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.
SAINTS FORWARD SET FOR NEW DEAL
ST KILDA forward Dan Butler is set to extend his stay at the club, with a new two-year deal in the works.
Butler, a premiership player with Richmond in 2017, is among the group of Saints who are out of contract at the end of this season.
He has played 12 games this year after an injury interrupted first half of the season, with his pace and pressure important for the Saints' attacking mix.
Butler was a late draft selection for the Tigers and kicked 30 goals in their 2017 flag season, including one in the Grand Final win over Adelaide, but left the club two years later at the end of 2019.
He booted 29 goals in his first season with the Saints as they returned to the finals.
A two-year extension would take the 28-year-old through to the end of 2026. – Callum Twomey
DION TO GO ON, YOUNGSTER SET FOR EXTENSION
RICHMOND has a number of decisions to make on its senior players at the end of the season but Dion Prestia looks set to play on in 2025.
The Tigers are facing a fascinating off-season, with out-of-contract gun Liam Baker expected to move west and Daniel Rioli (Gold Coast) and Shai Bolton (Fremantle) also attracting significant interest.
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Champion Tiger Dustin Martin has been weighing interest from the Suns, while former co-captain Dylan Grimes is expected to retire after back surgery ruled him out for the rest of the season. Dual premiership wingman Kamdyn McIntosh also remains out of contract.
Prestia is out of contract at the end of the season but is understood to be keen to go on next year, with an extension for 2025 in progress.
The 31-year-old former Suns midfielder has again had soft-tissue concerns this year but has returned for the Tigers' past three games and performed well in adding more experience to the club's younger core.
Prestia's move from Gold Coast to Richmond at the end of the 2016 season has been one of the best trades of the past decade, with him going on to feature in all three of the Tigers' flag wins.
Meanwhile, Tigers youngster Jack Ross is set to pen a two-year extension. Ross was due to come out of contract at the end of this season but a new deal would take him through to the end of 2026.
He has played five senior games this season for a total of 68 since being picked at the 2018 draft. – Callum Twomey, Riley Beveridge
BOMBERS' CONTRACT CRUNCH LOOMS
ESSENDON is in negotiations on a contract extension for Matt Guelfi as a host of out-of-contract Bombers face a crunch end to the season.
Guelfi sits alongside Jade Gresham as the Bombers' most productive small forwards this year in front of goal, having kicked 15 majors. He has played 12 games after a calf injury earlier in the year and a hamstring strain he picked up against the Crows two weeks ago.
The 26-year-old last signed a two-year deal at the back end of 2022 and the club has been in discussions on an extension, with Guelfi also playing pivotal defensive roles on the likes of James Sicily, Lachie Whitfield and Jeremy McGovern in three of the Bombers first-half-of-the-season wins.
He is among 14 out-of-contract Bombers without deals for 2025 as the club's finals hopes drop with three consecutive defeats, with emerging gun midfielder Jye Caldwell not yet signed although expected to pen a four-year deal.
There has been no movement on Jake Stringer's contract talks, while veterans Dyson Heppell and Todd Goldstein are also out of contract. Jake Kelly, Nick Hind, Will Setterfield, Tex Wanganeen, Jayden Davey, Kaine Baldwin and Saad El-Hawli are also without deals beyond 2024. – Callum Twomey
DOCKER REWARDED FOR FORM
COREY Wagner will remain at Fremantle for at least two more seasons after securing a contract extension this month.
The 27-year-old has resurrected his AFL career at the Dockers and is now contracted in Perth until the end of 2026.
Wagner has played the past six games for Justin Longmuir's side and eight since returning in round 11, which has followed a calf injury at the start of the year, for a total of 17 across his first two seasons at Fremantle.
The Queenslander earned another chance at Fremantle via pick No.57 in the 2022 AFL Draft after playing eight games for North Melbourne between 2016 and 2017 and then 11 for Melbourne across 2019 and 2020.
Wagner has twice gone back to the VFL in a bid to get back into the system, firstly with Casey before landing at the Demons via the pre-season supplemental selection period, before the Dockers plucked the defender from Port Melbourne.
Now the Aspley product has his future secured for a couple more years. – Josh Gabelich
CROW CONSIDERS OFFER
ADELAIDE has offered Sam Berry a new contract after the youngster's run of games back in the senior team.
