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.
CLUBS EYE POWER FORWARD
OLLIE Lord is attracting interest from Victorian clubs, amid Port Adelaide's pursuit of Gold Coast forward Jack Lukosius.
Collingwood is in the market for a key forward and has enquired, while Melbourne has held long-term interest in Lord and is also understood to be keeping tabs.
Lord signed a two-year contract extension last December that ties him to the Power until the end of 2026, after Geelong made an advance during the Continental Tyres AFL Trade Period.
Port Adelaide has assured the 22-year-old he is part of the future of the club and doesn't want to trade him, despite Lukosius requesting a move to the Power.
Lord looked poised for a breakout campaign after kicking four goals against Brisbane in last year's qualifying final loss at the Gabba in just his 12th game, but 2024 didn't go to plan.
The Victorian missed the first few months of the season after fracturing his tibia and suffering high-grade bone bruising in his knee after landing heavily in a marking contest late in the pre-season.
Lord played six senior games under Ken Hinkley late in the season but struggled to make an impact after an interrupted start to the season and was overlooked across all three finals this September.
Port Adelaide is set to be one of the most active clubs this trade period, with dual All-Australian Dan Houston and out-of-favour ruckman Ivan Soldo both requesting moves to Victoria, while free agents Harry Perryman and Isaac Cumming are considering moves to the Power, along with Collingwood small forward Joe Richards.
Veteran key forward Charlie Dixon called time on his 14-season career on Wednesday, while Todd Marshall faces some uncertainty after another concussion ended his season. Lord should get more opportunity at Port Adelaide in 2025, but rivals are keeping an eye on his situation in South Australia. – Josh Gabelich
COMPO PICKS WAIT
FREE agency compensation picks will add to clubs' difficulty in finding a way up the draft order as list bosses and recruiters look to hold on to selections in a deep pool.
The free agency period opens next Friday, October 4 and runs through to the following Friday, October 11, with more than 10 free agents possible to find new homes either in that window or as delisted free agents.
Josh Battle's six-year deal at Hawthorn will net St Kilda either a first-round selection or end-of-first-round pick, with the contract expected to be on the verge of the band on grading. That would hand the Saints picks No.7 and 8.
But if it falls short, the pick will come in at the end of the first round. Last year the Bombers' Ben McKay free agency deal, worth more than $800,000 a season, saw the Kangaroos get a band one free agency compensation pick.
Collingwood's hot late pursuit of Giants free agent Harry Perryman, joining Port Adelaide with a lucrative long-term offer, is set to at least secure an end-of-first-round pick for the Giants should he leave. At best it could nudge band one territory, which would come after the Giants' current pick (No.14).
Giants unrestricted free agent Isaac Cumming is off to either Port or Adelaide on a deal that clubs think would most likely trigger an end-of-second-round pick, while Richmond premiership player Jack Graham is weighing up a four-year offer from West Coast. If he was to depart an end-of-second-round pick is seen as the best possible result for compensation for the Tigers.
A number of other free agents are assessing their options and eyeing moves, with unrestricted free agents Nick Haynes (Giants to Carlton) and Elliott Himmelberg (Adelaide to Gold Coast) set for moves.
Among other free agents, West Coast's Josh Rotham is on the radar of Essendon and Melbourne defender Adam Tomlinson has caught Collingwood's attention.
Delisted Carlton free agent Jack Martin is set to join either Fremantle or Geelong, while St Kilda's free agent Tom Campbell, who was cut by the Saints, is poised to join Melbourne. Richmond free agent and superstar Dustin Martin is still weighing up a move to finish his career at Gold Coast. – Callum Twomey
ANOTHER GIANT WEIGHING UP FUTURE
GREATER Western Sydney is still waiting for an answer on utility Conor Stone's future, as the club battles to retain a host of players amid rival interest.
Stone has had a two-year deal on the table to stay at the Giants for a number of weeks now, but is yet to commit to the club for next season and beyond.
Stone's situation adds to the uncertainty around a number of key Giants, with free agent Isaac Cumming having already told the club he will leave and with uncontracted duo Harry Perryman and James Peatling still to decide their future.
Veteran defender Nick Haynes is another who has told the club he will leave for Carlton as an unrestricted free agent, while Wade Derksen has requested a move to Melbourne despite being contracted for next year.
As revealed on AFL.com.au's trade and draft show Gettable this week, midfielder Xavier O'Halloran also has interest from the Western Bulldogs but is another who is contracted for 2025.
Cumming is set to move to South Australia but is yet to decide between Adelaide or Port Adelaide, while Perryman has attracted lucrative free agency offers from Port Adelaide and Collingwood but is also considering a six-year deal to stay at the Giants.
The Giants have a three-year deal on the table for Peatling, though the midfielder has been in Victoria this week meeting with clubs amid interest from Melbourne, West Coast, Collingwood, St Kilda and the Western Bulldogs.
Stone, recruited to the club with pick No.15 back in 2020, has played 13 games across four years at the Giants including four appearances this season.
The high-flying 22-year-old has recently been moved to a role across half-back and had been earmarked to benefit from the likely departures of Cumming and Perryman, should he remain at the club next season. – Riley Beveridge
AFL CLEARANCE ON FUTURE TRADE
PORT Adelaide would need AFL clearance to be able to part with its future first-round pick after Gold Coast forward Jack Lukosius nominated the Power as his preferred new home.
Under the AFL's future trading rules, clubs have to use two first-round picks at the draft over a rolling four-year period.
However a clause in the rule allows clubs to apply for permission to trade out their picks if they haven't met the two-in-four requirement.
