Geelong and Hawthorn were reportedly among the AFL clubs keen on Sam Walsh if the Carlton superstar elected to head to free agency. But the Blues announced on Tuesday that Walsh has re-signed on a massive eight-year deal until the end of 2034, believed to be worth over $10 million.
The 25-year-old would have become a free agent at season’s end, with the Cats, Hawks, Saints and Crows all said to be interested. But Walsh has taken himself off the table by signing the longest contract in Carlton history.
Geelong and Hawthorn were reportedly keen on Sam Walsh. Image: Getty
“I love this club. I am a Carlton person and I couldn’t be happier to continue my career here,” the co-captain said in a statement on Tuesday. “This was obviously a big decision for me, but it was made so much easier because I know we are heading in the right direction.
“I make no secret of the fact that I want to win, and I want to win with the Carlton monogram on my chest. I truly believe that the key people we have here, and where our group is at right now, we are seeing a significant shift as we head into this next period of our football club, one that I know is going to be really exciting to be part of.
“When I arrived, our club was last on the ladder. Footy isn’t a linear experience, everyone knows that, but I am all in on the next eight years and doing everything I can to help us reach the top and stay there – the day we do will mean everything to me.”
Sam Walsh is staying put at Carlton for another eight years.
(Getty Images)Sam Walsh’s new deal worth more than $10 million
Cal Twomey of AFL.com.au is reporting that Walsh’s new deal is worth more than $10 million. He joins Kysaiah Pickett of the Demons and Caleb Serong from Fremantle as the longest-signed players in the AFL.
“We are absolutely delighted to secure Sam’s future in the navy blue,” said Carlton list boss Nick Austin. “To get his signature before the AFL season even starts perfectly sums up the type of player and person he is, and the type of environment we want to be building where our people believe in what they are helping create.”
Walsh has played 133 games since debuting for Carlton in 2019 after he was taken with the No.1 pick in the 2018 draft. He’s averaged 27.4 disposals per game across his career, and won the AFL Rising Star award in his debut season.
In 2021 the hard-running midfielder finished fourth in Brownlow Medal voting, won Carlton’s best and fairest award and was named to the All-Australian team. He won the Gary Ayres Medal for best finals player in 2023.
with AAP