Clubs are reportedly preparing for a landmark change to the father-son and academy bidding system.
Plus, a Blues gun will likely have to wait before making his long-awaited senior return.
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Clubs are said to be readying themselves for another change to the draft bidding system in the coming months, with Carlton and Port Adelaide set to scramble to secure their elite club-tied prospects.
Teams are expected to only be allowed to use a maximum of two first-round draft picks to match rival bids on top talent, according to the Herald Sun’s Jon Ralph.
It’s a considerable change from recent memory, where clubs have been able to stockpile a bevy of lesser selections which still add up to the requisite draft points total to match another team’s bid.
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Gold Coast and Brisbane have in past years repeatedly made shrewd deals to gather plenty of later picks to ensure their plethora of academy and father-son talent end up at the club.
But Ralph reports the clubland belief that this year’s changes will mean that if a side wants to match a rival bid in the first round, it will only be able to use the points from two picks which must fall in the same round.
Last year, the league tweaked the draft value index and downgraded the discount for matching an NGA or father-son bid from 20 per cent to 10 per cent.
The Blues are looking to cement father-son prospect Cody Walker’s arrival this November, while the Power have priority NGA access to Dougie Cochrane. Both are projected to attract early rival bids as likely top-three picks.
Carlton holds its own first-rounder as well as Sydney’s, as a result of last October’s blockbuster Charlie Curnow trade, which sent three firsts and Will Hayward the Blues’ way.
It means they’re in a position to match a contending bid for Walker, with two second-rounders also in hand.
Port Adelaide, meanwhile, only has one first-rounder at present but holds two seconds, with the one coming via last year’s Ben Ainsworth-Corey Durdin trade.
Packaging its seconds to move back into the first-round order could be an avenue to matching for Cochrane — though it’ll be a completely moot point if superstar free agent Zak Butters seeks a trade to Victoria and the Power, in turn, yielding several firsts.
But debate will reign over whether such a pivotal change to the bidding system should be implemented so close to the first affected draft, with clubs planning their hands years in advance.
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EAGLES MAKE SSP MOVE
West Coast has officially added to its list for the 2026 season, signing WAFL standout Milan Murdock ahead of the SSP deadline.
Eagles recruiting boss Matt Clarke revealed the Eagles had been “tracking” the 25-year-old’s progress “closely for several years”, with Murdock averaging 27.4 disposals and 7.8 tackles for East Fremantle last season.
West Coast opened up the list spot after small forward Noah Long was placed on the long-term inactive list after a season-ending knee injury.
“Just over the moon, absolutely,” Murdock said in a club release on Friday.
“It almost felt like the dream was close to being over. I was never going to give up anyway, but then ‘Mini’ (Andrew McQualter) just called me on Wednesday.
“I was at work, and he just said: ‘Look, mate, it’s your last day on the tools, you’re going to be wearing the blue and gold this year’.
“I worked just extremely hard the last 15 years, so for this to happen, it’s just a massive relief.
“And now the hard work really starts as well, so I’m just more eager than ever just to have a crack.”
The Eagles play Port Adelaide on Sunday in their final tune-up before their season proper begins against Gold Coast on March 15.
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RETURNING BLUES STAR SET FOR BAN
Veteran half-backer Nic Newman has received a two-match ban for striking during a VFL practice match.
In Carlton’s reserves practice hitout against Geelong on Wednesday, Newman, who’s plotting a senior return after his 2025 campaign was wiped out due to injury, was cited for a late spoil.
The incident was graded as careless conduct, high contact and high impact, resulting in the two-game sanction.
If accepted, Newman will miss his side’s Opening Round and Round 1 clashes with Sydney and Richmond, respectively.
And with the Blues on a bye in Round 2, it’ll mean he wouldn’t be able to put his hand up for a long-awaited senior return until Carlton’s Round 3 bout with Melbourne on March 29.
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