Charlie Curnow, Andrew McQualter and Christian Petracca. Pictures: AFL Photos

Get all the latest news in the trade, free agency and draft landscape 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.

CATS CONTINUE CURNOW CHASE

GEELONG will continue to pursue Carlton star Charlie Curnow as well as looking to devise a trade for St Kilda ruckman Rowan Marshall.

Marshall’s trade request on Friday to the Cats has not stopped their pursuit of Curnow, who wants out of the Blues and has Geelong as his preferred destination ahead of Sydney.

There had been a belief that the Cats would have to prioritise one of Marshall or Curnow and that the St Kilda big man’s nomination of his preferred trade destination with two years to run on his contract at the Saints would see Geelong bow out of the race for the Blues star.

But, although Gold Coast is no longer chasing Curnow after winning the battle as Christian Petracca’s favoured new home and with Jamarra Ugle-Hagan set to join the club, the Cats remain an avid suitor alongside the Swans. Sydney has made Curnow its top priority this Trade Period, with the Swans holding pick No.10 in this draft.  

Charlie Curnow during the R10 match between Carlton and Sydney at the SCG on May 16, 2025. Picture: Getty Images/AFL Photos

Marshall lodged his trade request only an hour after the Saints had officially landed Tom De Koning as a free agent on Friday, having long had interest in joining the Cats. 

The Grand Finalists currently hold picks No.18, 39, 58 and 76, as well as two full draft hands in 2026 and 2027. – Callum Twomey

EAGLES LOOK AT DRAFT MOVE

WEST Coast is among the clubs looking at bundling picks and targeting Gold Coast’s pick No.6 as the shuffle of selections gets clearer.

The Suns have had their first pick on the trade table in recent months as one of three first-round picks they have this year, as well as pick No.14 and No.17 (tied to Collingwood).  

Andrew McQualter addresses his players during West Coast’s clash against Carlton in round 14, 2025. Picture: AFL Photos

The Eagles are looking at options to group two of their picks – No.16 and No.22 – to shift up the board and claim another top-10 choice, with the Western Bulldogs having also been linked with interest in having a dip at the selection.

The Dogs have multiple strands already with the Suns, given Connor Budarick’s trade request to the Bulldogs and the Suns being set to land Jamarra Ugle-Hagan. The Dogs currently hold picks 11 and 32 and look likely to take father-son Will Darcy in the back end of the draft. 

West Coast currently holds picks No.1, 16, 22, 23, 37 and 56, with deals still to come for Campbell Chesser and Liam Ryan in their trade requests to Carlton and St Kilda respectively. 

TRADE TRACKER Get the details of every trade

They are also expected to land pick No.2 as compensation for Oscar Allen, although Brisbane has yet to lodge the paperwork on the key forward. The Lions and Eagles are also engaged in trade talks on Brandon Starcevich. 

Essendon is another club keeping its options open for a potential push up the draft board. The Bombers hold five top-30 picks – No.4, 5, 20, 26 and 29 – and are open to packaging selections to make a move up the order. 

Hawthorn’s pick No.8 will also be tabled to the Bombers as Zach Merrett continues to pursue a move to the Hawks. – Callum Twomey

Zach Merrett after Essendon’s loss to GWS in R19, 2025. Picture: AFL Photos

WILL FLANDERS’ CALL UNLOCK TRAC DEAL? 

ST Kilda’s No.7 pick will head to Gold Coast for Sam Flanders, with the prized selection set to be central to the Suns’ offer for Melbourne star Christian Petracca.

Flanders on Saturday nominated St Kilda as his preferred destination, having also strongly considered Melbourne and Essendon, and is set to go to the Saints on a five-year deal. 

The Saints have put forward their first-round pick this year to get the deal done, with the selection expected to then form a key part of the chase for Petracca, who has four years left on his deal at the Demons but is keen to get to the Suns. 

Sam Flanders during the round 15 match between Greater Western Sydney and Gold Coast at ENGIE Stadium, June 22, 2025. Picture: AFL Photos

A trade for the 29-year-old Norm Smith medallist will take some time to work through, with Melbourne chasing Suns youngster Bailey Humphrey, who met with Dees coach Steven King on Friday, however Gold Coast has been categoric he is not up for trade.

Humphrey is contracted for another three years at Gold Coast and has been on the Demons’ radar since his draft season in 2022, when they offered three first-round picks to land the gamebreaker.

Flanders’ commitment makes it five players in the grasp of St Kilda, which has already landed free agents Tom De Koning and Jack Silvagni and is now negotiating trades for Flanders, Liam Ryan and Leek Aleer.

Jack Steele is adamant he will not explore any trade options unless a club comes to him after being told by the Saints to look elsewhere.

The St Kilda midfielder, who has stepped down as captain, met with the club on Friday, when the Saints told him he can assess trade options. He has two years to run on his contract and wants to stay at St Kilda. – Callum Twomey

Jack Steele in action during St Kilda’s clash with Essendon in round 23, 2025. Picture: AFL Photos

COMPO WAIT FOR DEES

THERE is potential for Brody Mihocek to land at Melbourne via a trade, and not through free agency, as the Dees wait on compensation for outgoing free agent Charlie Spargo.

