Every AFL club’s trade storyline to watch in 2024

The new AFL season is looming large on the horizon and already discussion has turned to the big trade narratives at play.

From the key names coming out of contract, to other general interesting narratives, below are our trade stories to keep an eye on at every club.

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ADELAIDE CROWS

Luring more homegrown talent

Arguably no club has done a better job of luring homegrown talent in recent years than the Crows, landing the likes of Jordan Dawson and Izak Rankine to become a destination club. It’s helped fastrack the team’s exciting direction under Matthew Nicks, emerging as one of the big bolters of 2023 as it’ll have its sights firmly set on finals this year. So after a quieter 2023 trade period to the previous two seasons as the club tried and failed to land Mason Redman and Harrison Petty, can they make a big splash in 2024?

BRISBANE LIONS

Locking away McCluggage

One of, if not the, biggest free agents on the market a host of clubs would be circling, including those in Victoria looking to bring the star midfielder back home. All indications are that McCluggage’s future is at Brisbane — his manager David Trotter from Hemisphere even confirmed late last year the 25-year old was happy at the Lions and that contract talks would pick up over the off-season. But until Brisbane gets McCluggage’s signature on the dotted line, it remains the club’s absolute number one priority, particularly after Lions last week re-signed Keidean Coleman — their other key star who was out of contract.

CARLTON

McKay quashing the trade conversation

Throughout the 2023 season, there were calls Carlton should entertain putting Harry McKay on the trade table after he and Charlie Curnow struggled to fire together in the same forward line. Some argued that not only would it net the Blues a huge return given the market for key forwards, but it would also make their forward line more unpredictable and dangerous and give Curnow more room to operate in. While those calls gradually got quieter amid the club’s epic run in the second half of the season, McKay from an individual standpoint was still below his best form from previous years including kicking just three goals from Round 23 onwards. And so in 2024, the Blues will hope both McKay and Curnow, who’s won the last two Coleman Medals, can both function at their optimum together. For not only would it make Michael Voss’ side scary good forward of centre and take it to another level, but also quash talk ever again the club should consider splitting the pair up.

COLLINGWOOD

Mid-season trade period buyers?

Amid talk of the AFL implementing a mid-season trade period in 2024, it could appeal to the reigning premiers as a club firmly in the premiership window looking to top up its list. That’s a big part of the idea of it. Dan McStay’s ACL injury in December was a massive blow to the Pies, particularly given the club’s lean key position stocks. McStay is one of Collingwood’s most important players from a structure perspective and thus one it could least afford to lose, showing his worth with four goals across two finals series before suffering a heartbreaking knee injury in the prelim. And so the Pies could survey the market for another key position player – perhaps Matt Taberner – to help cover the loss of McStay.

ESSENDON

The leftover war chest

The Bombers were one of the busiest clubs during the trade period, bringing in Ben McKay, Jade Gresham, Xavier Duursma and Todd Goldstein. So are they done there? The Herald Sun reported last year Essendon had a $2 million war chest at its disposal as the club was set to take an aggressive approach to bolster its list. While the aforementioned 2023 recruits would’ve taken up a key chunk of salary, there could yet be leftover funds for the club to go shopping with. Given the Bombers’ recruiting spree, expectations will naturally rise in 2024, while the club also have a host of key names out of contract including Andy McGrath and Archie Perkins, so it shapes as a big year.

FREMANTLE DOCKERS

Bucking the trend of departures

Lachie Schultz and Liam Henry’s departures this off-season continued a host of key names to depart the Dockers in recent years — a list that includes the likes of Blake Acres, Griffin Logue, Rory Lobb, Adam Cerra, Bradley Hill, Ed Langdon and Lachie Neale. And so the club will hope that trend finally ends in 2024 — and that it can instead bring more talent in than it loses. As far as player retention goes, the early signs are good, with Sean Darcy and Brennan Cox, who were the two most important Dockers out of contract, both signing mega six-year extensions.

