He says Hawthorn wasn’t willing to offer four first-rounders to Essendon, but refuses to chat on specifics with regards to the deal. “We’re empathetic to Will Hayward and Ollie Florent (but we walked in knowing we’d have give up a fair bit. “Day one of pre-season might be a little bit awkward), but we’ll move on really quickly because he’s an inspirational player. ” “An offer lobbed yesterday so with 36 hours to go (it was quite late), but out of respect for Zach, we did have conversations with Tom and Hawthorn,” he says. I thought a 2nd and a 3rd seemed a fair good faith offer for Ah Chee. It’ll be a little awkward for a bit (as Matt Rosa said), but the Bombers don’t need to fear Merrett downing tools or purposely tanking his value next season.
Initially, AFL Media’s Josh Gabelich broke the news that St Kilda had traded ruck Max Heath to Melbourne, with AFL House later confirming the move. Foxfooty.com.au understands that unrestricted free agent Darcy Byrne-Jones and first-choice ruck Jordan Sweet are expected to stay with their current clubs and could be among the first to re-sign. Hawthorn can’t find another player to join the Bombers, so Henry Hustwaite remains part of the offer.
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But that’s okay, because just like you we care. I just want to give you a bit of an insight into the Thursday afternoon team. Maybe the eagles can use it to lure the likes of Travis Boak out of retirement. I mentioned this a little earlier — but Josh Jenkins has gone into a it a bit more on Trade Radio.
**Jenkins predicts St Kilda will face consequences for Aleer’s change of heart. **
- All year (there’s been trade speculation surrounding contracted ruck duo Luke Jackson and Sean Darcy), but Jackson has had his exit meeting and told the club he’s not going anywhere.
- While O’Brien stays at West Lakes (Adelaide is still pursuing Bombers free agent Sam Draper), who’s also being courted by Brisbane.
- Across town — Fremantle midfielder Neil Erasmus is contemplating his future at the Eagles, having not yet signed their three-year deal on offer.
- Dual premiership Lion Logan Morris is a man in high demand, with at least five clubs keen on acquiring Brisbane’s star goalkicker, reports AFL Media’s Cal Twomey.
- Richmond isn’t expected to be a major player in October, but it’s been consistently linked to out-of-favour Gold Coast livewire Malcolm Rosas Jnr.
- On Wednesday night, Morris said out-of-contract Saad was “keen to go again” in 2027.
Rowbottom reportedly initially entertained talks with Carlton and Collingwood after his name was mentioned as part of a Curnow deal. While the two clubs haggle over a deal for star forward Charlie Curnow, rebounding defender Ollie Florent has reportedly been traded to the Blues in a separate deal. Tom De Koning assumes the number-one ruck role in a pairing with Rowan Marshall — who figures to play more time forward to straighten up Ross Lyon’s forward line along with the returning Max King. His manager Colin Young, I think, really keen for him to stay. But I just think there’s a Bontempelli factor, there is Luke Beveridge, there’s the proximity to home, which is just a little bit closer to Geelong. They’d be prepared to offer upwards of $1.7 million a season over at least eight years if Butters was keen.
Trade Talk RECAP: Dockers depart, Roos land tall, Dee to stay
Scroll down to see the latest AFL trade news from day four of the exchange period. Sweet has played 49 games for the Power since arriving during the 2023 off-season — having deposed the now-retired Ivan Soldo as the club’s No. 1 ruck. “When talking about the concussion challenges, that longevity of contract is a really important safety net for players; it’s probably the best one we’ve got where there is absolute contractual certainty in our game,” he said.
That probably comes at the expense of Leek Aleer, who surprisingly remains at the club after his move to St Kilda controversially fell through. A healthy Jack Buckley and Brent Daniels come return to the side, with Buckley straightening up arguably the most stout defence in the competition. While losing out on Curnow hurts, it’s still a stacked forward line and Shannon Neale should only get better and better. While this is effectively Craig McRae’s optimal line-up, don’t be surprised if there’s more of a sprinkling of youth. Pies fans will be keen to see Bobby Hill back fit and firing in 2026 and expect Beau McCreery to get more midfield exposure. The returns of those soldiers (however), might make it tough for the likes of Bruce Reville, Sam Marshall and Darcy Gardiner to keep their spots in Chris Fagan’s best side, despite being premiership players this year.
