Every Thursday AFL.com.au presents Inside Trading, with breaking news and the best analysis of the AFL trade landscape covering contracts, re-signings, free agents, the AFL Draft and industry insights.
DEES IN TALKS FOR PREMIERSHIP FORWARD
MELBOURNE is in discussions for an extension for 2021 flag winner Alex Neal-Bullen.
Neal-Bullen qualifies as an unrestricted free agent for the first time in his career this year, having re-signed for two years in 2021. He is one of four free agents at the Dees, alongside James Jordon, Jake Melksham and Luke Dunstan.
But talks are underway for a new deal to extend Neal-Bullen's stay at Melbourne, where he remains a key member and popular player in its squad having played every game this season.
The 27-year-old's career was on the brink in 2020 after falling out of the Demons' side but he quickly re-established himself in the line-up the following year and kicked 15 goals in the Dees' premiership campaign, including one goal and 24 disposals in the Grand Final win over the Western Bulldogs.
The South Australian product has played 134 games for the club after being selected in the 2014 AFL Draft. – Callum Twomey
SAINTS KEEN TO SIGN YOUNG GUN
ST KILDA young gun Mattaes Phillipou is loving his time at the Saints and will get through more of the season before looking at extending his deal, with the club keen to lock him in.
Clubs are quick to offer their early draft selections two-year contract extensions on top of their initial standard two-year deal upon entering the competition.
North Melbourne signed Harry Sheezel to a two-year extension in the days after his brilliant round one debut and has also started talks on No.4 pick George Wardlaw, while Brisbane gun Will Ashcroft joined the Lions on a four-year contract due to his father-son eligibility.
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The No.10 pick has settled in well at the club and has a strong affinity with new coach Ross Lyon and talks have started on an extension but the South Australian product is comfortable first focusing on establishing himself at the level.
The Saints were rapt to grab the exciting left-footer at last year's draft and he has performed well, averaging nearly 15 disposals and a goal a game to start his AFL career. – Callum Twomey
IN-FORM EAGLE TO WAIT
WEST COAST forward Jake Waterman will let more of the year unfold before jumping into contract discussions after a strong start to the season.
Waterman's three-year deal with West Coast, which he signed in 2020, expires this season but the 24-year-old is likely to get more of the year completed before shifting his focus onto his future.
The versatile forward missed round one but has kicked 10 goals in the five games since, including two hauls of four against Greater Wester Sydney in round two and Geelong in round five.
He had 23 disposals and a goal in the Eagles' loss to Port Adelaide last weekend.
Waterman has played 78 games for West Coast since making his debut in 2018, when he played 16 games in the Eagles' premiership season. – Callum Twomey
SANFL FORWARD ON THE MSD RADAR
A KNEE injury to Mitch Georgiades will enable Port Adelaide to open up the ninth available list vacancy ahead of this year's AFL Mid-Season Rookie Draft, with SANFL forward Noah Casalini emerging as a potential option for clubs.
Season-ending ACL injuries to Georgiades and Greater Western Sydney utility Adam Kennedy over the last fortnight means there are now nine list vacancies among eight clubs, with the Giants the only team with two free spots.
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Essendon, Fremantle, Geelong, the Western Bulldogs and Hawthorn all kept list spots open after last year's draft period, with GWS (Kennedy and Darcy Jones), Port Adelaide (Georgiades) and Richmond (Jason Castagna) also having vacancies.
Casalini has since garnered a host of interest among clubs with free list spots, continuing an impressive run of form by winning the Bob Quinn Medal for best on ground in North Adelaide's Anzac Day victory over Norwood.
The 21-year-old Casalini, who is a 191cm marking forward, kicked six goals from 18 disposals and 10 marks in a dominant display to further enhance his credentials as a potential mid-season pick-up.
Casalini was a former Swans Academy player and also has ties with the Giants – who have multiple mid-year picks – having spent last season on their VFL list before crossing to North Adelaide over the summer. – Riley Beveridge
GIANT TO STAY WEHR HE IS
GREATER Western Sydney has locked away wingman Jacob Wehr for a further two seasons.
