum Sinclair, who has rival interest but is expected to re-sign, Ben Ronke and Barry O’Connor have also not inked contracts for next season.
NO. 1 PICK CONTENDER READY TO PLAY
Jason Horne-Francis’s SANFL coach says he is perfectly placed to make a Round 1 impact for North Melbourne next year given a two-year apprenticeship in senior football.
South Adelaide coach Jarrad Wright says whoever secures Horne-Francis will find a born competitor who will be no flight risk given his loyal nature.
Horne-Francis didn’t look out of place in Saturday’s SANFL semi-final. Named on a wing, the youngster collected 17 disposals in South Adelaide’s 19-point win over Norwood.
And just as the Roos got a super first season out of SANFL player Tom Powell, they can count on Horne-Francis, when Victorian kids have played so little football in the past two seasons.
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“Jason is a super kid, he goes about his business quietly and he’s a really humble kid but he has a thirst for learning and his biggest attribute is his competitiveness,” Wright said.
“I have never seen an 18-year-old kid with such competitiveness to just play well week to week.
“He contests the ball, he hunts, he pressures and tackles, and I am confident he could make an impact early on. He’s been playing pretty good SANFL footy for two years and not many kids in Australia have been able to do that.
“He was really disappointed with a national game in WA as the captain and the way he attacked the next week’s training he had fire in his eyes, demanding things off senior players about our structure and you just knew he would come out and perform the next week,
“Wherever he goes will be his home. He loves South Adelaide and he’s just a really loyal kid.”
WILLIE OR WON’T HE?
West Coast’s Willie Rioli has not abandoned his management group in the wake of a report he was off to a new stable.
Rioli will stay with John Meesen at Kapital Sports Group, which has firmly stood by and supported him through two nightmare years dealing with Rioli’s ban for tampering with a urine sample.
The premiership forward was linked to a move to join Ralph Carr, who manages Tiger stars Dustin Martin and Shai Bolton, amid talk that he wanted to push for more money on his next deal.
But 26-year-old Rioli, who faces a huge summer regaining fitness, has confirmed he is not joining Carr’s team.
The livewire goalkicker has not played since the 2019 elimination final win over Essendon.
SUNS HEADING TO DRAFT
Gold Coast is now expected to take its No. 3 pick to the draft – or at worst split it for two later selections – after ruling out another play for another experienced player.
The Suns got their man in Richmond’s Mabior Chol on a four-year deal and are still considering whether to offer multi-club stalwart Jake Townsend another contract.
The Suns had considered offering up pick three for an experienced player but will keep their salary cap room for experienced players after contemplating Luke Parker and Rory Lobb in recent months.
The AFL has not made a definitive ruling on the club retaining its start-of-second-round pick as part of its assistance package but given the trade period is so close, the league will surely allow the Suns to keep it.
WHY TIGER YOUNG GUN WANTS TO GET TO ROOS
Jack Riewoldt says the return of Dustin Martin to the Richmond forward line has seen Callum Coleman-Jones request a trade given his lack of opportunities.
The Richmond vice-captain confirmed the Herald Sun’s report on Wednesday that Coleman-Jones had asked for a trade and was keen to get to North Melbourne.
It leaves the Tigers with a list hole, given Riewoldt might only play one more season, with Coleman-Jones being groomed as his replacement.
But Riewoldt conceded Coleman-Jones might not be able to see a meaningful role in the side for him in 2022.
North Melbourne is not prepared to hand over its No. 20 draft pick and could secure Coleman-Jones through the pre-season draft or at least that threat as leverage in a trade.
“The club may have said to him hang around for one or two (years) and I may not be there anymore and you may get your spot. But he’s five years into a being a key forward, he wants to make his mark on the AFL and he feels like that may be somewhere else,” Riewoldt told Fox Footy.
“It doesn’t make it hurt any less for us and the people who put a lot of time and effort into him, it still stings a little bit for that. Ultimately, he thinks that he can go out and play AFL footy at the highest level and that’s what every kid wants to do.
“If I was in that position and I wasn’t getting a regular game, you have to look at your options. But it’s just disappointing that we’re going to lose probably both of them, because halfway through the year you probably look and it and think, maybe one goes. To lose two (Coleman-Jones and Mabior Chol) is going to be pretty disappointing.
“He’s asking for a trade. North Melbourne is the name that’s being bandied around. It’s disappointing because we want to keep him because we feel like he’s an important part of our future.
“He looks at opportunity and doesn’t see it at the Tigers at the moment. In fairness, we’ve got Soldo returning off an ACL, he’s a premiership ruckman, Toby Nankervis is clearly our number one ruck, then myself and ‘Lynchy’ as key forwards.
“‘CJ’ got a few games late in the year, but Dustin (Martin) wasn’t playing. Does he fit into a forward line with the three of us in there plus him? It’s a question that no doubt he’s asked himself a lot.”
MORE CHANGES AT CATS AS SHAKE-UP LOOMS
Lachie Henderson and Geelong are both taking time to consider whether the veteran defender plays on next year as the Cats look set to lose another assistant coach.
Corey Enright on Friday moved on from the Cats and landed at St Kilda, only days after fellow assistant coach Matthew Knights moved to West Coast.
Saints footy boss Simon Lethlean said Enright would be a key addition to the club’s AFL program.
Geelong was keen for Henderson to play on but their dramatic flame-out from the finals and his quiet September form might influence a decision.
Nathan Kreuger is just one of the key position players waiting in the wings for chances, as is the club’s No. 19 pick from the 209 national draft, 200cm tall Sam De Koning.
There is a feeling the Cats need to change things up and formulate a plan for the years ahead that could involve blooding younger kids at the expense of early-season success.
As Geelong premiership captain Cameron Ling said this week, the club needs to find a way to get games into midfielders like Cooper Stephens so they are ready to fire by the finals next year.
Quinton Narkle will stay at the Cats given there are no suitors, while Charlie Constable is keen to get more chances but can’t find another home either.
NO LATE CHANGE FOR LACHIE
Lachie Neale is already working on his strength and conditioning program for next year at Brisbane and will not make a late trade request to get back home to Perth.
There has been speculation this week that Neale might again ask for a trade home despite considering that move then telling the Lions he was happy to fulfil the last two years of his contract.
His manager Tim Lawrence told the Herald Sun on Friday: “He will not be leaving Brisbane. That is dead and buried. He will not be going anywhere”.
The Lion have three welfare staff – two of them female – given so many players are from interstate and have young partners with children.
Ways in which they will help players’ wives while they are on road trips included things as simple as helping pre-make meals for the week on Sunday afternoons or even staying with them for a full week when they are battling with young kids.
Neale will tweak his program to attempt to bulletproof his program after calf niggles this year, but is locked in at Brisbane for the long run after earlier uncertainty.
Originally published as Moneyball: All the latest AFL trade, draft and contract news
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