THE 2024 AFL season is well past the halfway point, which means the annual player movement period is drawing closer and closer.
The 2024 Trade Period will run from October 7 to 16, while the free agency window will be open from October 4 (the Friday after the Grand Final) and run until October 11.
In this week's episode of Gettable, AFL.com.au's Cal Twomey and Riley Beveridge took a closer look at the clubs that are set to be the most active this year.
>>> Watch Gettable below to see Cal and Riley go deeper on the seven clubs set to shake-up the trade period this year
We know about Adelaide's on-field struggles this year, and we also know they're going to be busy because there's been plenty of players linked to them throughout the year. There's been links to Harry Perryman, although as reported on Gettable, Port Adelaide, Hawthorn and Essendon are also involved in that chase for him. They were right into Harrison Petty last year and while he's contracted for another year at Melbourne, we can expect the Crows to go for him again. They've also been linked with big-money offers to a handful of players who have instead re-signed or look set to do so - Errol Gulden and Will Hayward at Sydney and Hugh McCluggage at Brisbane. We can also expect the Crows to chase ruck depth with the question marks lingering over Reilly O'Brien, but potential option Ned Moyle is set to stay at Gold Coast.
The Dockers are dangerous, active and cashed up. They currently have three first-round picks - their own, one tied to Collingwood and one tried to Port Adelaide - and they are right into Liam Baker, who they have put a five-year deal in front of. There's also interest in Shai Bolton, but it feels unlikely the Tigers would let him go with four years left to run. The Logan McDonald option is still a live one; he's out of contract and it looks like the Dockers are best placed to land him if he departs Sydney. The Dockers could also bundle up their picks and go higher up the draft, or they could just keep their picks in what is a pretty handy draft group. They're going to be really, really busy.
Geelong is a little bit of an outlier because they were very quiet last year and didn't get a lot done, apart Esava Ratugolea moving to Port Adelaide. But they're absolutely in the market for Bailey Smith, as reported on Gettable, who looks most likely to land at either the Cats or the Hawks. The Cats are pursuing midfielders and it's clearly an area they need to bolster when you look at their list build over the next couple of years. Do they chase Clayton Oliver given the long-term deal ahead of him at Melbourne? It'd obviously take a trade to make that happen. But there's a strong financial element to what they can do and Tyson Stengle's decision will shape things as well.
Gold Coast has three first round picks this year - their own, one tied to the Bulldogs and an end of first-rounder - as a result of their work in the trade period last year. Academy product Leo Lombard has impressed at U18 level this year so the Suns may try and get ahead of the bid for him, which is getting higher and higher as the season goes on. Do they try and package up their picks to get ahead of it, or do they use their picks to bring some talent in? They have been linked to Daniel Rioli, who could be the perfect option as they look to add some speed to their back line. Rioli is still contracted at Richmond, but the Tigers could decide it's the time to cash in if the Suns offer up some high draft picks. There's also plenty of interest at other clubs in Jack Lukosius, who is contracted until the end of 2026, while free agent Ben Ainsworth has attracted plenty of interest as well, as reported on Gettable.
The Hawks are a much more appealing destination than they were this time last year because of the form they're in. Josh Battle has suitors left, right and centre and as an unrestricted free agent, he would be a great option for the Hawks after they missed out on Ben McKay and Esava Ratugolea last year. They're right into Battle, and Harry Perryman from the Giants as well, who is an unrestricted free agent. They'd like to protect their draft pick if possible, but the pick is on the table and that's where Bailey Smith comes in, with the Cats and Hawks leading the way for him. The Hawks have plenty of money to throw around so they're set to be very active.
The Kangaroos are chasing experience, particularly in midfield, so could take a look at the likes of Callan Ward, Travis Boak or Seb Ross, who are uncontracted at their respective clubs at the moment. But expect them to chase experience across all three lines, not just the midfield. They also have the No.1 pick right now, although they could end up with No.2 or No.3 if they keep up their current form. They've taken 10 first-round picks over the past four years so they could look to split the pick and trade down given it's a very even draft field this year.
The question for Richmond is how they can generate more early picks. We know the phase of the list build they're in and while their youngsters have shown some good signs this year, it's about how can they generate more picks. The likes of Liam Baker and Daniel Rioli have been linked with moves elsewhere and they've also got a handful of experienced players out of contract, including the likes of Dustin Martin, Dion Prestia and Dylan Grimes. Jack Graham is another avenue for them; they haven't started negotiations or offered him a contract and he's a free agent at the end of the season. West Coast are keen and the two South Australian clubs could tempt him with a move him, remembering he toured the Port Adelaide facilitates in 2022 before staying at Punt Rd.