It's understood Wehr, who already had a trigger in his current deal for next season, has signed an extension in recent days that will ensure he will now remain at the Giants until at least 2025.
Wehr had been a free agent this season, having been delisted and then re-rookied by the club at the end of his first season.
The Giants had been looking to reward Wehr for a difficult start to the year, having broken his scapula in round two following an incident with West Coast's Liam Duggan that is expected to keep him sidelined for up to three months.
That shoulder injury had followed Wehr being involved in the crunching bump with Shane McAdam in round one, which resulted in the Adelaide forward earning a three-game suspension.
Wehr, the final pick in the 2020 national draft, was recruited as a 22-year-old from SANFL side Woodville-West Torrens. He has played 12 games in three seasons on the club's list, but had established himself as part of new coach Adam Kingsley's plans before injury.
The Giants have been keen to hand players on their long-term injury list added security during their rehab periods and are also deep into negotiations with first-year forward Darcy Jones for a two-year deal, as he recovers from an ACL injury. – Riley Beveridge
TASMANIAN FACTOR INFLUENCING CONTRACT CALLS
THE MOVEMENT towards a new Tasmanian club licence is having an impact on list management decisions.
The AFL is waiting for the Federal Government's budget announcement on potential funding of the Tasmanian stadium at Hobart's Macquarie Point before making an announcement on a standalone team in the state, but clubs are thinking ahead.
Previous new clubs Gold Coast and Greater Western Sydney have been given significant list building concessions when starting in the AFL, including having priority access to uncontracted players in certain years.
Whilst potential list rules have been discussed and will continue to be thrashed out, the possibility of another team has made list managers even keener to lock in their star players for the longer term.
"If Tasmania is coming in, and it is around 2027, then you have to think about whether your A-graders can be signed through to then or past then so they aren't able to walk while out of contract," one list boss said.
"It definitely has to be a factor in your thinking. Clubs could look for more long-term deals."
Another list manager said clubs would learn from losing players to the Suns and Giants in the expansion era and be readier for potential raids, while a player agent said the prospect of a Tasmanian team could impact the length of deals offered and taken by players. – Callum Twomey
ADELAIDE EX-SKIPPER NOT FOCUSED ON CONTRACT
ADELAIDE veteran Rory Sloane says talks will be held later in the season on his future as he comes to the end of his five-year deal.
The hardened midfielder has played all six games this season after missing most of last year with a knee reconstruction.
The 33-year-old is out of contract as he comes to the end of the long-term deal he signed in 2018, but said he was focused on the present, joking he would play on until he's told he can't.
"For me it's [about] enjoying this whole year. I spent long enough on the sidelines last year and I made a pact to myself to just enjoy it and look around a couple of times every game and just enjoy playing in front of 30,000 on Easter weekend and 50,000 at the Showdown," he told AFL.com.au's Access All Areas.
"I'll chat to the guys but I'm well aware how this plays out for most years and those talks are for later in the year.
"I'll play on for as long as I possibly can. I don't think I'd retire, I think I'd be delisted at some point."
Sloane has played 238 games for the Crows and this year handed on the captaincy to star Jordan Dawson. – Callum Twomey
'THE WIZARD' READY FOR AFL LIFE
POTENTIAL top-five pick Nick Watson has credited a short stint with Hawthorn over the summer, and a job tagging star defender Changkuoth Jiath, for providing him with an added insight into what life in the AFL will soon be like.
The Eastern Ranges small forward, who stands at 170cm, is among the most talented junior prospects in the country and has excited with his mercurial work around goal and his impressive overhead marking abilities.
He was tasked with marking Jiath during match simulation drills with the Hawks throughout a week of pre-season training, which came as part of his involvement in the AFL Academy program.
Watson, who has also spent periods playing through the midfield and across half-back to start the season, recently kicked two goals from 34 disposals against the Northern Knights in the Coates Talent League.
