WELCOME to Club 2030, we've been expecting you. Here's your Wi-Fi password. Leave your stresses and insecurities at the door, you're here for a long stay.
Carlton's Adam Cerra last week became the 27th player in the AFL to join Club 2030 by penning a five-year contract extension with the Blues.
Players from every club except West Coast are card-carrying members of the exclusive Club 2030, which has a strict eligibility process: be contracted until the end of the 2030 season or beyond.
Fremantle's Hayden Young currently holds residency of Club 2030's penthouse, with the Docker's pre-Christmas extension through to the end of 2033 making him the longest-signed player in the AFL.
He overtook five players who had penned extensions through to the end of 2032 – Giant Sam Taylor, Port Adelaide skipper Connor Rozee, St Kilda forward Max King, Bulldogs spearhead Aaron Naughton and Richmond flag-winner Noah Balta.
Another six players (Darcy Fogarty, Jacob Weitering, Brent Daniels, Nick Blakey, Cam Rayner and Hugh McCluggage) are signed through to the end of 2031, while 15 players in the AFL are locked in at their clubs until the end of the 2030 season.
Most have hit the mark with deals that have come about as they either were in their free agency season or as pre-agents (the year before they reach free agency status). But there are exceptions to that, including Gold Coast's mega-deal with Mac Andrew (which has a trigger to get him through to the end of 2034) and the likes of Harry Sheezel and Josh Treacy who signed extensions well before they were reaching the end of their deals to reward their form with long-term stability.
Others have joined the club over last trade and free agency period with moves to rivals, with new recruits Dan Houston and Harry Perryman (Collingwood), Jack Lukosius (Port Adelaide), Bailey Smith (Geelong) and Josh Battle (Hawthorn) all having six-year deals.
The AFL has started to put some safeguards in place for the explosion of long-term deals, concerned clubs could be tying themselves in future trouble by the commitments. Club boards need to sign off on deals of six or more years, whilst the AFL's concussion policy really only protects clubs on payouts outside the salary cap for the first three years of a contract.
But with a cash-laden market, and many clubs having more room than they know what to do with, the longer-term offers will continue to fly in for the best players, particularly as free agents given clubs offer bigger money and longer tenure because they won't have to give up any trade commodity to land a target.
And with bigger 'go' offers, come longer 'stay' deals from the players' clubs.
Club 2030 will expand again this year as the next batch of free agents make their decisions. Tom De Koning, Andrew Brayshaw and Luke Davies-Uniacke will surpass 2030 with their next deals – wherever they are – whilst clubs will also be looking to lock in premium young guns with early extensions.
CLUB 2030 PLAYERS SIGNED UNTIL THE END OF…
2030: Adam Cerra, Harry McKay, Josh Daicos, Dan Houston, Harry Perryman, Andrew McGrath, Brennan Cox, Sean Darcy, Josh Treacy, Bailey Smith, Mac Andrew, Josh Battle, Clayton Oliver, Harry Sheezel, Jack Lukosius
2031: Darcy Fogarty, Hugh McCluggage, Cam Rayner, Jacob Weitering, Brent Daniels, Nick Blakey
2032: Sam Taylor, Connor Rozee, Noah Balta, Max King, Aaron Naughton
2033: Hayden Young
THE CLUB 2030 TEAM
FB: Andrew McGrath, Jacob Weitering, Brennan Cox
HB: Dan Houston, Sam Taylor, Nick Blakey
C: Hugh McCluggage, Clayton Oliver, Josh Daicos
HF: Harry Sheezel, Aaron Naughton, Jack Lukosius
FF: Max King, Harry McKay, Brent Daniels
R: Sean Darcy, Hayden Young, Connor Rozee
I/C: Cam Rayner, Josh Battle, Bailey Smith, Darcy Fogarty
Sub: Harry Perryman
Emergencies: Mac Andrew, Noah Balta, Adam Cerra, Josh Treacy