He says Hawthorn wasn’t willing to offer four first-rounders to Essendon, but refuses to chat on specifics with regards to the deal. “We’re empathetic to Will Hayward and Ollie Florent — but we walked in knowing we’d have give up a fair bit. “Day one of pre-season might be a little bit awkward, but we’ll move on really quickly because he’s an inspirational player. ” “An offer lobbed yesterday so with 36 hours to go, it was quite late, but out of respect for Zach, we did have conversations with Tom and Hawthorn,” he says. I thought a 2nd and a 3rd seemed a fair good faith offer for Ah Chee. It’ll be a little awkward for a bit (as Matt Rosa said), but the Bombers don’t need to fear Merrett downing tools or purposely tanking his value next season.
AFL Media reporter Josh Gabelich initially reported on X that St Kilda had traded ruck Max Heath to Melbourne, with AFL House confirming the move not long after. Foxfooty.com.au understands both unrestricted free agent Darcy Byrne-Jones and first-choice ruck Jordan Sweet are expected to stay put, and could be among those first to sign on. Hawthorn can’t find another player to join the Bombers so Henry Hustwaite remains as part of the offer.
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Just like you, we care too. Meet the Thursday afternoon team. Lure Travis Boak out of retirement? Eagles might. Josh Jenkins delved into it on Trade Radio, mentioned earlier.
St Kilda set to ‘pay a price’ for Aleer backflip, says Jenkins
- There has been trade speculation surrounding contracted rucking duo Luke Jackson and Sean Darcy all year — though Jackson had his exit meeting and told the club he isn’t going anywhere.
- Adelaide pursues Sam Draper, Brisbane also interested; O’Brien stays at West Lakes.
- Across town (Fremantle midfielder Neil Erasmus is also contemplating his future at the Eagles), having not yet signed their three-year deal on offer.
- Brisbane’s Logan Morris (star goalkicker), in high demand by five clubs, reports AFL Media’s Cal Twomey.
- Richmond not major in October, but linked to Gold Coast’s Malcolm Rosas Jnr.
- Speaking on Wednesday night, Morris said the out-of-contract Saad was “keen to go again” in 2027.
Rowbottom reportedly initially entertained talks with Carlton and Collingwood after his name was mentioned as part of a Curnow deal. While the two clubs haggle over a deal for star forward Charlie Curnow, rebounding defender Ollie Florent has reportedly been traded to the Blues in a separate deal. Tom De Koning assumes the number-one ruck role in a pairing with Rowan Marshall, who figures to play more time forward to straighten up Ross Lyon’s forward line along with the returning Max King. His manager Colin Young (I think), really keen for him to stay. But I just think there’s a Bontempelli factor, there is Luke Beveridge, there’s the proximity to home, which is just a little bit closer to Geelong. They’d be prepared to offer upwards of $1.7 million a season over at least eight years if Butters was keen.
Trade Talk RECAP: Dockers depart, Roos land tall, Dee to stay
Scroll down to see the latest AFL trade news from day four of the exchange period. Sweet has played 49 games for the Power since arriving during the 2023 off-season, having deposed the now-retired Ivan Soldo as the club’s No. 1 ruck. “When talking about the concussion challenges, that longevity of contract is a really important safety net for players; it’s probably the best one we’ve got where there is absolute contractual certainty in our game,” he said.
That probably comes at the expense of Leek Aleer, who surprisingly remains at the club after his move to St Kilda controversially fell through. A healthy Jack Buckley and Brent Daniels come return to the side, with Buckley straightening up arguably the most stout defence in the competition. While losing out on Curnow hurts, it’s still a stacked forward line and Shannon Neale should only get better and better. While this is effectively Craig McRae’s optimal line-up — don’t be surprised if there’s more of a sprinkling of youth. Pies fans will be keen to see Bobby Hill back fit and firing in 2026 and expect Beau McCreery to get more midfield exposure. The returns of those soldiers — however, might make it tough for the likes of Bruce Reville, Sam Marshall and Darcy Gardiner to keep their spots in Chris Fagan’s best side, despite being premiership players this year.
