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.
GIANTS KICK OFF PRE-AGENT TALKS
GREATER Western Sydney has started discussions on an extension for Brent Daniels as the Giants look to lock in their group of guns coming out of contract in 2025.
Daniels will be a free agent next year as he enters his eighth season at the club and the Giants have begun talks on his next deal as they aim to get him signed on whilst a pre-agent.
The club did the same earlier this year with Sam Taylor, who was also due to hit free agency next year but inked a seven-year deal with the club in June that ties him to the Giants until the end of 2032.
The Giants will be pushing to add Daniels, as well as Finn Callaghan and Toby Bedford, to their list of sign-ons this year, with Callaghan and Bedford also out of contract at the end of 2025.
The decisions of unrestricted free agents Harry Perryman and Isaac Cumming will shape the club's off-season, with Port Adelaide and Hawthorn strongly pursuing Perryman, with the Giants also tabling a six-year offer to Perryman.
Cumming has a four-year offer from the Giants to stay at the club but, as reported on AFL.com.au, has Adelaide and the Power also chasing him as he decides on his future. – Callum Twomey
DOES DARLING END ELSEWHERE?
WEST Coast veteran Jack Darling is expected to garner rival interest as clubs look at the experienced key forward market for him to end his career at a second club.
Darling returned to form last week in one of the best games he has played in recent years, having 22 disposals, nine marks and kicking a goal in the Eagles' win over Gold Coast.
The 32-year-old has a year to run on his contract with the Eagles but could look at rival options.
He was omitted from the Eagles' line-up for the first time in his career after their loss to Melbourne in round 17 and played two games in the WAFL before earning a recall.
The 2018 premiership player has played 295 games with the Eagles but clubs are considering the 32-year-old as a ready-to-play option in a key forward market that is difficult to attract gold plated moves.
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Adelaide veteran and former skipper Taylor Walker is another experienced key forward option who has attracted rival interest whilst being out of contract.
Meanwhile, the Eagles are in talks for a contract extension for improved defender Brady Hough. Hough has played every game this season and been a consistent member of the Eagles' back half.
He is already contracted to the end of 2025 but discussions are underway for an extension. – Callum Twomey
BOMBERS' LIST SHUFFLE
ESSENDON has shuffled its list management duties, with Matt Rosa to take on contracting whilst list boss Adrian Dodoro is on leave.
Dodoro is on a period of leave from the Bombers and during that time Rosa, who joined the club last year, will do more of the contracting.
The Bombers have 14 players who remain unsigned beyond 2024, including Jake Stringer, Jye Caldwell, Matt Guelfi, Nick Hind and Will Setterfield.
Veterans Dyson Heppell and Todd Goldstein are also out of contract as the end of the home and away season draws near.
Former Eagles and Suns player Rosa has been focusing on the under-18 draft landscape since arriving at the Bombers, who announced in September last year a transition process in its list management team.
Since then, the club also appointed former West Coast list boss Rohan O'Brien as a member of its recruiting division. – Callum Twomey
FLAG PIE TO GO ON
VERSATILE premiership Pie Will Hoskin-Elliott will be rewarded with another contract at Collingwood.
The Magpies are currently completing an extension for 2025 with the 30-year-old.
Hoskin-Elliott has been a permanent fixture at Collingwood since moving from Greater Western Sydney at the end of 2017, playing 169 games across eight seasons.
The Victorian is one of the most underrated players at the AIA Centre, playing a variety of roles under Craig McRae, including a starring performance in attack in last Saturday night's win over Carlton.
Hoskin-Elliott was one of eight Magpies from last year's premiership team that started at another club, proving a shrewd recruit in exchange for a future second-round pick.
Collingwood games-record holder Scott Pendlebury will also play on next year, veteran Jeremy Howe hits a trigger for 2025 in his 250th game on Friday night, while a decision looms on Steele Sidebottom in the coming weeks.
Mature-age recruits Jack Bytel, Lachie Sullivan, Ned Long and Josh Eyre are yet to sign deals for next season.
Joe Richards continues to attract interest from rival clubs in the market for a small forward, following seven appearances in his second season at Collingwood. – Josh Gabelich
SAINTS SPEEDSTER TO SIGN ON
ST KILDA winger Ryan Byrnes is set to sign a one-year deal at the club.
Byrnes is coming towards the end of his contract with the Saints, but has enjoyed another consistent season that has seen him play 12 games and break back into coach Ross Lyon's plans across the last month.
