Get all the latest news in the trade, free agency and draft landscape in Inside Trading, AFL.com.au's dedicated column for player movement. Find out the latest on contracts, deals, trades, draftees, rules, agents and who is going where from the AFL.com.au team.
DEES AMONG HAWK'S SUITORS
HAWTHORN dasher Bailey Macdonald has a decision to make on his future, with Melbourne among the clubs interested in the 21-year-old.
The Hawks have offered Macdonald a two-year deal to stay at the club, with the half-back recently breaking back into Hawthorn's line-up.
But the Dees are among the teams circling the fourth-year Hawk, who has a call to make on where he plays in 2027.
Macdonald has played nine games this season, after eight in his first three years at the Hawks where he was mainly used as the starting substitute.
He broke into the Hawks' line-up at round 11 and has played the past nine games as Sam Mitchell's side looks to lock in a top-four berth in September.
His speed and line-breaking ability saw the Hawks select him at pick No.51 in the 2022 draft, with him being one of four players picked from Wesley College that year alongside Elijah Tsatas, Matt Jefferson and Coby Burgiel. – Callum Twomey
ROOS VETERAN TO PLAY ON, YOUNGSTER LOCKED IN
FORMER North Melbourne captain Luke McDonald is set to play on again for a 14th season in 2027, while the Kangaroos have locked away a first-round pick from the 2023 Telstra AFL Draft.
The Kangaroos are finalising a one-year extension with McDonald after 17 appearances in 2026.
North Melbourne is still trying to lock away other first-round picks from the 2023 draft, but has re-signed Wil Dawson for two more years.
Like Zane Duursma and Riley Hardeman, Dawson's initial contract expires this October, but the 20-year-old is now locked in at Arden Street until the end of 2028.
Dawson has played six games this year - all through the middle stages of the season - after featuring eight times in his first two seasons in the AFL.
The 200cm versatile tall has played 32 VFL games since being selected at pick No. 22 and is part of the Kangaroos’ long-term plans.
North Melbourne has extended young midfielders Finn O'Sullivan and George Wardlaw in recent months, but is yet to re-sign Hardeman or Duursma.
Key defenders Aidan Corr and Toby Pink are yet to secure deals for 2027, with North Melbourne in the market for more defensive coverage and one of the clubs trying to prise one of Nick Murray, Jordon Butts or James Borlase out of Adelaide. – Josh Gabelich
CLARK CLOSE TO DEAL
GEELONG is close to locking in a new deal for Jhye Clark, with the former first-round pick recently regaining his spot in the Cats' side.
Clark is out of contract at the end of this season, which is his fourth at the club after being the No.7 pick at the 2022 draft intake.
But talks are heading towards a new two-year deal for the 22-year-old that would take him through to the end of 2028.
Clark came back into the Cats' line-up in round 19 against St Kilda and had 25 disposals, backing it up with 19 touches last week against Melbourne.
He has played five games after featuring 10 times last year, including in the Grand Final loss to Brisbane. – Callum Twomey
BLUES MISS ON RISING TALENT
DRAFT bolter Toby Krasna is the one that got away for Carlton, with the Blues having no ties to the Indigenous prospect.
Krasna has pushed into top-20 considerations at this year's draft after an exciting season with the Northern Knights and a strong carnival with Vic Metro.
The dashing wingman is of Indigenous descent but snuck through the Blues' Next Generation Academy net and will have no ties to the club at this year's draft.
While it would have been a challenge to grab Krasna anyway given the likely early bid on Carlton father-son prospect Cody Walker, which will stretch their points, the Blues won't have any access to Krasna having not had him as a part of their Academy in time.
He had one of his best games of the season for Metro against the Allies with 20 disposals and 10 score involvements, before missing the final match against Vic Country with a hamstring niggle. – Callum Twomey
RIVALS CIRCLE WANTED EAGLES DEFENDER
WEST Coast is progressing in talks on a new deal for Rhett Bazzo, though rival clubs continue to express an interest in the uncontracted key defender as discussions over an extension at the Eagles rumble on.
It's understood West Coast has tabled a three-year deal to keep Bazzo, taking him through to 2029 and free agency, but a slew of clubs – particularly in Victoria – continue to monitor his situation amid a market light on key defensive depth.
Adelaide's Nick Murray, Essendon's Jordan Ridley and Gold Coast's Charlie Ballard have the most high-profile interest among the key defenders, but all are contracted for multiple years making their trade values complicated.
