Moneyball: The Latest Contract Updates And Trade News In The AFL
With a high draft pick and room under the salary cap, Hawthorn is prepared to move quickly through the rebuilding process. But after losing out on Liam Henry, where will it direct its attention? Here you may read up on the most recent business news.
In contrast to Port Adelaide's presentation, which focused mostly on football, Sydney's pitch to Brodie Grundy on the work-life balance and lifestyle options available to him in the Harbor City proved more persuasive.
According to a report that was published in the Herald Sun on Saturday, Sydney believes that it has secured the promise from Grundy as long as a deal can be negotiated with Melbourne.
The Power entered the match as the prohibitive favorite and made an alluring offer to the South Australian side, led by head coach Ken Hinkley and featuring promising young midfielders Connor Rozee and Zak Butters.
But despite the compelling presentation, in which it was discussed how he could make the most of his talents as a football player, Sydney decided to go in a different direction.
In the same way that the thought of escaping the "footy bubble" and being closer to his partner Jesinta enticed Lance Franklin to move to the north, Grundy is interested in the lifestyle that can be found in Sydney.
Sydney told him that she would be able to have a life outside of football and that her partner Rachel would be able to shift her career as a physiotherapist, which would allow her to work in intensive care and emergency departments.
He has never desired to immerse himself in the game to the extent that it consumes his life, and after two huge seasons of notoriety, going somewhere like Sydney is the ideal medicine for him.
The Swans have a promising young ruckman in Lachlan McAndrew, who will be under contract for the following season; but, when combined with Grundy and forward-ruck Peter Ladhams, they have the perfect ruck battery.
Given that Melbourne won't transfer Grundy unless they have a replacement ruckman for Max Gawn, the question that has to be answered is: who does Melbourne turn to as a substitute if Grundy makes a trade request?
NEW FAVOURITE FOR MCKAY?
Essendon has emerged as a leading contender for Dons free agent Ben McKay, despite Sydney being the heavy favorites to sign Brodie Grundy.
Essendon has made its interest known and is the clear favorite for his services, despite the fact that Sydney had pushed hard and submitted a solid financial offer.
McKay now has three solid deals, including one with Hawthorn, that would guarantee North Melbourne the third overall pick in the draft as a result of North Melbourne receiving first-round compensation.
The length of the contracts, however, is unknown; it could be three years or five.
First-round compensation probably requires a three-year contract worth more than $750,000.
The teams may need to commit to more than three seasons of service, though, due to the intensity of the competition.
Given that McKay started the year in very average shape after suffering a bone stress fracture, this is a striking statement about the strength of free agents and important defenders.
Now, he is being courted by three different teams and may sign a long-term deal worth $4 million.
NEXT YEAR MASSIVE FOR RIOLI
Maurice Rioli, a small forward for Richmond, has committed to putting in a significant amount of work over the off-season in order to give himself the best possible chance of playing regular football following a below average third season.
Rioli's second season saw him kick 14.7 goals in 15 matches, but this year he was only able to score 2.5 goals in 10 games and was frequently utilised as a starting substitute or taken out of the game in the middle of it.
It is well known that he did not answer the phone when assistant coach Xavier Clarke called, although he did eventually accept being substituted out against West Coast.
Both times he has returned from his off-season holidays, he has been required to play catch-up, but he has resolved to have a better off-season break while he is working on a fitness routine.
Since Rioli is obligated to remain with the Tigers through the end of the following season, he must strive to achieve victory in each of his posts.
Richmond has searched the market extensively for another key forward, but the club is not yet prepared to make a large financial offer in order to pry a second-string forward away from one of the other clubs.
Because of this, the Tigers will be pleading with their star forward, Tom Lynch, to come back after undergoing two surgeries to repair a metatarsal fracture in his foot. They want him to be able to play for the rest of the season.
After giving Noah Balta a shot in the offense during the latter part of the season, the Tigers will be open to the idea of playing him forward again.
Josh Gibcus, whom the club selected in the top 10 of the 2022 draft, is another player who might be evaluated in an attacking role.
Jacob Bauer, who played four games as a forward toward the end of the season, will receive more opportunities, as will the pair of Judson Clark and Noah Cumberland, who play in the middle position.
SUITE OF SUNS ACADEMY SELECTIONS INCOMING
It's possible that Gold Coast's four players selected in the top 30 will surpass Sydney's incredible one-draft academy haul of Braeden Campbell and Errol Gulden.