The speedster spent six weeks playing at reserves level with Sandringham midway through the campaign, but his return to the senior side has coincided with a run where St Kilda recorded resounding wins over Sydney, West Coast and Essendon.
Byrnes missed last week's disappointing defeat to Brisbane through illness.
St Kilda has a number of pressing contract calls looming, headlined by defender Josh Battle's free agency decision and verdicts over veterans Zak Jones, Seb Ross, Tim Membrey and Dougal Howard.
As reported on Gettable, Cooper Sharman is set to sign a new multi-year deal to stick with the club. – Riley Beveridge
PIES DEFENDER LIKELY TO BENEFIT FROM NEW RULE
CHARLIE Dean is likely to be the first player to benefit from the AFL's new rookie extension rules, with the Collingwood defender set to earn a fourth year on the club's list after changes introduced last week.
The AFL ticked off a host of new trade and draft rules stemming from its competitive balance review last Friday, which included the ability to keep players on the rookie list for five years (up from three) if they've played under 10 senior games.
The Pies would have otherwise faced a difficult decision on Dean – who is nearing the end of his third year on the club's rookie list – and would have previously been forced to upgrade the defender to the primary list if they wished to retain him.
However, given Dean has played just seven senior games and is increasingly unlikely to hit the 10-game threshold before the season ends, Collingwood can now extend a rookie lifeline to the 23-year-old for a fourth campaign.
The rule could also benefit promising Melbourne defender Andy Moniz-Wakefield, who has played the last six consecutive games for the Demons in what is his third season on the club's rookie list.
However, although Moniz-Wakefield is unlikely to get to 10 games before the campaign finishes, he is currently a Category B rookie and would need to be upgraded to a Category A rookie in his fourth season. – Riley Beveridge
CLUBS LOCK AWAY RUCK OPTIONS
THE RUCK merry-go-round continues to thin, with Collingwood's Oscar Steene and Fremantle's Liam Reidy among the untried talls on the cusp of re-signing at their current clubs.
Steene and Reidy both attracted a handful of interest from ruck-needy clubs across the competition, though the Pies and the Dockers are in advanced negotiations to lock away both players to respective one-year extensions.
Clubs have been determined to secure their depth ruck options before the season finishes, given the dearth of quality big men likely to move throughout the Continental Tyres AFL Trade Period.
Steene and Reidy will join the likes of Carlton's Hudson O'Keeffe, Greater Western Sydney's Nick Madden and Essendon's Vigo Visentini in being re-signed across recent months despite not yet playing an AFL game.
Clubs scouring the ruck market are instead likely to turn their focus towards contracted options that could include Sydney's Peter Ladhams (who is signed until 2025), Essendon's Nick Bryan (2025), Hawthorn's Ned Reeves (2026) and Carlton's Marc Pittonet (2027).
Western Bulldogs star Tim English remains the best unsigned ruck on the market and has attracted significant interest from West Coast as a restricted free agent, but appears likely to stay at the Whitten Oval. – Riley Beveridge
VFL EXPOSURE FOR DRAFTEES
A STACK of Victorian draft prospects will get their chance to taste VFL action this weekend as the Coates Talent League has a bye and school seasons are completed.
Oakleigh Charger Finn O'Sullivan will join teammate Jagga Smith this Sunday playing for Richmond's VFL side. It will be O'Sullivan's first VFL game as the Tigers get a close look at two of the contenders in the wide open race for the No.1 pick.
Father-son prospect Levi Ashcroft will be in Brisbane this week for the Lions' training as well as to play for the club's VFL side against the Giants on Sunday.
Top-10 contender Tobie Travaglia, who enjoyed an excellent carnival for Vic Country, will play VFL for Carlton this weekend, while St Kilda's Next Generation Academy pair Adrian Cole and Lennox Hofmann will line up for Sandringham's VFL side.
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Bendigo forward Jobe Shanahan kicked four goals in his first VFL game last week and will feature again for the Bombers' VFL side, while Essendon Next Generation Academy prospect Jayden Nguyen will play for the VFL side next weekend.
Murray Bushrangers midfielder Ollie Warburton will also play at VFL level with Collingwood this weekend.