Berry has been keen to wait until the end of the year before making a call on his future, but the Crows have tabled a deal to retain the Victorian, who has played 14 games this year.
The 22-year-old, who was the AFL's best tackler in 2022 with a total of 173 to be ranked elite in the category, played four games last year but has broken back into the team this year, including recently gathering 21 disposals and nine tackles in the Crows' win over Greater Western Sydney.
The No.28 pick at the 2020 draft has played a total of 53 games, with his manager Tom Seccull from Hemisphere Management Group recently telling Gettable that Berry was likely to wait it out before making a call on his future.
"This year, we'd said from the start that Sam was probably just going to play the year and see how it goes and where he fits in and everything. That hasn't changed," Seccull said last month.
"We've been in constant dialogue with [Adelaide list manager] Justin Reid going through where he sits. They're really happy with how he's progressing and can see a future there. It's just a matter of timing for Sam. We'll go through that a bit later on." – Callum Twomey
DOG DRAFTEE EXTENDS
WESTERN Bulldogs draftee Joel Freijah has been rewarded with an early contract extension after a strong start to his AFL career.
The 18-year-old will now remain at the Whitten Oval until at least the end of 2026 after adding a third season to the two-year contract he signed when he was drafted last November.
Freijah made his debut against Richmond in round nine and played 10 straight games of senior football before being managed for the trip to Sydney last weekend.
The Bulldogs selected the Horsham product with pick No.45 in last year's AFL Draft, following a strong draft year for GWV Rebels, which culminated in selection in the Coates Talent League team of the year.
Under the new collective bargaining agreement, players selected inside the first 20 sign mandatory three-year deals. Those picked beyond receive two-year contracts. The third season is on a set base, plus bonuses based on games played and achievements across the player's first two seasons. – Josh Gabelich
FIRST DEVILS ON SHOW
THE FIRST view of the initial draft pool Tasmania will get access to has seen recruiters watching the under-15s schoolboys competition over the past week, with a number of father-son talents already on the radar.
The under-15s prospects played in Queensland and are the draft class eligible to be picked at the 2027 draft which is expected to see Tasmania hold a grip on the top end of the draft, ahead of its anticipated entrance into the AFL in 2028.
Clubs are still waiting for full clarity on the Tasmania list build rules that will come into effect, but there is certainty that if the club enters in 2028 then the 2027 draft class will be strongly divided by picks to be used by the Devils and others that will come with caveats they need to be traded for readymade players.
The AFL is yet to confirm whether Tasmania will have access to a 17-year-old 'mini draft' like Greater Western Sydney in its inception, which would take some players out of the pool or their pre-list access, which both the Giants and Gold Coast had that allowed them to sign players before they hit their draft age. Whether that could include any access to a select group of players from the under-16s carnival this year is also to be worked through.
A standout talent at the under-15s was Western Australian Axel Walsh, a 200cm East Perth teenager.
Louis Salopek, the son of former Port Adelaide midfielder Steven, impressed scouts and is eligible to join the Power under the father-son rule, as are Koby Bewick (son of Essendon's Darren) and Nate Mensch (son of Geelong's David) to their dads' respective clubs in 2027.
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David Rodan's son Tevita also impressed, with Port Adelaide the only club of Rodan senior's three AFL homes where he played more than 100 games to qualify for father-son access. Tasmania's Jake Beams, the son of former Demon Ben Beams, caught the eye for his state during the under-15s. – Callum Twomey
DRAFTEE GETS VFL TASTE
DRAFT prospect Jobe Shanahan will get a chance to show his key position talents when he plays for Essendon's VFL side over the next two weeks.
Shanahan, who was named an All-Australian key forward after his under-18 carnival for the Allies, will debut for the Bombers' VFL team on Saturday against the Northern Bullants.
The versatile and skilful 194cm prospect also trained with the Bombers during the pre-season as part of his Marsh AFL Academy program.
The Bendigo Pioneers prospect played with the Allies during the under-18 championships given he is part of the Moama region.