The likes of ruckman Ethan Read and 172cm mid Jake Rogers, as well as potential No. 2 choice Jed Walter, are well-known in the football community.
Teams from other leagues have taken notice of 186cm midfielder Will Graham and are expected to make offers in the top 30.
Since the Suns need to draft four guys, Dustin Martin isn't appealing to them for that reason alone.
But as of last week's announcement, the Dogs are in prime position to win the Suns' pick 4 in exchange for picks 10 and 17.
After securing their quartet of youngsters, the Suns would try to on-trade pick 10 to a competitor for further draft points.
Potentially increasing its value to 3000 points, the No. 4 overall choice is now worth roughly 2000 trade points.
HAWKS STILL SEARCHING FOR TRADE TARGET
After losing out to St. Kilda on Liam Henry this week, Hawthorn will revert to its policy of drafting players and will be hoping that Ben McKay will choose them as his free agency destination.
Henry's camp at Fremantle notified the Hawks that, despite their great presentation, the winger would prefer to transfer to the Saints this weekend. This news came as a surprise to the Hawks.
Henry and McKay are the only players the Hawks have their sights set on during the trade period, and they are certain that they have no interest in Carlton's Zac Fisher.
They are in severe need of another ready-made key position back given that Denver Grainger-Barras, a top 10 pick, has not performed to the level that was anticipated.
Because of the Eagles' interest in the local defensive back, Washington State kid Daniel Curtin might already be off the board by the time the Hawks select their No. 3 choice.
Will McCabe is a dynamic and athletic 198-centimeter key defender, and he has the potential to go in the top 20. However, it will take him some time to make an impression at the AFL level.
After making his decision to move back to the United States, the Hawks still need to work out a deal for Tyler Brockman, who is likely to choose the West Coast as his desired trade destination.
JONES KEEN TO STAY A SAINT
Zak Jones, who plays for St. Kilda, anticipates finding out his future in the coming days as coach Ross Lyon and his teammates sort through the club's 2023 season, but he is adamant that he wants to continue at Moorabbin.
Jones, who is now 28 years old, suffered an injury-plagued season that resulted in him playing in only four matches, bringing the total number of games he has played in his career to 136. Jones is optimistic about the upcoming season.
It is anticipated that a decision will be made very soon on whether or not he will be included in the Saints' plans for the year 2024. He is now an unrestricted free agent.
Jones put in a lot of effort to get back into the Saints' lineup leading up to the finals. He played in a VFL scratch match against Collingwood last Saturday, only a few hours before St. Kilda's season was eliminated by a loss to Greater Western Sydney. Jones was determined to get back into the Saints' lineup.
He continues to be one of the Saints' most well-liked players, and he is confident that he will be able to return to his previous level of play if the Saints extend him a new contract.
ARE DONS SITTING PRETTY WITH NEW DEALS?
Clubs like Essendon, which often refuse to incorporate a percentage of any new pay boost in contracts, may find themselves in a favorable position as the AFL's compensation deal nears completion.
By 2027, each athlete will have signed a contract worth an average of $600,000; however, these figures may vary widely.
Some teams merely provide fixed salaries without taking future salary increases into account, while others keep the first 3-5% of annual salary increases.
Some AFL players have enough clout to demand a 15 percent raise in their pay every year that the league average increases.
New Dons CEO Craig Vozzo is fully on board with the policy that has seen several recent Essendon transactions not include that increase.
The new salary number will be included in many of the deals the Dons negotiate, but it will give them some breathing room in the cap situation for the time being.
On Monday, the Dons were listed as a prospective suitor for Jade Gresham, and they have more than $2 million in cap space. They are using this money to make offers to players like Ben McKay.
LIST SPOT SQUEEZE
AFL list executives and player managers have blamed the list bottleneck on the disproportionate number of players over the age of 30 currently on active rosters.
Many teams are advising player agents and managers that they cannot take on any more players because they are at capacity.
In order to save money, the AFL reduced list sizes by half in COVID and has not since grown.
There are 106 players in the competition who are at least 30 years old and are competing this year. Clubs that used to kick out the majority of players over 30 are now allowing those veterans to continue playing.
Before moving on to the next level of rookies, certain teams may only select one or two freshmen in the national draft.
It means that under-18s who have their sights set on playing in the AFL will be disappointed, and that contractual players like Lochie O'Brien and Brandan Parfitt, who had planned to go on, won't be able to find new homes just yet.