Trade latest: How much will Eagles need to pay to keep Reid, future of key backs up in the air

All-Australian defender Jeremy McGovern’s future in the west has been sorted, with Tom Barrass’ move to Hawthorn having a big say. JOSH BARNES explains why.

West Coast great Jeremy McGovern has shunned free agency with Hawthorn’s coup of traded in ex-Eagle Tom Barrass likely locking McGovern in at the Eagles for the rest of his playing career.

A one-year extension for McGovern came together quickly and was inked on Monday, taking him off the board of free agents at the end of this season.

Having made his fifth All-Australian side last year, McGovern, 32, would have been a clear target for win-now clubs.

Likely the best intercept marking key defender of the modern era, McGovern would have faced more genuine questions about his future had Barrass stayed in the west.

Jeremy McGovern, 5x All Australian. Best key position defender in the comp 💪 pic.twitter.com/dTztHru2pG

— outbreezy (@outbreezyWC) August 29, 2024

Barrass joined Hawthorn in the most recent off-season and there was expectation if he stayed an Eagle long-term that West Coast would have considered trading McGovern to boost its rebuild.

In the end, the Barrass deal has helped West Coast’s revamp, with the Eagles landing first, second and third-round picks from Hawthorn in October’s trade.

McGovern won West Coast’s best-and-fairest last year and is nine games away from ticking over the 200-game barrier.

Now the Claremont junior is expected to see out his playing career with the Eagles.

WHY FIRST-ROUND PICKS ARE WAITING ON NEW DEALS

Harley Reid and Tasmania’s dynamic duo of Colby McKercher and Ryley Sanders will wait until later in the season to consider contract extensions as clubs and managers try to quantify the huge pay rises first-round picks will secure in their fourth seasons.

The national draft class of 2023 is the first group of first-round selections to sign mandatory three-year deals instead of two-year contracts.

It means many will be playing for cut-price rates in their third seasons – around $250,000 plus match payments – instead of the guaranteed $500,000 a year many first-round picks secured in their first contract extension for their third and fourth years.

The likes of McKercher, Nick Watson, Darcy Wilson, Nate Caddy and Sanders might require fourth-year deals of $700,000-plus before they sign on long-term.

Reid is in a different realm, with industry sources believing West Coast would need to offer $1.5 million-$2 million for him to sign a deal for his fourth season in 2028.

Harley Reid could be worth up to $2 million a year during his next contract. Picture: Paul Kane/Getty Images.

Melbourne’s Caleb Windsor and Koltyn Tholstrup and Gold Coast’s Ethan Read are among the handful of 2023 first-round picks to already sign contract extensions past 2026.

But Reid is happy to wait as he assesses the club’s direction under new coach Andrew McQualter.

Despite a summer with its share of injury concerns he is open-minded about his future at the Eagles.

His partner Yasmin Duursma, a Carlton AFLW player, has been living in Perth with Reid since completing the most recent AFLW season but will at some stage this year return to Victoria to start pre-season.

It has helped him enjoy his time in Perth, with no rush for him to decide if he signs a multi-year deal or plays out his initial contract before a big call on trying to return home.

Colby McKercher of the Kangaroos. Picture: Michael Klein

Essendon’s Nate Caddy. Picture: Michael Willson/AFL Photos via Getty Images.

With rivals likely to offer $20 million, 10 year deals for Reid it makes sense for him to take his time, with West Coast not pushing him on a new contract.

To secure maximum contract leverage North Melbourne’s McKercher and Western Bulldog Sanders would sign one-year extensions to the end of 2027, when Tasmania enters the competition.

Both the Roos and Dogs could extend McKercher and Sanders soon if they were prepared to offer one-year extensions.

Instead they are prepared to wait until deeper into their three-year deals before hopefully signing the star midfielders on deals past Tasmania’s first season.

Hawthorn’s Nick Watson will be a player to watch this year given his vast marketability and upside that will factor into any contract discussions this year.

SUNS NEED TO PAY UP FOR DEFENDER

Gold Coast will have to offer a deal of at least three seasons to best-and-fairest winner Sam Collins to secure the free agent despite him turning 31 in June.

He is very keen to remain on the Gold Coast, with optimism a deal can be brokered in coming weeks.

Collins is one of footy’s best stories as a VFL defender made good, winning the 2020 and 2024 best-and-fairests in a list stacked with elite young talent.

As an unrestricted free agent (he was previously delisted by Fremantle) strong-bodied Collins would have an avalanche of interest if he tested the market, with clubs prepared to offer up to four seasons despite his age.

The vice-captain has missed only three games in the past five years and is a strong cultural driver of the club under co-captains Touk Miller and Jarrod Witts.

Jed Walter and Sam Collins at training. Picture: Chris Hyde/Getty Images.

INJURY WON’T DETER VETERAN DOG DEAL

Liam Jones will have enough time to prove he is worthy of a 2026 contract ahead of mid-season discussions in June despite his horribly timed hamstring injury.

Jones will miss 8-10 weeks, which will put him out of at least the first round of the AFL season as his three-year contract expires.

Acting football boss Sam Power and Jones’ manager Shane Casley had agreed to postpone any contract talks until mid-season only days before his hamstring setback in an intraclub clash in Queensland.

He is about to turn 34 later this month but with 39 games in his past two seasons since returning to the Dogs from Carlton he has been a colossus in defence.

Something would have to go badly wrong for him not to be offered at the Dogs for 2026, with Casley adamant he will play on in the AFL next year.

Liam Jones is hunting a new contract. Picture: Michael Willson/AFL Photos via Getty Images.

KELLY-ALLEN DEALS UP IN THE AIR

West Coast best-and-fairest winner Tim Kelly does not have a contract offer in front of him as the new administration at the club continues to take a conservative line on its veterans.

The Herald Sun reported in December the club was wary about handing co-captain Oscar Allen a deal over five years given its past history with long-term deals and his ongoing knee issues.

The club and free agent Allen continue to talk about the length of a deal but the Eagles have been burnt by many deals on injury-prone or ageing players including Nic Naitanui, Andrew Gaff and Jack Darling.

Kelly won the 2023 best-and-fairest but finished only 10th in a 20-game 2024 season.

Clearly he is keen to stay at the club after moving back home from West Coast but will want security and a reasonable wage to remain.

He has been very well paid, taking home around $1.1 million last year on a deal averaging just under $1 million over six seasons.

Originally published as Trade latest: How much will Eagles need to pay to keep Reid, future of key backs up in the air