$2.8m Bailey gap, How Pies ‘keep Daicos happy’: AFL players due for big pay rises… and contract concerns

Which out-of-contract players are adding dollars to their next deal? And which are going in the other direction?

In the latest edition of Midweek Tackle’s digital-only show ‘Tackle The Headline’, the team identified the names due for big pay rises, as well as those with potential concerns.

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The following players are all out of contract at season’s end, except for Collingwood’s Oscar Steene.

So with that, here’s the …

PLAYERS SET FOR BIG PAY RISES

Buku Khamis (Western Bulldogs)

Jon Ralph says: “I think he’s an $800,000 player right now. That might sound insane, but he’s an intercepting back, he runs hard, he rebounds well, he judges well. Of course, you might need to see six or eight weeks more of a sample size. But by the halfway mark of the year, three years, $2.4 million — if you don’t pay him, someone else will as an unrestricted free agent … I think he absolutely will stay. The only reason he didn’t really go was because Carlton had so many balls in the air with Charlie Curnow, they got a couple of players in. Really they just didn’t have time to get to him. The Dogs very much valued him … and they needed key backs after missing out on Mark Keane, Jordon Butts and Cal Wilkie.”

Zane Zakostelsky (Brisbane Lions)

Jon Ralph says: “Ty Gallop played back last week and looked very good as well, but I think both of those guys have got upside. I like the cut of his jib, I like how aggressive he is. He’s a good football player.”

Zac Bailey (Brisbane Lions)

Jon Ralph says: “It’s got to be $1.3 million I reckon to keep him. I think he could get $1.6 million by going, clubs like Essendon might throw $1.8 million, but you don’t want to go to Essendon. So (the gap is) $1.2 million to $1.6 million — $400,000 over seven years — that’s $2.8 million (he’d be leaving on the table to stay at Brisbane).

Corbin Middlemas says: “This is also how the system should be working. The good clubs that have developed all these star players, they should be offered good money to go somewhere else and that was basically the equalisation model we were pitched once upon a time. Clubs would come and raid the really good teams. So I can understand why Chris Fagan is saying what he is, he’s trying to keep the pressure down. He’s not trying to inflate any of these salaries like St Kilda and other teams.”

Elijah Hollands (Carlton)

Jon Ralph says: “What a great story. His openness about his mental health issues that came out in alcohol abuse. He got delisted, tough love, he got to work and got as fit as he ever has and now he’s playing great football. They will reward him I think with a couple-year deal at some stage and he absolutely should reward them by staying put alongside his brother, Ollie, who’s also out of contract.”

Oscar Steene (Collingwood)

Corbin Middlemeas says: “Four quarters of footy, what a sample size to be able to just recast your whole status as a player. The other thing is all the noise around Nick Daicos … one way of keeping Nick happy is keeping assets like Oscar Steene at the club. We saw how well that rapport worked the other night between the pair of them. Even though he’s contracted until the end of 2027, I imagine that’ll be one worth looking at ahead of time to try and make sure they’ve got him locked away.”

Jon Ralph says: “You said one way of keeping Nick happy. The way of keeping Nick happy is keeping quality players around him. It’s why they’re so aggressive and have $2 million in salary cap spend they want to use. he’s a winner, he wants to win. A big part of the ruckus, the leverage and the whisper campaign is for him to subtly mention to Collingwood: ‘You get your list in order and I’ll stay at this footy club’.”

Phoenix Gothard (GWS Giants)

Jon Ralph says: “He’s had horrific injures, he’s the player they picked really early when they could’ve picked Dan Curtin. He’s just playing great pressure football, he’s getting on the scoreboard. He’s only in his initial deal, so he will clearly get a contract extension. I think he’s a great story for perseverance.”

Corbin Middlemas says: “The other thing that’s interesting is what happens when all those (injured) guys come back? Then there’s a real squeeze on. Once upon a time they were a dime a dozen, small forwards, they’re not that easy to come by now. Every team is looking for a couple of those great zippy, speedy forwards.”

Bayley Fritsch (Melbourne)

Corbin Middlemas says: “He’s one that jumps off the page to me. It felt like at the end of last year, jury’s out. We’ve clearly seen with a new coach coming in, it’s reinvigorated what he’s been able to produce. I’m sure if that’s not attractive to the Demons, it’ll certainly be attractive to another club to have a medium forward that knows how to get it done.”

Zane Duursma (North Melbourne)

Jon Ralph says: “Wanted out, or so the reports went, at the end of last year. He was disgruntled. I don’t think he was fit enough or worked hard enough on his football. He’s gone away and worked his butt off. Victory for perseverance. He might not get a massive deal, but all of a sudden he’s playing great football.”

PLAYERS WITH CONTRACT CONCERNS

Ollie Wines (Port Adelaide)

Jon Ralph says: “Overlooked in the game coming back from his suspension. I think the job is ahead of him. So many of these players talking about having gumboots on or whatever the expression might be — these really strong bodied inside midfielders who haven’t got great spread and he’s past 30. We’re not writing him off. But when Patrick Cripps can’t play football in the modern era, it’s going to be a challenge for Ollie Wines.”

Kieren Briggs (GWS Giants)

Jon Ralph says: “Tim English jumped over him and Oscar Steene jumped over him as well. He’s a free agent, so this should be the year he gets his big, fat contract. Instead, the game is really challenging him. Clubs are tag teaming him. He will get a good contract, I imagine, but it’s a massive challenge for blokes like him who have pushed and shoved — also Tristan Xerri, who’s got a long-term contract — when the game is totally different in the ruck to what it used to be.”

Bailey Williams (West Coast)

Jon Ralph says: “Restricted free agent, he’s got a back-ended deal. He would’ve thought: ‘I’ll get to the end of this term, someone will want me. Second ruck, I can play forward’. But he’s short and he’s not a jumping ruckman either. That’s a challenge.”

Corbin Middlemas says: “At the very least, you need a jumping ruckman with you. We saw the combination the other night made perfect sense with Oscar Steene and Darcy Camer0n. If you’re going to be that kind of guy, you need a good dance partner.”

Patrick Dangerfield (Geelong)

Jon Ralph says:“His calves. It’s such a ballistic game, there’s nowhere to hide. You can’t just play as that fifth or sixth forward and roam around and do what Paddy does on Easter Monday all those years ago. Get our calves 100 per cent right, then take two more weeks off, get them absolutely bulletproof. Let’s hope Paddy has got another extraordinary finals game in him and maybe another premiership.”