GEELONG CATS

Moving into the next era

For so long the Cats have defied father time — they’ve retooled on the run and stayed at the top-end of the ladder and consistently contended for premierships. But in 2023, father time finally caught up to Geelong as it slid all the way outside the top eight. Still, the Cats have 11 players on their list for 2024 aged 30 or more, so assuming they don’t instantly bounce back (which you couldn’t rule out with this club), it seems they need to commit to moving into a new era and potentially make some hard call on veterans. The likes of Cam Guthrie, Jew Bews, Mitch Duncan, Patrick Dangerfield, Rhys Stanley, Tom Hawkins and Zach Tuohy are all uncontracted beyond 2024. A club that’s historically active in the trade space — even though it stood still this year — it’ll be intriguing which players it targets moving forward given it’s in something of a regeneration phase.

GOLD COAST SUNS

King’s contract talks

There’s arguably no player more important to Gold Coast than Ben King, who will have a key role to play in the club’s bid in 2024 to make finals for the first time in its history. It’s why the star forward being out of contract at the turn of the calendar would make Suns fans a little nervous as Victorian clubs would unquestionably be circling, even if all signs are that he’s happy at the Gold Coast. Last time King re-signed with the club in 2022 on a two-year deal, it was before the season, and Gold Coast will hope history repeats itself so it’s locked away nice and early and not a distraction. SEN reported last year that King’s management put a clause in his contract that makes it easy for him to extend his deal for another two seasons until 2026, when he can enter free agency.

GWS GIANTS

Finally, some cap space?

Former Pick 1 Aaron Cadman would’ve been the big one here, but last month he signed a new two-year deal to tie him to the Giants until at least 2026. GWS will however have Nick Haynes’ lucrative salary come off its books – a salary that reports have said is in the seven-figure range – with several of Haynes’ teammates believed to also be earning $1 million plus to put a strain on the club’s salary cap. It could mean the Giants for the first time in what feels like forever have spare funds, though the club does have Harry Perryman, Isaac Cumming and Callan Ward all eligible for free agency, plus the likes of Brent Daniels, Finn Callaghan, Lachie Ash, Toby Beford and Sam Taylor coming out of contract in 2025.

HAWTHORN

Are they buyers again already?

After off-loading veteran talent in favour of blooding more youth and enduring a grim start to 2023, it was widely thought Hawthorn was set for a slow and painful rebuild and would spend the next several years at the bottom of the ladder. But the next wave of Hawks showed they might be ready to play finals sooner than expected, stepping up with extra responsibilities throughout last season in what was ultimately a promising year for Sam Mitchell’s young side. Having been linked to some of the biggest fish thought to be or actually available last year including Ben McKay, Bailey Smith and Esava Ratugolea, it suggests the Hawks think they’re ready to reload and go again – of course with players in the right age demographic – plus they were busy in the off-season by bringing in Mabior Chol, Jack Ginnivan and Massimo D’Ambrosio, plus the returning Jack Gunston.

MELBOURNE

Oliver’s future

It’s been a turbulent 12 months for Oliver, culminating in the star midfielder taking extended leave from the club for personal reasons – and currently remaining away. It included Oliver being linked to a shock trade move last October before a meeting with senior coach Simon Goodwin put an end to such talk. With the greatest respect for the 26-year old’s personal challenges, 2024 shapes as a defining year for his career where we hope to see him back on the field as soon as possible. In the first year of a seven-season deal, there’s a strong commitment between both Oliver and Melbourne – though a contract that was signed before off-field issues started to surface. If things again go astray, it wouldn’t be a surprise if his future was again a hot topic.

NORTH MELBOURNE

A two-fold commitment from Thomas

As desperate as the Roos would be to land a big fish, having long missed out on the biggest superstars to hit the market, their realistic window of landing such names might be a few years away yet. There first needs to be improvement on field, too. And so more pressing is the retention of Tarryn Thomas, who’d just about be North’s most talented player on its list, but also troubled by off-field issues in recent years. Rival clubs have already been linked to the 23-year old – and you’d expect them to come again. And so equally important to the Roos getting a contractual commitment from Thomas beyond 2023 is a commitment from the midfielder to stay on the straight and narrow, with his misdemeanours an unwanted distraction for the club as it looks to build a strong culture.