The games give recruiters another angle to assess as they look at the prospects facing off against senior opposition and often with and against AFL-listed players, particularly given the rare window Victorian talents have to take on the higher level. – Callum Twomey
CLUBS EYE MATURE-AGER
RICHMOND VFL forward Sam Davidson is on the radar of a handful of AFL clubs following an eye-catching first season at Punt Road.
The 22-year-old was the only VFL player invited to the state draft combine when the first batch of names were revealed last week.
Richmond has added a handful of VFL-listed players to its AFL program over the years via the mid-season draft, pre-season supplemental selection or rookie draft, including Mykelti Lefau, James Trezise, Tylar Young and Jake Aarts, while Sam Durham and Massimo D'Ambrosio have also risen to the AFL after spending time at the Swinburne Centre.
The Tigers have been very impressed and are understood to be interested in Davidson, but they aren't alone. Adelaide, Sydney and Greater Western Sydney have all monitored his progress closely and could make a move in November or during the summer.
Essendon reached out before the Mid-Season Rookie Draft but opted to select another VFL player instead, picking Northern Bullants star Saad El-Hawli.
Part of the reason Davidson is a late developer is due to his focus on his medical degree and the country placements he has undertaken in recent years since graduating from St Kevin's College.
Davidson is studying to become a doctor at Monash University – he is halfway through his fifth year and has added an honours year – which is why he started last season playing for South Mildura in the Sunraysia Football and Netball League before finishing the season at Maffra in the Gippsland League.
In 2022 he played for Sale City in the North Gippsland League, which is how Steve Morris became aware of him. Davidson reached out to trial with the Tigers' VFL program last pre-season and has bolted from nowhere over the past couple of months.
The 191cm mobile forward has kicked 21.10 from 14 appearances after being picked for his first VFL game in round three, kicking six goals against Northern Bullants last month after four against Port Melbourne a few weeks earlier to attract the attention of recruiters.
If Davidson lands on an AFL list in November or via the pre-season supplemental selection period, the Victorian will need to put his current degree on hold given the required contact hours, but it won't stop him studying a part-time PhD in 2025. – Josh Gabelich
SAINTS FATHER-SON STARS
ST KILDA father-son prospect Elwood Peckett has put himself in draft sights with a standout showing for the Dandenong Stingrays.
Peckett, the son of former Saints great Justin, kicked 5.2 from 25 disposals, nine marks and eight tackles last week against the Murray Bushrangers.
The goals came whilst Peckett was playing as a midfielder, with the 187cm prospect backing up his two-goal effort from 19 disposals the week before.
The 18-year-old, who is eligible for this year's draft, started the season well before being sidelined through concussion. He has shown scouts he can use his body well and take on the game with his frame.
He is set to play for St Kilda's VFL affiliate, the Sandringham Zebras, this week as the Saints get another glimpse on him. Peckett trained with the Saints' AFL squad earlier this year and continues to take part in its father-son program.
The Saints haven't had a strong father-son history, taking only three players under the rule, the last being Bailey Rice in 2015. – Callum Twomey
COMPETITIVE BALANCE CHANGES TO AID TASSIE
THE AFL has stressed that every change stemming from its competitive balance review was delivered with Tasmania in mind, as the League continues to work through list management rules for its 19th team.
The AFL Commission last week ratified a raft of changes to the trade and draft landscape, which included the ability to trade future picks two years in advance and a significant alteration to its Draft Value Index (DVI) points system.
However, with the AFL still working through the first list management rules for the Tasmania team ahead of its entry into the competition in 2028, the League believes the new mechanisms will also aid the incoming side's arrival.
Speaking on a special episode of AFL.com.au's trade and draft show Gettable last Friday, the AFL's executive general manager of football Laura Kane said the changes would help increase the talent pool for Tasmania and the competition.
"They're unbelievable, the Tasmanian team. Their board are just remarkable and they're doing such a great job with some unbelievable outcomes, if you take their membership tally alone," Kane said.
"We have had this in our mind throughout this whole process. We are preparing for a 19th team across our men's and women's competition. We've made sure that all of these mechanisms have a thoughtfulness around the introduction of a 19th team. We need more talent, so the more we can produce the better."
Given the impending arrival of Tasmania – and with North Melbourne currently having access to the state's talent in its Next Generation Academy – the AFL has also committed to reviewing the zoning criteria ahead of next season.
"It is something we're committing to review, both the zones and the eligibility criteria for NGA players. We'll commit to having that in place for the 2025 national draft," the League's head of football performance Ned Guy said. – Riley Beveridge
