Get all the latest news in the trade, free agency and draft landscape every week in Inside Trading, AFL.com.au's dedicated column for player movement. Find out the latest on contracts, deals, trades, draftees, rules, agents and who is going where from the AFL.com.au team. 

SUNS FREE AGENT SET TO STAY

GOLD Coast's restricted free agent Ben Ainsworth is expected to turn down interest from Essendon to stay at Gold Coast.

The 26-year-old, who has been weighing a five-year offer from the Bombers, is understood to be set to stick with the Suns.

Gold Coast has had a four-year offer for Ainsworth with a trigger for a fifth season on the table for him to remain at the club, where he was drafted with pick No.4 in the 2016 national draft. 

Ainsworth this week was ruled out for the rest of Gold Coast's season after suffering a shoulder injury in last week's win over Port Adelaide.

The 134-gamer has kicked 114 goals in his career so far at the Suns, with his forward prowess and running power important to Gold Coast's future plans.

The Gippsland Power product is one of four remaining restricted free agents on the market, with only North Melbourne's Cam Zurhaar, Geelong's Patrick Dangerfield and Bulldogs ruckman Tim English remaining. – Callum Twomey

WATCH ON PORT GUN

VICTORIAN clubs have a trade watch on Port Adelaide star Dan Houston, who is contracted to the Power for another three seasons.

Houston has strong personal ties in Victoria, where he was drafted from the Oakleigh Chargers in 2015, but is signed to the Power until the end of 2027.

The 27-year-old was last year named an All-Australian for the first time after a brilliant year with the Power and came third in the club's best and fairest.

He has played every game this season and last week gathered 34 disposals and nine rebound-50s against Gold Coast.

Melbourne has been linked among the clubs with interest in Houston, who clubs from Victoria have kept close tabs on through his career.

Houston has played 163 games for the Power and is in the club's leadership group. He signed an extension with the club at the start of 2022 which runs for three more seasons. – Callum Twomey

ASSISTANT COACH UNCERTAINTY

RICHMOND assistant coach David Teague's future at Punt Road is unclear as the Tigers head towards the end of their season.

The former Carlton head coach is out of contract at the Tigers having been alongside new coach Adem Yze in his first season at the helm.

Assistant coaches around the competition are reaching the point of the season where clubs give them indications on their futures, with significant change in the coaching ranks last off-season.

Teague joined Richmond at the end of 2021 after two and a half seasons as Carlton's senior coach, having taken on the role after a long apprenticeship as an assistant coach at four clubs.

Yze and Richmond added two assistants at the end of last season, with former Tigers skipper Chris Newman and ex-North Melbourne captain Jack Ziebell joining its coaching panel.

Clubs informally tend to give notice to assistant coaches by the start of August on their plans for the following season. – Callum Twomey

CLUBS HUNT GIANTS FREE AGENT

GREATER Western Sydney has tabled a long-term offer to gun free agent Isaac Cumming, who is weighing up his future amid significant rival interest.

It's understood Adelaide, Port Adelaide, Fremantle and Melbourne are all keen on Cumming, who is one of the hottest unrestricted free agents still available on the market.

Cumming, who has links to South Australia, had been holding off contract talks until he made his return from a series of niggling injuries earlier this year, with discussions now set to ramp up after a successful comeback in recent weeks.

The running half-back, who can also play on the wing, missed the opening portion of the campaign after injuring his calf. He then hurt his hamstring during his recovery, sidelining him until late June.

Port Adelaide – which is in the hunt for Cumming – is among the clubs also chasing his free agent Giants teammate Harry Perryman, with Hawthorn and Essendon others understood to have registered their interest in the defender.

However, the Giants have now upped their offer for Perryman to six years in an attempt to retain him, with a long-term deal also on the table for Cumming following his impressive return from injury in recent weeks.

Both Perryman and Cumming are unrestricted free agents, making them appealing options for rival clubs as the Giants cannot match any opposition bids for their signatures should they choose to leave.

Cumming, who spent close to five months on the sidelines, returned with 14 disposals and a goal against Adelaide last month. He then racked up 19 touches and two goals in an impressive display against Carlton a fortnight ago.

The 25-year-old is a graduate of the Giants Academy and has played 78 games for the club. – Riley Beveridge

CATS HOPEFUL OF ADDING ANOTHER IRISHMAN

GEELONG is in talks to add another talented Irish product to its list, with the club progressing in a move for Kerry star Cillian Burke.

The athletic Irish prospect is renowned as one of Gaelic football's brightest young talents, with the Cats hopeful of tying up a deal for the 22-year-old.

Burke's Gaelic commitments came to an end last weekend, when his Kerry team was defeated by Armagh in the All-Ireland semi-final. But he played a starring role in the side's successful season, recognised as being one of Kerry's best players in its quarter-final victory over Derry.

