The deadline for signing free agents has passed, while additional transactions have been delayed as a result of Essendon and St. Kilda’s negotiations.
Today’s revelation relates to Jade Gresham.
Below is a recap of today’s AFL trade news.
DEES SIGN TALL TIMBRE at 5 o’clock.
In exchange for the 47th overall pick, Melbourne has acquired Tom Fullarton from the Brisbane Lions.
After participating in 19 games over the course of three years, Fullarton, 24, was inactive for the Lions senior team this year.
As part of the agreement, the Dees used one of the selections they received in exchange for dealing Brodie Grundy.
4 PM: CROWS TALKING ABOUT A PLAYER IN MCADAM
According to Theo Doropoulos of 7News Adelaide, Adelaide is “determined” to get a player from Melbourne as part of the Shane McAdam trade and will not take the Demons’ prospective second-round pick.
Harrison Petty’s future has been discussed about recently amid claims the 23-year-old may want a return to South Australia, according to Doropoulos, who also said the Demons rejected an offer of Pick 14 and McAdam for him.
In the 2019 draft, the Demons will have two second-round picks, one of which will go to Sydney thanks to the Brodie Grundy trade.
HAYNES TO STAY AT GIANTS AT 3:30 PM
Despite rumors that he would be transferred to another team, Nick Haynes will stay with the Giants in 2024, according to his manager.
Haynes’ name was mentioned in trade rumors as a way for GWS to offload his big contract; the defender is rumored to earn close to $1 million each season.
The door was left open for the club to attempt and lure the 31-year-old to Arden Street because North Melbourne was mentioned as a potential destination for him, including Roos list manager Brady Rawlings.
However, Haynes’ manager Robbie D’Orazio from Connor Sports announced on AFL Trade Radio that Haynes would remain at the Giants.
He’ll be with the Giants in 2019. To his credit, he battled through some positional mobility concerns, injuries, and personal health problems this year, according to D’Orazio.
“He had a terrific talk with Adam Kingsley up there towards the end of the season (in the vicinity), saying, ‘You’re going to have to battle for your spot to get into this 23. The backline is relatively fixed, so you might have to consider playing on the wing instead, or get really fit to reclaim your spot.
He will take up that task and become extremely fit. There were some options there for him; he could have easily joined a worse team and simply accepted a lengthier contract.
However, I present him with the possibilities, and he chooses his own fate since he is mature and old enough to do so.
To his credit, he will stand by himself, and the Giants are a bloody terrific team. We’re crossing our fingers that he can get healthy and enter.
2 PM: COMPO REVEALS THAT GRESHAM IS OFFICIALLY A BOMBER.
After the Saints decided not to counter the Bombers’ restricted free agency offer for Jade Gresham, he has now formally signed a three-year contract with Essendon.
In addition to their existing No. 21 end-of-first-round compensation pick, St. Kilda also receives Nos. 13, 34, and 55.
26-year-old and in good shape
The 26-year-old former Pick 18 leaves the Saints after appearing in 136 games and scoring the same number of goals over eight seasons since his debut in 2016.
“Jade has been an important part of this football club for eight years, including a significant contribution throughout the 2023 season,” said Saints list manager Stephen Silvagni.
However, the club decided that this also allowed it to continue its commitment to bringing in exceptional young players through the draft. While Jade was eager to explore a road forward that offered for fresh options for his career.
Jade has been a well-liked teammate and has developed strong bonds with everyone in our club, which we are confident will last.
We send Jade our best wishes for her new phase.
The midfielder/forward was excited to start a new era with the Bombers.
I’m ecstatic to be a part of a major club like Essendon. I’m quite interested in what this group will be able to accomplish in the future,” Gresham added.
“I think we can do something extraordinary, and I’m excited to be a part of the future journey. I can’t wait to get to know everyone at the team, start preseason, and start working toward a huge 2024.
Adrian Dodoro, the list manager for the Bombers, continued, “We’re thrilled to bring Jade to Essendon. He is a skilled player with a track record of scoring goals, and he will be a terrific addition to our football team.
