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LACHIE NEALE\ufeff<\/p>\n
Jon Ralph says: \u201cI reported (Tuesday) that the first two years of a three-year contract would be about a million dollars at Collingwood. Corbin, does he deserve that? And what\u2019s the price if Fremantle wanted to not match that deal, but get somewhere closer given their offer was about two years at $600,000? And at one stage they thought (Lachie) was coming back home.\u201d<\/p>\n
Corbin Middlemas says: \u201cI feel like for Lachie in that sense, Fremantle haven\u2019t got what would fulfil him at this particular stage of his career. He\u2019s played footy in Perth previously, he\u2019s played footy in Brisbane, he\u2019s had team success. You feel like the only thing that he hasn\u2019t done, is step out on a field every single weekend in front of 80,000 people \u2014 and that\u2019s what the Magpies can provide.<\/p>\n
\u201cAlso, if they\u2019ve got a fair bit of cash there for him as well, that also fulfils him obviously and sets him up going forward for years to come. I feel like Collingwood\u2019s in a great position to secure him. You talk about the actual money that\u2019s attached to it and whether that\u2019s worth the squeeze for the Magpies \u2014 what price do you put on satisfying Nick Daicos and keeping him comfortable that: \u2018Hey, we can contend, we\u2019re good now. There\u2019s some support in the midfield?\u2019<\/p>\n
\u201cI can make sense of it if I\u2019m Justin Leppitsch as to why they\u2019d possibly be going down that path.\u201d<\/p>\n
Lauren Wood says: \u201cIt would excite Nick Daicos, but it would probably rankle a few.\u201d<\/p>\n
Jon Ralph says: Well, some of those players would be cranky. The likes of Steele Sidebottom, Scott Pendlebury, potentially, and even Jeremy Howe, who stayed for a lot less. But, I just think that\u2019s what the list management game is. Surely they can understand that this club needs to keep Nick Daicos happy.<\/p>\n
\u201cPeople say: \u2018Why is he going to Collingwood?\u2019 Well, probably because of the money. I also think at Brisbane, around every corner there\u2019s a reminder. Every function that he goes to, he\u2019s getting the dagger-eyes from the players or \u2014 more to the point \u2014 their partners, given that he let down his partner so badly. So, I just think that that\u2019s the constant reminder there as well. If you\u2019re a Collingwood player, yes, you\u2019d be upset about the money he\u2019s on, but it happens all the time.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou know, the star free agents come in, you know, Harry Perryman got $900,000, Dan Houston got $900,000. It\u2019s just the way it has to be if you would like to keep your club in the window.\u201d<\/p>\n
Collingwood currently lead the race for unrestricted free agent Lachie Neale, with other clubs such as West Coast, Adelaide and St Kilda also linked to the dual Brownlow Medallist.Source: Getty Images<\/p>\n
TOBY GREENE<\/p>\n
Jon Ralph says: \u201cIt\u2019s probably not a money decision … let\u2019s face it, the only club is likely to be Geelong if he doesn\u2019t stay at GWS.\u201d<\/p>\n
Lauren Wood says: \u201cIt\u2019s ticked a lot of boxes so far, hasn\u2019t it? I mean, he\u2019s the captain of the club, he\u2019s had some really big performances this year. We\u2019ve had the obligatory real estate story, talk of a property at Aireys Inlet (which was denied) … It\u2019s just about ticked every box for a departure year, hasn\u2019t it? But Geelong, they clearly always pay unders because they can offer this lifestyle of potentially Aireys Inlet.<\/p>\n
Jon Ralph says: \u201cI think it\u2019s three years at $700,000. He\u2019s earned a million dollars for probably the last seven or eight years. He can come back, lives on the coast, gets a couple of tractors … and as we were told there as well by Tom Hawkins, Jezza\u2019s been in his ear \u2014 you think about how powerful that would be.<\/p>\n
\u201cCome and win a flag, you play a poor game \u2014 and there will be some poor games in the next three years. It doesn\u2019t matter because someone else goes and kicks four (like) Tyson Stengle or Gryan Myers. I think the fact that he\u2019s in a good team is more important than the money, because as GWS would say, he\u2019s had some quiet games this year \u2014 and they get highlighted.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey don\u2019t get highlighted at Geelong. Patty Dangerfield has four possessions, we say: \u2018Ah, next week\u2019. It\u2019s a family decision, but I think going to Geelong would be a smart move given that there will be some quiet games in the last couple of years of his career.\u201d<\/p>\n
After 15 years in western Sydney, does Toby Greene finish his AFL career back in his home state of Victoria?Source: Getty Images<\/p>\n
ZACH MERRETT<\/p>\n
Lauren Wood says: \u201cAll signs are pointing to him wanting to get to Hawthorn again, but it\u2019s not going to be the deal it was last year.\u201d<\/p>\n
Jon Ralph says: \u201cHe\u2019s played as good football as he had last year, except he\u2019s played at half-back and in defence at times. I just think this could be a recipe for disaster for Essendon again, if it is the same formula the doom loop, where he says: \u2018I only want to go to Hawthorn\u2019, and Hawthorn says: \u2018That\u2019s great, but hang on, all of a sudden Bailey Humphrey wants to come in, and Ben King \u2014 we\u2019re interested in him. And all we have is a current first-round pick and those three second rounders which won\u2019t do much.\u2019<\/p>\n