The Power used first-round picks on Lachie Jones in 2020 and Josh Sinn in 2021 but over the past two years has focused on trade acquisitions, without any first-round picks in 2022, 2023 and having already traded out their 2024 first-round pick.
But the League's provision in the rule would likely open the availability to be able to trade the pick, given two of the Power's first-round picks were used in that period for the mega-trade deal that saw them land Jason Horne-Francis in 2022.
Given he was only one year into his career as a No.1 pick, it would be expected the AFL would allow it to count as a first-round draft addition and free up the future pick.
Another option that would allow Port to use its future first-round pick in any deal would be to acquire a first-round selection this year for Dan Houston, who is eyeing a trade to Victoria.
Lukosius has two years to run on his deal at the Suns but informed the club on Tuesday he was keen to join the Power. – Callum Twomey
NEW DVI DEFICIT FOR CLUBS
A NEW points deficit limit for matching bids on father-son and Academy players will see Brisbane forced to get creative with its draft hand this year.
This year will be the last season of the current Draft Value Index, with updated points per pick to be brought in for 2025. Next year's DVI, however, has seen the AFL shave off nearly 10,000 points so clubs find it harder to match multiple Academy or father-son bids and reduced points attached to mid-draft picks.
Under the outgoing bidding system, clubs have had a points deficit limit at 1723 points, meaning they could only go that far into deficit to match bids. Any further and they would not be allowed to match a bid on a draftee.
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The number was the equivalent of the total points attached to the group of picks assigned to the premiership team each year: No.18, 36, 54 and 72.
But with clubs heading into next year's model, they will have their new points deficit reduced to 1167 points, equal to pick 18 (836 points), 36 (317), 54 (14) and 72 (0) in the new model.
Essentially, the Lions, who have bids to match on father-son gun Levi Ashcroft and Academy midfielder Sam Marshall, will not be able to go into as far a deficit if early bids come. The only club to have a deficit on their first-round pick in the past was Fremantle in 2020, which went into a slight deficit to match a bid on NGA player Liam Henry.
A bid for Ashcroft is expected in the first five selections and top 20 for Marshall, who was last week named best afield in the Coates Talent League Grand Final for Sandringham.
Clubs are pushing to trade for Brisbane's first-round pick – which will be No.17 or 18 after the Grand Final – given the Lions will look to turn the prized selection into more picks and points. – Callum Twomey
DRAFT TALENT AVOIDS INJURY LAYOFF
LIKELY early draft pick Murphy Reid has avoided any knee damage after sitting out the second half of the Coates Talent League Grand Final after an awkward tackle.
Reid, who starred throughout his under-18 campaign, gathered seven disposals and a goal in the first quarter of Sandringham's strong win over the Greater Western Victoria Rebels on Saturday.
But his game was cut short when he left the field in the third term with the leg issue.
However, the top-five pick contender has been cleared of any serious injury, with no damage to his knee. He sustained an ankle injury as part of the motion and also had a muscle issue that he carried into the game, but will not have a long stint on the sidelines.
It is unlikely the composed midfielder, who won Vic Metro's MVP at the under-18 championships, is back to full fitness to test at the Telstra AFL Draft Combine, which begins next Friday in Melbourne. – Callum Twomey
CATS DEFENDER TO GO ON
GEELONG veteran Jed Bews is closing on a one-year extension with the Cats that will see the defender play into a 14th season at GMHBA Stadium.
Bews, a premiership player with the Cats in 2022, played only five games this season but returned to the team late in the year and was entrusted with roles in both of the side's finals matches.
The extension will see Bews get the chance to add to his 171 appearances for Geelong, having been recruited to the club in the aftermath of its 2011 premiership victory.
Geelong made seven list changes on Tuesday headlined by the delisting of premiership players Gary Rohan and Brandan Parfitt, which had followed the retirements of fellow flag stars Tom Hawkins and Zach Tuohy. – Riley Beveridge
CLUBS TRIAL IRISH TALENTS
TWO Irish AFL hopefuls will trial at clubs next week in bids to win spots as Category B rookies.
Derry star Eoin McEvoy and Irish under-20 rugby talent Davy Colbert will arrive in Australia this week ahead of a period where they will push to get on an AFL list.
The pair are being brought out by the AFL having tested well in training sessions in Ireland, with Colbert, 20, having played for Ireland in the under-20 rugby World Cup in South Africa while also featuring in the Gaelic competition.
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McEvoy, 21, is considered an emerging star of the Gaelic competition.
The duo will train alongside the under-17s Futures squad later this week and attend the Grand Final on Saturday before trialling at a number of clubs next week – including Essendon, Melbourne and Geelong – before meeting more clubs at the Telstra AFL Draft Combine the following week where they will take part in testing. – Callum Twomey
FUTURE PIE ON SHOW
COLLINGWOOD father-son prospect Thomas McGuane will feature in Saturday morning's Grand Final curtain raiser at the MCG as the Magpies get a closer look at the 2025 draftee.
McGuane has been selected as part of the group of under-17s players to feature in the Marsh AFL National Futures program, with the contest ahead of the Sydney and Brisbane premiership decider.
The Western Jets talent, who is the son of former Magpie Mick, played under his dad's coached side Keilor last week in Melbourne to win a senior premiership with the club.
The talented midfielder showed exciting signs for Jets this year and is shaping as another potential father-son win for the Pies.
There will be a number of other players with notable bloodlines in the clash, including Cody Curtin (brother of Adelaide's Daniel), Willem Duursma (brother of Bomber Xavier and Kangaroo Zane), Kalani White (son of former Melbourne and Fremantle ruckman Jeff) and Zeke Uwland (brother of Gold Coast's Bodhi).
The game will start at 9.35am and be live streamed on AFL.com.au. – Callum Twomey