Join now and get your first month for just $1.<\/a><\/p>\nWHAT’S GAMBLING REALLY COSTING YOU? Set a deposit limit. For Free and confidential support call 1800 858 858 or visit gamblinghelponline.org.au.<\/p>\n
EAGLES SWEAT OVER FREE AGENT<\/p>\n
West Coast has long been keen on luring West Australian dual premiership defender Brandon Starcevich home, but after the Lion suffered his fourth concussion in the space of 14 months, it\u2019s been revealed the club is \u201cworried\u201d about the situation. <\/p>\n
Starcevich didn\u2019t play out Saturday\u2019s flag triumph over Geelong after suffering his latest head knock, but Herald Sun and Fox Footy reporter Jon Ralph says it isn\u2019t as serious as one he suffered previously this year as the Eagles sweat on their lucrative offer to the 26-year-old. <\/p>\n
\u201cThe big worry, right now, is for Brandon Starcevich … this (concussion) was not as significant as the one that saw him out for three months, but the Eagles have put (forward) a deal that is significant,\u201d he told Fox Footy\u2019s On the Couch season finale on Monday night. <\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s $900,000, as much as six years. They (the Eagles) have contacted those around him (Starcevich) in the last 48 hours \u2014 they\u2019re worried about this concussion.\u201d<\/p>\n
But in a relief for West Coast supporters, the club\u2019s purported six-year offer isn\u2019t fully guaranteed if Starcevich isn\u2019t able to hit games-based triggers. <\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s not a six-year deal that\u2019s guaranteed. I can tell you tonight that it\u2019s got some games-based triggers, so it might be four or five years guaranteed, and then you\u2019ve got to play a certain amount of games to get that six-year (term) … right now, that deal is still on the table,\u201d Ralph added. <\/p>\n
‘Maybe I do belong’ – Fagan’s AFL doubts | 02:14<\/p>\n
Four-time flag-winner Jordan Lewis expressed some concern over the Eagles\u2019 offer to the 132-gamer. <\/p>\n
\u201cI watched that (his head knock), and I thought \u2018I wonder what that means for the contract that is potentially going to come his way \u2014 I think they would (second-guess offering that length of deal). I think maybe the length of it you could seriously consider,\u201d he said. <\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s a lot of money to commit to someone who\u2019s had a lot of previous issues in terms of concussion.\u201d<\/p>\n
And in the unfortunate hypothetical event that Starcevich is medically retired in the future, whichever club has his contract on their books will be covered for three further years of that deal. <\/p>\n
Under the AFL\u2019s rules, if he was medically retired by an AFL panel, he would have 90 per cent of his salary exempted from the salary cap in the year after he exited the game. In the second season post-retirement he would have 75 per cent exempted, then 50 per cent in the third \u2014 but after the third, no more protection.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think it\u2019s a fair bet for West Coast to take, assuming that they have got recompense somewhere built in from the AFL to be able to take that risk with the position that they\u2019re in to get a high-quality player,\u201d former Collingwood coach Nathan Buckley told On the Couch. <\/p>\n
\u201cAnd as you said, there\u2019s triggers attached to it, so there might be some security and safety mechanisms for the back half of that, at least, and I think you\u2019ve got to be prepared, in West Coast\u2019s shoes, to take a little bit of a risk on something like this that it does pay off, because you get a quality player and quality person.\u201d<\/p>\n
Starcevich is a restricted free agent, so even if the Lions\u2019 stopper ultimately desires a move home, Brisbane has the right to match the Eagles\u2019 offer and force a trade agreement. <\/p>\n
“There’s a dent in that Cup!” | 03:33<\/p>\n
IT WOULD \u2018BE A SHOCK\u2019 IF CROW DOESN\u2019T PLAY ON<\/p>\n
Unrestricted free agent Taylor Walker is reportedly set to extend his career into a 19th season, as a \u201csit-down\u201d with Adelaide officials is imminent. <\/p>\n
There have been questions over whether Walker would continue his decorated career, but after 39 goals from 23 games in a humming forward line alongside Riley Thilthorpe and Darcy Fogarty, a decision appears clear. <\/p>\n
According to Seven\u2019s Mitch Cleary<\/a> on Monday night, \u201cit would now be a shock\u201d if Walker didn\u2019t play on, with \u201call parties expecting\u201d the 301-game former captain to play on. <\/p>\n\u2018Tex\u2019 booted a whopping 76 goals in a resurgent 2023 season but regressed last year, managing just 29 majors in 18 games as doubts were again cast over his future in the league. <\/p>\n
But he again silenced the naysayers this year, not only proving he\u2019s still a clear best-23 player in Matthew Nicks\u2019 side but also continuing to add serious leadership value in the forward half as Thilthorpe and Fogarty continue to forge their AFL careers. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"It\u2019s been revealed the Eagles are \u201cworried\u201d about the latest concussion suffered by free agent target Brandon Starcevich…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":177643,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[9126,114961,63,689,114963,55,20781,3237,3244,3499,16682,114966,114964,114959,10145,13659,61,2105,5096,43,114736,681,19080,114965,16712,647,26511,44,677,1137,114962,7889,35454,16702,41,39,42,40,114960,11236,57548,12920,660,7067,114734],"class_list":["post-177642","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-headlines","tag-adelaide-crows","tag-agent-target","tag-australia","tag-australia-and-new-zealand","tag-australian-dual-premiership","tag-australian-football-league","tag-brandon-starcevich","tag-brisbane-lions","tag-chris-fagan","tag-daniel-pockett","tag-darcy-fogarty","tag-dual-premiership-defender","tag-eagles-sweat","tag-games-based-triggers","tag-garry-lyon","tag-geelong-cats","tag-gerard-whateley","tag-getty-images-inc","tag-head-knock","tag-headlines","tag-imposter-syndrome","tag-jon-ralph","tag-jordan-lewis","tag-leadership-value","tag-matthew-nicks","tag-melbourne","tag-nathan-buckley","tag-news","tag-oceania","tag-player-movement-developments","tag-safety-mechanisms","tag-salary-cap","tag-season-finale","tag-taylor-walker","tag-top-news","tag-top-stories","tag-topnews","tag-topstories","tag-trade-agreement","tag-trade-news","tag-trade-target","tag-trade-whispers","tag-victoria","tag-west-coast-eagles","tag-winning-coach"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/177642","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=177642"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/177642\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/177643"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=177642"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=177642"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=177642"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}