\u201cTim Watson said it well: \u2018Find us multiple clubs where you would like to go. It might be Gold Coast who are interested, it might be Melbourne, it might be another club up in the window \u2014 and then we\u2019ll go and get a deal done. Because you just don\u2019t want to be Essendon, a minute to midnight thinking to themselves: \u2018How do we deal with Hawthorn again?\u2019<\/p>\n
\u201cDifferent manager, same list boss at Hawthorn. I think that\u2019s got real challenges, so I think that\u2019d be really smart to try and find multiple avenues. Again, he\u2019s probably a $1.2 million player, but it\u2019s the trade collateral that\u2019s so important from Essendon.\u201d<\/p>\n
If anything, Zach Merrett\u2019s desire to leave Essendon has only gotten stronger in 2026.Source: Getty Images<\/p>\n
JORDAN RIDLEY<\/p>\n
Corbin Middlemas says: \u201cHe\u2019s a fascinating one for me, and particularly the fact that he\u2019s coming back and playing at this particular stage. Don\u2019t get me wrong, I don\u2019t think they should hold him out or anything like that. But, the guy that\u2019s had so many soft tissue injuries across the course of his career, it makes me wonder: \u2018What is he worth right now?\u2019<\/p>\n
\u201cWho knows what happens in the back end of the season? If he can string together 10 consecutive weeks of footy … does that help his value go up? Or … if for whatever reason he doesn\u2019t string those games together, could his trade value actually dip on the back end of the season? I\u2019m fascinated how Essendon feel about this. If he is going to go, whether he\u2019s better off playing or not playing at this particular stage and how his value will change in the next 10 weeks. I feel like there\u2019s a bit to be played out here in what he\u2019s going to be worth at season\u2019s end, based off what happens in the next 10 weeks.\u201d<\/p>\n
Jon Ralph says: \u201cIf I\u2019m James Hird or Dean Solomon or John Longmire \u2014 whoever that Essendon coach is \u2014 you get them all in a room and say: \u2018Who wants to go? Put your hand up, I\u2019ll trade the rest of you\u2019. You do not want to be in this situation at the end of 2027, where Ridley goes: \u2018Oh, actually I would like to go this time\u2019 or Darcy Parish says: \u2018I want to go to Geelong\u2019, or Kyle Langford says: \u2018I\u2019ve had so many quad injuries.\u2019<\/p>\n
\u201cMake sure all of those blokes put their hand up. You\u2019ll be as young as you\u2019ll ever be next year, and then you build from there. I think Ridley\u2019s a very handy player, but again, if you\u2019re Gold Coast, you\u2019d be a little bit of buyer-beware. You bring him in, you lose a Bailey Humphrey, and all of a sudden he has more quad and hamstring and calf complaints … For every Lincoln McCarthy who\u2019s gone to the northern climates and flourished, there is a Tom Doedee who has really battled. Some players are just injury prone.\u201d<\/p>\n
As reported by foxfooty.com.au in May, a move up north still looks to be the preference of Essendon\u2019s gun defender Jordan Ridley come season\u2019s end.Source: Getty Images<\/p>\n
NATHAN BROAD<\/p>\n
Lauren Wood says: \u201cHe obviously wants to get home to WA. Does that lessen your price when everyone knows that you want to go there?\u201d<\/p>\n
Jon Ralph says: \u201cHe\u2019s cheap as chips, don\u2019t worry about that. He would have been very, very handy in that West Coast side when they were getting eviscerated by Jack Darling and of course, Nick Larkey as well. His manager Colin Young is earning his money trying to get him a deal. I think their view is: \u2018We already brought in all of those Richmond players\u2019 … is that one too many? But, I just think you get him in as effectively a free coach. $100,000 and it\u2019s not in your football department cap. You might have a coaching component to that next year, but he\u2019s a great club man. He\u2019ll play games, he won\u2019t whinge if he\u2019s playing WAFL. What\u2019s to lose for Nathan Broad and West Coast? <\/p>\n
Lauren Wood says: \u201cIt\u2019s a total win-win.\u201d<\/p>\n
West Coast would be out of the minds to not take on board Nathan Broad as he finishes his playing career at the top level.Source: Getty Images<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"In many ways, the 2026 trade landscape is unlike anything the AFL has seen before, with two former…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":741555,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[560],"tags":[638,64,63,55,639,85],"class_list":["post-741554","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-afl","tag-afl","tag-au","tag-australia","tag-australian-football-league","tag-australianfootballleague","tag-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/741554","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=741554"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/741554\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/741555"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=741554"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=741554"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=741554"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}