The AFL free agency period is underway, with Hawthorn recruit Josh Battle and new Adelaide Crow Isaac Cumming the first names to switch clubs in the 2024 silly season.
Battle, who announced his intentions to depart St Kilda a month ago and was controversially told not to attend the Saints’ best and fairest, has officially become a Hawk as an unrestricted free agent on a six-year contract, while Cumming has joined the Crows on a reported four-year deal.
They were followed by Cumming’s Giants teammate Harry Perryman, who will join Collingwood as an unrestricted free agent on a deal reportedly worth up to $900,000 per season; that was soon followed by fellow Giant Nick Haynes joining Carlton, also as an unrestricted free agent.
Delisted Saint Tom Campbell has joined Melbourne as Max Gawn’s ruck back-up, making it four clubs for the 58-game journeyman, who began his career at the Western Bulldogs in 2012 and then moved to North Melbourne in late 2018; while Adelaide tall Elliott Himmelberg is heading to Gold Coast as an unrestricted free agent..
Battle finishes with 123 games as a Saint, having become a crucial member of the backline since making his debut in 2017, while Cumming, a long-kicking defender, played 81 games at the Giants between 2018 and 2024.
The AFL is set to shortly announce the Saints, Crows and Giants’ compensation draft picks.
The free agency period will run from October 4 to 11, with the official AFL Trade Period beginning on Monday, October 7, and running through to Wednesday, October 16.
>> Every player move, as they happen
‘Dumpster fire’ Dees slammed over Oliver trade drama
Melbourne are set to shut down any chance of Clayton Oliver receiving his desired trade to Geelong, according to reports.
News broke during the week that the Demons star for the second year in a row would be involved in trade discussions, with Oliver even meeting with Geelong players Rhy Stanley and Tom Stewart and expressing an interest in becoming a Cat.
However, according to SEN’s Sam Edmund, the Dees will confirm Oliver will be honouring his monster contract, which run through until the end of 2030 and is worth a reported $10 million, at the club’s best and fairest evening, with fair compensation for Oliver deemed to be all but impossible.
>> Read the latest AFL Trade Rumours
“They’ve had a look and they’ve done some tyre-kicking for the second year in a row, and Clayton has as well, but such is the difficulty of the contract and the ability to get fair compensation, it just doesn’t make it possible or acceptable,” Edmund said on AFL Trade Radio.
“I think the feeling is internally that they can fall back in love again with the player and the player with them. There’s been a lot of meetings on this.
“All day today and all day yesterday and having the same conversations we’ve been having.
“Ultimately, they’ve settled on the fact that Oliver will be going nowhere and they think they can make it work.”
Oliver is the second star Demon to be embroiled in trade drama in the last month, with Christian Petracca also exploring a trade amid discontent with the club over their response to his horrific King’s Birthday internal injuries, before hitting the same impasse as Oliver as no fair offers from rivals were forthcoming.
Co-host Kane Cornes was deeply unimpressed with the latest revelations, describing the situation as a ‘complete dumpster fire’.
“What a mess,” he said.
“Your two best midfielders have had issues with the club and requested trades.
“Oliver had his head around playing for Geelong and sounded excited by that prospect. You’re not driving out to Rhys Stanley’s farm and having multiple meetings if you’re not seriously thinking about leaving.
“The way Melbourne have handled this… [it] beggars belief how unprofessional this football club has been for multiple seasons now.
“They’ve half-done this again, and are risking a player coming back, along with Petracca, who doesn’t want to be there.
“This is ugly. This is a complete dumpster fire at Melbourne right now.”
Clayton Oliver. (Photo by Michael Willson/AFL Photos via Getty Images)
Fagan’s shock Daniher reveal as retiring star bids farewell
Joe Daniher would have retired if the Brisbane Lions had won last year’s AFL grand final.
But after a four-point loss to Collingwood the enigmatic forward told his coach Chris Fagan he’d stick around.
And the media-shy key forward was able to toast a premiership-winning career at Thursday’s end-of-season dinner after confirming his retirement earlier in the day.
“Always champing at the bit for a bit of media and just never seemed to fall my way,” Daniher joked before thanking former club Essendon and Brisbane.
“Thanks so much for embracing me.
“Letting me come here and have a kick, stuff up a bit on the field, get another kick and stuff up again… but we got there in the end.
“To go out and get a premiership is what this club deserved and I’m very happy to be a small part of it, so thank you.”
Fagan had earlier revealed to AAP he’d known for more than a year, since they spoke after that Magpies loss, that Daniher was serious about cutting short his career.
“He said to me, ‘You know if we had have won this week I was going to retire’,” Fagan told the crowd at the club’s end-of-season function.
“He said, ‘I’m going to play for one year and I hope we can win a premiership’, and I’m so pleased that happened.
“You’ve given us so many wonderful moments, and head scratching moments and all those moments, and we’ll never forget that.”
Rumours had swirled about the 30-year-old weighing up a retirement call since the eve of last Saturday’s season decider.
He has called time after a total of 204 games with the Lions and Essendon.
Daniher ended on a high, capping a stellar individual finals series with 2.4 from 16 disposals in an influential role in the Lions’ 60-point defeat of Sydney.
He added eight marks and four clearances against Sydney, and was mobbed by celebrating teammates after kicking the final goal of the game.
Daniher kicked eight goals across four cut-throat finals and stepped up in the ruck after Oscar McInerney was injured in the preliminary final.
He played a key role as the fifth-placed Lions became only the second team to win the flag from outside the top four under the current finals system.
“Joe is a generational type of player that will go down as one of the best forwards to have played AFL,” Brisbane football manager Danny Daly said.
“We are extremely privileged that he played for the Brisbane Lions because he was a huge key to us experiencing the success we have and winning the premiership.
“What I love about Joey is that he has done it his way his whole career and in doing so has become a much-loved cult figure of our club and the AFL.
Joe Daniher celebrates Brisbane’s premiership win with teammate Lincoln McCarthy. (Photo by Michael Willson/AFL Photos via Getty Images)
“We are sad to see him hang up the boots and call time on his career, but he does so with the full blessing of everyone at the Brisbane Lions.”
Daniher played 96 games for Brisbane after joining the club for the 2021 season.
He also played 108 games in eight seasons at Essendon, having been drafted under the father-son rule.
His father Anthony Daniher played 118 games with the Bombers and 115 with the Swans.
Daniher’s retirement ensures a remarkable AFL streak will continue; no premiership team has ever played together again in its entirety after their grand final victory.
Co-captain Lachie Neale polled 73 votes to edge out fellow All-Australian Dayne Zorko by one vote, making it four titles in six Lions seasons and six in nine since his first of two for Fremantle.
Brisbane will also be without Murray Davis next season after the long-time assistant coach departed to take up a newly created role as Adelaide’s coaching director.
LIONS’ BEST AND FAIREST TOP 10
Lachie Neale (73 votes), Dayne Zorko (72), Josh Dunkley (71), Hugh McCluggage, Darcy Wilmot (61), Ryan Lester (60), Harris Andrews (56), Jarrod Berry (56), Joe Daniher (56), Oscar McInerney (54).
(AAP)