Kerry's recent exit from the competition will mean that discussions between Geelong and Burke can ramp up, with the 2022 premier hoping to conclude a deal that will see yet another talented Irish prospect land at GMHBA Stadium.

Geelong already has Zach Tuohy (Laois), Mark O'Connor (Kerry) and Oisin Mullin (Mayo) on its list, while it has previously secured deals for Padraig Lucey (Killarney) and Stefan Okunbor (Kerry).

The club's signing of Mullin ahead of the 2023 season sent shockwaves through Ireland, with the 182cm prospect considered one of the country's best Gaelic players at the time of his departure.

Clubs have invested significant resources into recruiting in Ireland post-Covid with Carlton (Matt Duffy and Rob Monahan), St Kilda (Liam O'Connell) and Adelaide (Karl Gallagher) all signing Irish talents since the start of last season. – Riley Beveridge

ROO RECRUIT EARNS ANOTHER YEAR

MATURE-AGE recruit Toby Pink has triggered an extension at North Melbourne for 2025.

The 25-year-old arrived at Arden Street as a delisted free agent last October after earning a second chance in the AFL, following a dominant season for Glenelg in the SANFL. 

Pink made his debut against Greater Western Sydney in round one, seven years after being drafted by Sydney – where he spent three seasons on the rookie list without playing a senior game – and is now up to 12 appearances.

The South Australian joined the Kangaroos on a one-year deal but has now hit a trigger for a second season. 

Pink was signed to bolster a backline that lost Ben McKay to free agency and Griffin Logue to a long-term knee injury last year. 

But after starting in defence, Alastair Clarkson has used Pink at the other end of the ground in recent weeks – the position Sydney drafted him as back in 2016 – and he kicked two goals against the Swans on Saturday. – Josh Gabelich

SMITH TO GET VFL TASTE

TOP DRAFT prospect Jagga Smith will play for Richmond's VFL side over the next month after a stellar under-18 campaign for Vic Metro.

Smith was named skipper of the All-Australian team after captaining Vic Metro to its title win and has averaged 35 disposals for the Oakleigh Chargers this season.

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The 18-year-old finished year 12 at Scotch College last year so is able to play for the Tigers' VFL side for a block of time in coming weeks in a measure to help prepare him for the step up to AFL level.

He is expected to play with the Tigers' VFL side for three games over the next block and then return to the Chargers' side late in the year. 

Smith is a local to the Tigers, playing at the Richmond Junior Football Club as a youngster, and clubs see him as a top-10 selection among an even top group. – Callum Twomey

DOGS MID ON RADAR

PORT Adelaide and West Coast both have interest in out-of-contract Western Bulldogs midfielder Riley Garcia. 

The 23-year-old is yet to secure an extension at the Whitten Oval, but a handful of rivals across the country are monitoring the West Australian. 

Garcia has played nine senior games this year around seven VFL games, overcoming the injury issues that limited him across the past few years. 

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Opportunities have been hard to secure in the Bulldogs' midfield, despite dominant form in the VFL. 

Garcia collected 34 disposals, 17 tackles, 10 clearances and two goals against a strong Carlton reserves side on Sunday after being the unused sub the day before and has averaged 32 disposals and eight clearances for Footscray this year.

The Swan Districts product collected 23 touches and 11 contested possessions in his most recent AFL appearance against Brisbane in round 13, but was squeezed out of the 23. 

Garcia was selected with pick No.62 in the 2019 AFL Draft, months after rupturing his ACL in the final game of Western Australia's under-18 championship, ruling him out of most of his debut season. – Josh Gabelich

EX-GIANT, SUN ENTERS PLAYER MANAGEMENT

FORMER Greater Western Sydney and Gold Coast player Jake Stein has entered the player management world.

Stein, who played 20 games for the Giants before spending last year at the Suns, where he played in the club's VFL Grand Final win, recently undertook at the agents accreditation course ran by the AFL Players' Association.

Having passed it successfully, Stein is now looking at joining the player management ranks, having last week been among those watching on at the under-16 championships on the Gold Coast, where he is based.  

Stein joined the Giants as a category B rookie having represented Australia at the 2014 Commonwealth Games as a decathlete and is taking influence from his different fields into his player management as he completes a sports management diploma this year. 

"I wanted to stay involved in sport and I was able to have really good management and see that in athletics as well in an individual sport," Stein told AFL.com.au.

"I slowly ticked off some things while at the Giants and I've always been intrigued by it. I found this as a good way to be involved in sport and help. Professional sport can't go on forever and I had some good help at the Giants, Suns and with the AFLPA for the next step." – Callum Twomey