“As our forward mix changes, he will compliment our young small forwards and offer excellent leadership and expertise.
We believe his best football is yet to come, and we can’t wait to watch him play in the red and black next season.
1.30 PM – REVEAL OF GRESHAM OFFER
Jade Gresham may receive an offer from Essendon for up to $700,000 per season.
According to Tom Morris of SEN, who also said he wasn’t certain of the deal’s duration.
It is anticipated that the Saints will receive the end-of-first-round compensation pick, which is presently No. 21; Morris is “certain” that Fremantle would want this pick in exchange for Liam Henry.
Morris stated on SEN that “we are (coming closer to understanding player pay).
“It’s no surprise when these kinds of things come out because the club the player leaves from needs to know what the offer is from the club he’s heading to.
“We have a general idea of the bands. In actuality, $700,000 next year and the year after that won’t even come close to what it was in the previous few years. In a few years, there would be hundreds of players earning $700,000.
The Essendon football club has a lot of money to spend, so it seems reasonable that they would spend it on a player they believe would help them improve and who has significant potential.
Ben McKay and Todd Goldstein are already Essendon players that signed free agents.
DEES OFFER FOR MCADAM AT 1:30 PM
According to Callum Twomey of AFL Media, Melbourne has given Adelaide a future second-round pick in exchange for Shane McAdam.
Although Twomey stated the team would bet on itself to finish higher than Sydney — and hence their own pick would be lower — the Demons had another second-rounder connected to the Swans from the Brodie Grundy trade.
Early last month, McAdam made his initial request for a trade to Melbourne. With the departures of Brodie Grundy, James Harmes, and James Jordon from the club, the Dees have been among the busiest clubs during this transfer season.
GUNSTON REQUESTS A MOVE AT 11:30 A.M.
The Brisbane Lions have acknowledged that Jack Gunston has asked to transfer to Hawthorn, but they insist they are still considering all of their alternatives.
The 31-year-old wants to return to Hawthorn, according to Damian Barrett of AFL Media, and the Lions are “aware and respectful of his desire to seek a return to Victoria.”
Before joining the Lions as an unrestricted free agent at the end of the previous season, Gunston played 211 games and scored 410 goals for the Hawks.
He participated in 17 senior games for the Lions but lost favor later in the season.
“The Brisbane Lions confirm Jack Gunston has informed the Club of his desire to return to Hawthorn,” the team stated in a statement.
“While acknowledging Jack’s predicament, the Club is evaluating its position as a contracted player and will consider its alternatives. At this point, the club won’t be making any other comments.
GRESHAM PLAYS FOR ESSENDON AT 11 A.M.
According to several media sources, Jade Gresham will play for Essendon the next season when the club’s officially submitted offer triggered appropriate compensation for St. Kilda at the conclusion of the first round.
The Saints accepted the compensation provided by the AFL’s free agency formula, despite Essendon delaying their offer submission until the last day of contract lodgements.
After being selected with the 18th overall choice in the 2015 NFL Draft, Gresham, 26, played 136 senior games for the Saints.
Given the free agency compensation and the money that will be freed up under the salary cap as a result, the Saints were pleased to let him explore his options throughout the year and were ultimately happy to let him go.
9 a.m. – FREO PRESENTING PIES AS A ‘WILDCARD’ IN SCHULTZ TALKS, PUSHING FOR THEIR FUTURE FIRST
The Herald Sun writes that as a “wildcard” in negotiations, Fremantle is apparently asking for Collinwood’s future first-round pick in exchange for Lachie Schultz rather than this year’s first-rounder, which is presently No. 19.
It is hoped that the Magpies will have a Geelong-like decline after winning the championship in the upcoming season, which would naturally cause the pick to go up.
The report stated that Collingwood is eager to part ways with their No. 19 selection but that it would probably reject such a proposition.
The Magpies also possess choices 33 and 38 after trading Taylor Adams to Sydney for the former.
Given that Schultz’s request for a transfer was made so late, it is unlikely that Collingwood would send a player along with Schultz because Jack Ginnivan wants to stay a Magpie.