PORT ADELAIDE

Key forward uncertainty

The Power’s top two leading goalkickers of 2023 – Todd Marshall and Jeremy Finlayson – along with their fifth highest – Charlie Dixon, who only played 14 games – are all entering a contact season. It leaves uncertainty around the club’s key position stocks beyond 2024, though Mitch Georgaides, who figures to have a bigger role to play this year after his 2023 was wiped out by injury, just recommitted on a new four-year deal. The signature of Marshall in particular is an important one as one of the club’s most important pieces and key spearhead in attack moving forward.

RICHMOND

Dusty to reunite with Dimma up north?

Speculation has long swirled that Dustin Martin will finish his career up north in a less football-obsessed city – speculation that’s only intensified after Damien Hardwick departed the Tigers and replaced Stuart Dew as the Suns’ new senior coach. So could Martin follow suit once his contract with Richmond expires at the end of this season? It’ll come after Martin plays his 300th game for Richmond in 2024 – currently sitting on 289 – in what would really mark the end of on era for the club if arguably its greatest ever player moves on. That changing of the guard is already in full effect following Hardwick’s departure and the retirements of Trent Cotchin and Jack Riewoldt as the club begins a new chapter under Adem Yze.

ST KILDA

Ross, SOS further moulding the list

Ross Lyon has now been in the top job at St Kilda for over 12 months, impressively leading the club to finals in his first season at the helm. While it was a positive start to Lyon’s return to Moorabbin, the coach and list boss Stephen Silvagni, who also joined the Saints ahead of last season, they’re only just starting to make their print on the club, with the list to truly be ‘theirs’ in the coming years. The departures of Jade Gresham and Jack Billings and additions of Liam Henry and Paddy Dow this off-season showed they’ll be bold in making changes to a list that hasn’t made it past the second week of finals since 2010, when Lyon was last coaching St Kilda. The Saints have nearly half their list out of contract this season, so look for more turnover to come. This list is going to look very different in the coming years, in some shape or form.

SYDNEY SWANS

Retaining young stars

Sure, Sydney was seen as one of the big winners of the trade period after bolstering their list with gun veterans including Brodie Grundy and Taylor Adams. But there’s arguably no club with better young talent coming out of contract this year than Sydney in the club’s all-important next wave of stars in addition to Will Hayward and Oliver Florent. Those young stars out of contract include Errol Gulden, who will command a hefty pay rise after his top four Brownlow finish, as well as James Rowbottom and Logan McDonald. McDonald is perhaps the most fascinating watch amid the potential pull for him to return to Western Australia amid reports the cashed-up Dockers, who have a strong draft hand including three first-round picks, are set to go hard at the young gun forward.

WEST COAST EAGLES

Changing of the guard amid salary cap relief

As the Eagles embark on a rebuild after their 18th placed finish, there will be ample changes to the list ahead in a changing of the guard. It comes as the likes of Andrew Gaff, Liam Ryan and Elliot Yeo all come out of contract this year. Even if they stay, it’ll open up significant salary cap space, with the likelihood that free agents Gaff and Yeo take pay cuts on their big-money deals signed when they were at the peak of their powers. While it’s important to keep some senior leaders around during a rebuild to help bring along the youth, it might be in the best interest of both parties at this stage if Gaff and/or Yeo depart to open up more opportunities for the Eagles’ next generation.

WESTERN BULLDOGS

The biggest names on the market

It’s a massive year at Whitten Oval in more ways than one. In terms of stars set to hit the market, the Dogs have the biggest names, with Bailey Smith, Jammara Ugle-Hagan, Tim English and Tom Liberatore all due to come out of contract, while Aaron Naughton was part of the crop before re-signing last October on a massive eight-year extension. Though retaining Naughton was clearly a huge win, his mega deal adds a layer of intrigue for the others if they ask the question of getting the same sum. Regardless, they’ll all command big deals, so can the Dogs keep them all – and can they afford to? Smith was already linked to trade talk last year amid reports of unhappiness with his role after being squeezed out of the midfield, with the former Pick 7’s ACL injury meaning he might’ve played his last game for the club. Meanwhile Ugle-Hagan will be heavily pursued by the rest of the competition, so too English, who could consider a move back to Western Australia. Watch this space.