It followed another two-goal performance against the Sandringham Dragons in round one and an exciting display against Gold Coast's Academy where he finished with 27 touches and a goal.
"That (spending a week with Hawthorn) was great. They're all pretty young boys, so I got along with them well. I knew a couple there already, so it was good," Watson told AFL.com.au's new trade and draft show Gettable.
"I got to play some match sim, which was good. I got to play on 'CJ' and he loves to run up the ground, so I had to go with him and ended up in the back 50 at one stage. That was really good.
"It was a good experience. Having a week there you saw what it's like as an AFL player." – Riley Beveridge
'FLIP' FINE WITH SHORT-TERM DEALS
ESSENDON ruckman Andrew Phillips appears headed towards another short-term deal following an impressive run of form to start the season, saying he has learned to live with the uncertainty of one-year extensions.
Phillips has remained at the Bombers by signing four consecutive one-year contracts, but is perhaps enjoying the best stint of his career working alongside Sam Draper to help spearhead the side's standout start to the campaign.
The veteran, who will turn 32 later this year, has played in five of the club's first six matches to establish himself as a core piece in new coach Brad Scott's plans and is thriving in the team's new dual-ruck system.
Having played 67 games across 13 seasons with three clubs – Phillips played 14 games for Greater Western Sydney, 27 for Carlton and has now featured 26 times for Essendon – he is gunning towards another short-term deal at year's end.
"It's something I can live with now," Phillips told AFL.com.au.
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"Certainty is something you want. It's something where I always really wanted it, but it obviously never came and it's not something you can really get. Having those one-year deals makes you fight and scrap a little bit.
"It always puts you on edge, there hasn't been too much security. Obviously, with my injury history, it comes into play. With a one-year deal, in my eyes you're only an injury away from not getting another contract. That's always played on my mind a little bit, but fortunately enough the one-year deals have kept coming and I've made it work." – Riley Beveridge
DUURSMA TO GET VFL SHOT
TOP DRAFT prospect Zane Duursma will this week play for Casey Demons in the VFL as the Coates Talent League has its competition break.
Duursma, the younger brother of Port Adelaide's Xavier, is a potential top-five pick at this year's draft with his versatility through the forward line and midfield and silky skills catching the eye of clubs.
The Gippsland Power talent trained with Melbourne during the pre-season as part of his AFL Academy program. Casey is set to face Box Hill on Sunday at Wonthaggi Recreation Reserve.
Dandenong Stingrays midfielder Cooper Simpson played with Casey last week and had 12 disposals on his VFL debut, with the ball-getter coming off a strong start to the season at under-18 level, where he averaged 24 disposals and a goal in his first two games.
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Fellow Stingrays talent Harry Di Mattia also trained with the Demons recently as the dual sports star concentrates on his footy after a strong summer with his cricket commitments.
The recess of games in the system will see a handful of prospects play for VFL sides, with prospective No.1 pick Harley Reid to play for Carlton's VFL side during the Bendigo Pioneers' break. – Callum Twomey
TIGERS EYE FATHER-SON
RICHMOND father-son prospect Charlie Naish spent part of the school holidays training at Punt Road, as he continues to emerge on the radar of recruiters ahead of November's AFL Draft.
The 17-year-old is eligible to join the Tigers via the father-son rule after his dad Chris played 143 games for Richmond between 1990 and 1997, before finishing his career at Port Adelaide.
Naish has put himself firmly in Vic Metro contention following a strong start to the Coates Talent League season for Northern Knights.
The Ivanhoe Grammar product produced some eye-catching moments in the Victorian under-18 trials at Trevor Barker Oval on Saturday, playing on a wing and across half-back.
Richmond selected Naish's older brother Patrick under the father-son rule – he played nine games for the Tigers and 11 more for West Coast but is now playing for Box Hill – and will consider playing Charlie in the VFL later in the year.
The Tigers struck gold with Matthew Richardson and Joel Bowden in the 1990s but have only selected three father-sons this century. They will be keeping a close eye on the progress of Naish this winter. – Josh Gabelich