It's led to clubs asking the question of Bazzo, although the West Australian has remained keen to re-sign at the Eagles after a fine run of form this season where he's grown his games tally to 33 appearances.
Bazzo has excelled in the absence of sidelined West Coast defenders Reuben Ginbey and Harry Edwards in recent weeks and kept Fremantle spearhead Josh Treacy goalless during Friday night's derby while taking 12 marks himself.
He also earned praise from Eagles coach Andrew McQualter a week earlier after finishing with eight intercept possessions and four intercept marks following another impressive display against Brisbane's Logan Morris. – Riley Beveridge
CROWS DEBUTS FOR SA PROSPECTS
SOUTH Australian duo Jake Eime and Anthony Long will play for Adelaide's SANFL team this week in a bid to impress scouts at the next level.
The pair featured for their state at the under-18 championships, with both being named in the All-Australian team.
Eime rates as a potential top-25 selection after an excellent carnival off half-back, while Long is tied to the Crows as a Next Generation Academy prospect.
Adelaide's bid to have Eime added to its Next Generation Academy was knocked back by the AFL earlier this year. A SANFL system breakdown, which sees AFL clubs informed of players who are eligible, meant the Crows only learned of Eime's Indigenous background last year and thus didn't meet the time required to be in an Academy for priority access.
But the Crows have remained in close contact with Eime, with this week's debut in the tricolours strengthening those ties.
Meanwhile, Port Adelaide's Next Generation Academy prospect Dougie Cochrane, a favourite to be the No.1 pick this year, is set to play the first game of his season this weekend with a return to the SANFL with the Port Adelaide Magpies after a year disrupted by knee tendinitis. – Callum Twomey
IRISH TALKS ON POACHING RAIDS
THE GAELIC Athletic Association and AFL have been in discussions as the Irish code looks to build in measures to limit Australian access to Irish athletes.
Ireland is abuzz about the future of prodigy Kobe McDonald, who starred in County Mayo's drought-breaking Gaelic championship win over the weekend but is bound for St Kilda as a Category B rookie.
McDonald has a three-year deal with the Saints and is expected to lob in Melbourne in the next fortnight, with his parents to move to Australia as well.
It comes as the GAA has flagged different rules to limit their best young talents being poached by AFL clubs, including capping how many players can be taken per county team and also the process in contacting the talents and establishing links through official teams rather than direct, which is how most AFL clubs scout Irish talent.
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The AFL and GAA are also in discussions about a return for the International Rules Series for the men's competition in 2027, although the AFL's first priority is bedding down the structure of the season in 2028.
They will take their two fixture options for that year – the 18 and six model and the 'group stage' model – to the Commission meeting next week for further deliberations. – Callum Twomey
CLUBS WAIT ON STATE OF ORIGIN INJURY COMPO CALLS
THE AFL is still working through its model of financial compensation for clubs who lose players to injuries in State of Origin games after confirmation the representative games would continue for at least three more years.
Greater Western Sydney asked the league for some financial compensation for injury allowances after their star defender Sam Taylor suffered a hamstring injury in the game, seeing him miss the first half of the season.
He was the biggest body blow of a high number of injuries to come out of the return State of Origin game between Victoria and Western Australia in February, which has seen new measures added for future games to restrict game time and running programs of participating players.
The League is yet to come back to the Giants with a decision on the salary cap implications for the injury payments, with a model expected to be designed to run through and stay consistently for the next years of State of Origin.
The AFL this week announced Western Australia and South Australia would play at Optus Stadium next year, South Australia and Victoria at Adelaide Oval would feature in 2028 and Western Australia and Victoria would play at Optus Stadium in 2029. – Callum Twomey
MORE CHANGE AT ESSENDON
ESSENDON'S football department will have further change this off-season with the departure of Indigenous player development manager Travis Varcoe.
The former Geelong and Collingwood player has been at Essendon in the role since the start of 2025 but has recently departed to take up a full-time position in the youth justice system, where he had been working part-time.
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Varcoe's role at the Bombers had expanded to include some on-ground training work with the club's development team.
The 230-gamer played in two premierships across his career and was also at the Western Bulldogs as a development coach before joining Essendon.
The Bombers' only Indigenous player – Jade Gresham – is considered unlikely to be at the club next year as he comes to the end of his three-year deal at Essendon. – Callum Twomey