8.15 AM – ARE CATS BECOMING DIFFICULT TO MANAGE?
Kane Cornes, a dual All-Australian, believes Geelong is getting harder to work with at the trade table as a result of the club’s spat with Port Adelaide over a deal for Esava Ratugolea.
The Cats are being difficult with Ratugolea, rejecting an early offer of the Pick 24 that the Power received from Fremantle on the first day of the trade period in exchange for the 25-year-old free agent.
The Power tried to entice Ratugolea for the second year in a row by trading a pick to the Cats for the player who was then under contract, but the deal fell through.
On Friday morning, Cornes stated that the Cats were adamant in their negotiations with Collingwood over Ollie Henry a year prior.
According to history, Ratugolea has never been included in Geelong’s top 22, Cornes said on AFL Trade Radio. Chris Scott: “When he’s got a full complement to choose from, he hasn’t chosen him. In their championship season, he participated in four games. He doesn’t play while everyone is flying, active, and in good shape.
He’s 25 now, so he’s no longer young. Chris Scott is unwilling to provide opportunities for a 19-year-old like him. Despite being on the list for seven years, he hasn’t been their top pick.
It’s amusing to me, I’m not sure if Geelong is evolving into the next Essendon in terms of trade periods where they’re really challenging to deal with, but how reluctant they were to give Collingwood fair value for Ollie Henry last year still bothers me. The shoe is now on the other foot, and they are negotiating for a player who wants to leave them just as they did when they refused to deal a first-round pick for Henry.
You don’t want to be the team that haggle over five slots in the draft, in my opinion. The notoriety you gain from doing that, in my opinion, doesn’t help anyone and isn’t worth doing. We’ll just have to wait and see since they have every right to.
6 AM – FREE AGENCY DEADLINE COMES IN WITH AN UNMADE CRITICAL CALL
On Friday, Essendon will ultimately decide how much to pay St. Kilda’s Jade Gresham. The club must submit its offer for the restricted free agent by today at 5 p.m. AEDT.
The Bombers had promised to formally file the contract on Thursday, but they failed to do so, raising concerns about Gresham’s pay and the amount of compensation it would give the Saints.
Gresham has stated that St Kilda will match the offer if he does not secure them a pick at the end of the first round or higher, which would need a salary of about $700,000.
If the Bombers are unable to reach an agreement with Gresham, they may try to acquire him through the preseason draft, similar to how Carlton acquired Jack Martin. However, they would need to front-load Gresham’s contract to prevent another team from selecting him before them.
The clubs could negotiate a trade if the Saints did match the offer, but the Bombers seem unwilling to give up a pick.
Gresham staying at Moorabbin was still a “live option” according to St Kilda, Fox Footy.com.au’s David Zita said on Trading Day of Fox Footy.
On Fox Footy, he added, “St Kilda say they are prepared to match if it’s not end-of-first-round compensation.”
If a club doesn’t obtain the trade they want, the preseason draft is mentioned as a last resort.
“Essendon could easily offer him a couple of years at a salary that would at the very least trigger end-of-first-round compensation. Do they want to do that at the cost of forfeiting draft picks?
It’s safe to say that keeping all of their draft picks is their top priority.
After Essendon’s contract is filed, the Saints have three days to determine whether or not to match it.
St Kilda can proceed with its other things, such as moving Nick Coffield to the Western Bulldogs and adding both Liam Henry from Fremantle and Paddy Dow from Carlton, once it knows what pick it should receive in exchange for Gresham.
Other deals that are still being worked on involve Lachie Schultz (Fremantle to Collingwood), Elijah Hollands (Gold Coast to Carlton), Tom Fullarton (Brisbane to Melbourne), Shane McAdam (Adelaide to Melbourne), Esava Ratugolea (Geelong to Port Adelaide), Brandon Zerk-Thatcher (Essendon to Port Adelaide), Xavier Duursma (Port Adelaide to Essendon), Jordon Sweet
Leave a Reply