His fellow Pios' prospect James Barrat made his debut for the Bombers' VFL side last week, having 10 disposals. – Callum Twomey
SWANS TO SIT ON FIRST-ROUND PICKS
SYDNEY has discussed whether it could look to shift its dual first-round draft picks at the end of the year, but the club remains some way from a final call on how it will play the situation.
The Swans are one of just three clubs to hold multiple first-round picks following last year's trade and draft period, though the selections are currently due to fall at picks No.18 and 19 due to the side's impressive ladder position.
Sydney still holds its own first-round pick, while it also collected the first of North Melbourne's two end-of-first-round selections courtesy of last year's trade that saw Dylan Stephens land at Arden Street.
However, the club's long-time national recruiting manager Kinnear Beatson said a decision wouldn't yet be made on whether the Swans would try to package those picks and move higher up the order or sit and wait until draft night.
"We've had some initial discussions about that, but not in a great amount of detail yet," Beatson told AFL.com.au's trade and draft show Gettable last week.
"There's still quite a bit of information to come in. We've only just started crunching what the psych profiles look like, we've got the full medical reports that will come in during the Draft Combine, we're crunching all of the GPS stuff, we're well advanced in our interviews and things like that.
"We wouldn't dismiss bundling them up and coming forward, or we might just sit and look at the pool and say that it looks pretty healthy. But things can change very much on the night anyway now and in the lead-up to the draft, with trading and those things." – Riley Beveridge
NO.1 CONTENDER PAST INJURY SETBACKS
TOP DRAFT talent Finn O'Sullivan has put an injury-hit first half of the season behind him and is keen to show his best as the end of the under-18 campaign draws near.
O'Sullivan was a bottom-aged All-Australian last year after an impressive national championships for Vic Country and strong form with the Oakleigh Chargers, but a thumb injury then finger injury, which required surgery, has led to an interrupted draft season.
The 18-year-old returned for the final two games of Vic Country's championships and is still wearing a brace on his finger for protection, but the midfielder feels he is getting closer to his better form.
"I've still got the finger brace on mainly for protection," he said on Gettable.
"The fingers are going well and I'm working hard to get them back to where I want them to be where I'm hopefully playing my best footy and taking grabs.
"My marking is hopefully something that sets me apart and my competitive nature. There's always a feeling within me that there's a chance to win and I can get the ball, so competitiveness is there and also my evasiveness (is a strength)."
O'Sullivan said getting experience last year had given him some confidence around his draft stocks, with clubs having him among the No.1 pick contenders. If he was to be top pick, he would follow his second cousin, Carlton's Sam Walsh, to the mantle.
Walsh and fellow Koroit product Willem Drew are two players O'Sullivan tries to mould his game on.
"There's definitely some players who I look at who are great role models for me and I think of Willem Drew at Port Adelaide. He's a Koroit boy where I'm from so his competitive nature and unselfishness is next level and that's something I try to bring to my game," he said.
"And also Sam Walsh. He's so unselfish, does the little things right, so those two are both people I look up to." – Callum Twomey
GIANT HOPING TO SEAL HIS SPOT
GREATER Western Sydney midfielder James Peatling is hoping to entrench himself in the side's finals plans before looking further into a contract offer tabled by the club.
The uncontracted Pealing has been offered a new deal to remain at the Giants beyond 2024, though has attracted interest from elsewhere amid a season where he's struggled to lock away a consistent spot in coach Adam Kingsley's side.
Peatling has played 13 of 19 games this year, but has started seven as the tactical substitute, enjoying his best performance of the season from the outset in the team's thrilling win over Melbourne on Saturday night.
Playing through the midfield in the absence of star duo Josh Kelly and Stephen Coniglio, the 23-year-old had 28 disposals, 18 contested possessions, eight clearances and 11 tackles against the Demons.
"I'm pretty confident (of staying at the Giants), but we'll see what happens," Peatling told AFL.com.au this week.
"At the moment, I've got more important things to think about. I'm trying to keep myself in the team and string a few games together. Personally, for me, that's where I'm looking at the minute.
"I really want to build and try and hold my spot, because it's been something that I haven't been able to do this year. Depending on how everything goes, things will happen on the back of that. For me, it's just about trying to keep playing every week."
Peatling was a mid-season recruit for the Giants in 2021, having initially been overlooked in his draft year despite graduating from the club's Northern Academy system. – Riley Beveridge