Suns list boss Craig Cameron was steadfast that the young gun was going nowhere, despite Humphrey expressing a desire to return to Victoria. The Suns also struck a cheap deal for Western Bulldogs for Jamarra Ugle-Hagan in what’s essentially a free hit for the troubled forward. But that’s more likely to fill a rookie spot and something they’ll address post trade period. Dockers footy boss Joe Brierty said the club would look for a back-up ruckman to play behind Luke Jackson and Sean Darcy after Reidy’s departure. Keep an eye on what Essendon does with its draft hand from here, with the club believed to be keen to move further up in the first round in plans that could extend beyond the trade period. You sense they were keen to preserve their future draft assets to ensure they have their full suite of picks available to have a crack at the likes of Zak Butters and Ben King in 2026.
I know that’s hard to do because players A-League news want their futures decided earlier than that. “For Fremantle (if I was them), I would wait until the end of the year to make that sort of offer. Collingwood has emerged as a likely destination, with reports suggesting the Magpies are prepared to offer a three-year deal worth up to $3 million. Tassie have got that big sign-on bonus, so that’s something that we’ll be keeping a close eye on.”
Jack Silvagni joins Moorabbin teammate, reports foxfooty.com.au. Tom De Koning signs lucrative eight-year deal with Saints, $1.75m per season. A four-year deal is now on the table for him to sign, and it’s now increasingly likely he’ll remain a Saint until the end of 2029. The small forward was linked to a departure last year while still contracted (but now without a deal for 2026), he seems destined for a fresh start elsewhere, with the Tigers one of multiple reported suitors. Richmond not major in October, but linked to Gold Coast’s Malcolm Rosas Jnr. Max Heath, without 2025 deal, sought by Melbourne for longer-term Gawn coverage.
Elliott, 33, was initially only offered a two-year deal by the Magpies, but journalist Tom Morris reports Collingwood have added dollars and a trigger for a third year to their contract presentation. Jamie Elliott stays at Collingwood, turns down Gold Coast move. St Kilda’s pick no.7 sought by Suns for Flanders, part of Petracca deal. Melbourne signs 32-year-old as free agent, three-year deal over Magpies’ two-year offer. However, the response Butters received – in no uncertain terms – was he would need to stay at Port Adelaide for the duration of his contract, which expires at the end of 2026. Butters hails from Darley – a small western Victorian town around an hour away from Melbourne’s suburbs – and is keen to spend more time at his home while continuing his football career.
Gold Coast utility Connor Budarick has also been linked to the Lions, but it’s unclear who leads the race for the Sun’s services. Deven Robertson remains out of contract, and has been linked to the Eagles in recent years as well. “Adam Saad wants to play on next year — but it’s unlikely to be at Carlton.
“Collingwood very much in the race for Lachie Neale, and their rivals expect they will eventually offer him a three-year deal. But as of this week it became clear she would be offered another deal at the Vixens,” Ralph wrote. “I think there’s strong word around (questions are being asked at other clubs. Lewis has mail that there’s now a live trade watch on English), who turns 29 in August, in a season knee and concussion setbacks have limited him to nine games for the 8-6 Dogs. Speaking on Fox Footy’s On the Couch on Monday night, Lewis revealed he’d be “surprised” if English was at Whitten Oval in 2027 and that rival clubs are circling the star ruckman. Collingwood nears Neale deal, juicy front-ended offer.
Neale move unlikely, water under bridge still. Ridley seeks north move (Queensland links), frustration at Essendon. And the Lions are no different as their stars consider lucrative offers at rival clubs — with Brandon Starcevich and Callum Ah Chee both weighing up their options. Could Ah Chee be Crows’ next target, after Wanganeen-Milera miss? South Australian Draper — perfect long-term ruck for Crows.
Adelaide might pursue 20-year-old this off-season — contract renewal expected. Third-string ruck Liam Reidy is the club’s only player left without a contract for next year, but he has requested a trade to Carlton, another move almost certain to go through in the coming weeks. Henry Hustwaite, contracted until 2026, fits Bombers’ needs. Will Setterfield-type player (low trade capital), worth a look.