Suns list boss Craig Cameron was firm that A-League news young gun Humphrey was going nowhere — despite his desire to return to Victoria. The Suns secured a cheap deal for Western Bulldogs’ Jamarra Ugle-Hagan, essentially a free hit for the troubled forward. However, this is more likely to fill a rookie spot and will be addressed post-trade period. Dockers footy boss Joe Brierty said the club would look for a back-up ruckman to play behind Luke Jackson and Sean Darcy after Reidy’s departure. Keep an eye on Essendon’s draft hand from here (as the club is believed to be keen to move further up in the first round), with plans potentially extending beyond the trade period. They were keen to preserve their future draft assets to ensure they have their full suite of picks available to target players like Zak Butters and Ben King in 2026.
I know it’s hard — but players want their futures decided earlier than that. For Fremantle, I’d wait until the end of the year to make that offer. Collingwood has emerged as a likely destination, with reports suggesting the Magpies are prepared to offer a three-year deal worth up to $3 million. Tassie has that big sign-on bonus — so we’ll be keeping a close eye on that.
Jack Silvagni (his long-time teammate), will join him at Moorabbin, as reported by foxfooty.com.au. Star ruck Tom De Koning will sign an eight-year deal at the Saints — worth around $1.75m a season. A four-year deal is now on the table for him, making it increasingly likely he’ll remain a Saint until the end of 2029. Small forward (linked to a departure last year), now seems destined for a fresh start elsewhere, with Richmond one of multiple reported suitors. Richmond isn’t expected to be a major player in October — but it’s been consistently linked to out-of-favour Gold Coast livewire Malcolm Rosas Jnr.
Elliott — 33, was initially only offered a two-year deal by the Magpies, but journalist Tom Morris reports Collingwood have added dollars and a trigger for a third year to their contract presentation. Despite serious interest and a longer term deal — Jamie Elliott has turned down a move north to Gold Coast to stay at Collingwood. It’s understood the Suns are keen to acquire St Kilda’s pick no.7 in a trade for Flanders, which they would flip to Melbourne as part of a deal for Christian Petracca. The 32-year-old joins the Demons as an unrestricted free agent with reports suggesting the player has chosen Melbourne’s three-year deal over the Magpies’ two-year offer on less money. However, the response Butters received – in no uncertain terms – was he would need to stay at Port Adelaide for the duration of his contract, which expires at the end of 2026. Butters hails from Darley – a small western Victorian town around an hour away from Melbourne’s suburbs – and is keen to spend more time at his home while continuing his football career.
Gold Coast utility Connor Budarick has also been linked to the Lions, but it’s unclear who leads the race for his services. Deven Robertson remains out of contract and has been linked to the Eagles in recent years. Adam Saad wants to play on next year, but it’s unlikely to be at Carlton.
“Collingwood very much in the race for Lachie Neale, and their rivals expect they will eventually offer him a three-year deal. But as of this week it became clear she would be offered another deal at the Vixens,” Ralph wrote. “I think there’s strong word around (questions are being asked at other clubs. Lewis has mail that there’s now a live trade watch on English), who turns 29 in August, in a season knee and concussion setbacks have limited him to nine games for the 8-6 Dogs. Speaking on Fox Footy’s On the Couch on Monday night, Lewis revealed he’d be “surprised” if English was at Whitten Oval in 2027 and that rival clubs are circling the star ruckman. Plus Collingwood is closing in on Lachie Neale with a juicy front-ended offer.
But that seems highly unlikely, so there’s clearly a lot of water to go under the bridge still. On Sunday it emerged another Bomber (Jordan Ridley), is keen to move north due to Queensland links and frustration with how the club has handled his body. And the Lions are no different as their stars consider lucrative offers at rival clubs, with Brandon Starcevich and Callum Ah Chee both weighing up their options. And after missing out on Nasiah Wanganeen-Milera, could the Crows increase their offer to Ah Chee? Draper is from South Australia and would be the perfect long-term ruck for the Crows in a period they’re primed to contend for flags.
Adelaide could make a play for the 20-year-old this off-season, but it would be very surprising if the club did not offer him another contract. Hawthorn’s Henry Hustwaite (despite being contracted until the end of 2026), remains a player who would fit in well at the Bombers… A Will Setterfield-type player may be worth a look, and wouldn’t cost much in trade capital given he remains out-of-contract. A Will Setterfield-type player may be worth a look, and wouldn’t cost much in trade capital given he remains out-of-contract.
