CLUBS are not expected to be overly active in this year's free agency period with many already targeting 2014 and 2015's prospective free agents, football industry sources say.

 

A leading player manager told AFL.com.au he expected most of this year's free agency deals to involve low-profile players, with many clubs having identified the 2014 and 2015 free agency pools as stronger.

 

"I think the real story about free agency this year is that clubs are already looking at the 2014 and 2015 pools and starting to try to make room for some of those guys," he said.

 

"There's a real belief that the 2014 and 2015 free agency classes will be pretty good, certainly stronger than this year's group, and clubs are already preparing themselves for that."

 

The players set to become free agents next year include Carlton's Bryce Gibbs and Andrew Walker, Collingwood's Dane Swan, Fremantle's David Mundy, Melbourne's James Frawley, North Melbourne's Todd Goldstein, West Coast's Shannon Hurn and Western Bulldogs Shaun Higgins and Will Minson.

 

The 2015 free agency class at this stage includes Adelaide stars Patrick Dangerfield and Taylor Walker, Carlton's Matthew Kreuzer, Collingwood's Dayne Beams, Geelong's Tom Hawkins, Hawthorn's Grant Birchall, St Kilda's Ben McEvoy, West Coast's Scott Selwood and Western Bulldog Ryan Griffen.

 

It is not unprecedented for clubs to target opposition players well before they come out of contract. Gold Coast and Greater Western Sydney are widely believed to have respectively approached Gary Ablett and Tom Scully a year before officially signing them.

 

Another player agent agreed the 2013 free agency group was not as strong as 2014 and 2015's, adding that many of this year's remaining free agents were widely expected to re-sign with their existing clubs or retire.

 

One player whose future is still up in the air is this year's biggest name free agent, Lance Franklin, who has put off discussions with Hawthorn until the end of the season. The futures of Collingwood's Dale Thomas, Melbourne's Colin Sylvia and Western Bulldog Adam Cooney are also yet to be resolved.

 

But other 2013 free agents like Collingwood captain Nick Maxwell, Adelaide midfielder Scott Thompson and Carlton small forward Eddie Betts are expected to stay put.

 

But as attractive as the prospective 2014 and 2015 free agency groups look now, several club list managers said those players' existing clubs would be working hard to re-sign them well before they become free agents.

 

Alternatively, a number of sources predicted more clubs would consider trading players a year before they become free agents in an attempt to get better compensation.

 

Clubs that lost free agents last year received substantially less compensation than clubs that previously lost uncontracted players to expansion clubs Gold Coast and Greater Western Sydney.

Some clubs and player managers argue free agency compensation should be scrapped altogether.

 

A list manager said Brian Lake's trade to Hawthorn last year was a good example of the trades that free agency could pre-empt.

 

Lake was contracted to the Western Bulldogs to the end of 2013 and would been among this year's group of free agents had he stayed.

 

"You suspect the Bulldogs were mindful last year that if they hung on to Lake he could have left as a free agent this year," the list manager said.

 

"But trading him a year early worked well for both sides. The club got a better draft pick than they would have under free agency and Lake got a fresh start at a club in premiership contention."

 

 

Ash McGrath

 

Bryce Gibbs, Kade Simpson, Jarrad Waite, Andrew Walker

 

Harry O'Brien, Ben Reid, Dane Swan

 

Heath Hocking, Leroy Jetta

 

Garrick Ibbotson, David Mundy, Luke McPharlin, Matthew Pavlich, Aaron Sandilands

 

Steve Johnson, James Kelly, Trent West

 

Luke Hodge, Sam Mitchell

 

James Frawley

 

North Melbourne

Todd Goldstein, Lachie Hansen, Lindsay Thomas

 

Travis Boak

 

Sam Fisher, James Gwilt, Leigh Montagna, Nick Riewoldt

 

Adam Goodes, Ryan O'Keefe, Nick Malceski, Ted Richards

 

Shannon Hurn, Daniel Kerr, Matt Priddis

 

Matthew Boyd, Shaun Higgins, Will Minson, Robert Murphy, Tom Williams