Spargo’s free agency deal was lodged on Friday but has been delayed in terms of sign-off, with the Roos agreeing to a three-year deal for the premiership Demon.

Mihocek on Saturday informed the Pies that he would be leaving the club for the Demons following Collingwood’s best and fairest.

Brody Mihocek celebrates a goal during Collingwood’s clash against Hawthorn in round 22, 2025. Picture: AFL Photos

The unrestricted free agent would be unlikely to garner any high level compensation for the Pies given his age – 32 – and the short-term contract, meaning a deal could still be done as a back-end trade.

Under free agency rules, the compensation pick a club gets for losing a player can be diluted or even withdrawn if they bring in another player via free agency.

A similar scenario saw Jack Gunston cross from Hawthorn to Brisbane at the end of 2022 through a trade because the Lions did not want to dilute their compensation pick for losing Daniel McStay. – Callum Twomey

Charlie Spargo in action during Melbourne’s clash against Fremantle in round six, 2025. Picture: AFL Photos

NEXT GEN ZONES REVEALED

NORTH Melbourne will keep its Wyndham region as part of its new Next Generation Academy zones, with the AFL close to releasing its new-look NGA map.

AFL.com.au revealed earlier this week the League had settled on wide-ranging changes to its NGA system in eligibility and criteria as well as access to prospects.

It comes after a long process to settle on revamped zones for Victorian clubs in particular, who are having to accommodate the addition of the Kangaroos, who are losing their Tasmania foothold with the establishment of the Devils.

WHO’S CALLED IT QUITS 2025’s retirements and delistings

The Kangaroos are understood to be keeping their Wyndham access as part of their updated region, with that a big part of the club’s submission to the AFL, and are also expected to get a northern corridor part of Victoria.

That will likely push into Richmond’s current zone, with all clubs to have metropolitan and either a regional or remote zone attached to them in the new structure.

The Roos had focused on the opportunities of fan growth through their Next Generation Academy as part of their submission when targeting a new area within the state. – Callum Twomey   

COACHES AT COMBINE

CLUB coaches joined recruiting teams at the MCG on Friday and Saturday to get a first-hand look at this year’s draft class.

West Coast’s Andrew McQualter, Sydney’s Dean Cox, St Kilda’s Ross Lyon, Melbourne’s Steven King and Richmond’s Adem Yze were among the head coaches to be at the Telstra AFL Draft Combine at different stages as this year’s pool went through its paces. 

Dean Cox during the round 24 match between West Coast and Sydney at Optus Stadium, August 23, 2025. Picture: AFL Photos

Interviews were spread out across Friday and Saturday, with the coaches throwing questions at the draftees in what is usually the first chance they have to meet the prospects.

Clubs have as many as 35 interviews across the two days, which is more than half of the players at the national Combine.

Also at the Combine on Friday were Geelong star Gryan Miers, Giants defender Connor Idun and Essendon’s Mason Redman. Miers has been involved in the Cats’ recruiting team at stages in recent seasons, with Idun also having an interest in the draft process with GWS. – Callum Twomey 

DRAFT GUNS KEEN TO BECOME BLUES

CARLTON is yet to commit to father-son and Academy-tied duo Harry Dean or Jack Ison ahead of this year’s national draft, with both players declaring their desire to get to the Blues later this November.

The club looks odds-on to secure Dean and Ison, who are both viewed by rivals as likely first-round picks, but have yet to guarantee either that their future will lie at Ikon Park ahead of the draft.

Harry Dean in action at Carlton training on July 9, 2025. Picture: Getty Images

Carlton is now in possession of picks No.9 and 21 as free agency compensation following the departures of Tom De Koning and Jack Silvagni, with the Blues actively looking to shuffle those selections to amass more points to match bids on Dean and Ison.

Dean, a 193cm key defender and the son of two-time Carlton premiership player Peter, has rocketed into top-10 calculations this year after emerging as the best intercept marking prospect in the pool.

“I’ve still got to have a meeting with [Carlton] to see what happens,” Dean told AFL.com.au at this year’s national draft combine on Saturday.

“I’d obviously like to play in any AFL system with any team, but to wear dad’s old number and jersey would be just surreal.”

DRAFT HUB Click here for the latest draft news

Ison, a 190cm mid-forward, is tied to the club’s Next Generation Academy and enjoyed a standout back-half of the season at APS level for Scotch College, with clubs suggesting he could now sit in the 20-30 range.

“Yeah, I’d love to go to Carlton,” Ison told AFL.com.au.

“Nothing is set in stone yet, but I’d like to think they’re interested at the moment. I haven’t really thought about it too much. There’s nothing I can do in terms of that, so I don’t try to stress too much about it.” – Riley Beveridge