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.

COMPO GALORE IN DRAFT'S FIRST ROUND?

THE UNPRECEDENTED free agency deals being offered to 33-year-old veterans Toby Greene and Lachie Neale has led to intrigue around the potential compensation packages that will be dished out for the pair.

Greene and Neale will both take up three-year deals at Geelong and Collingwood respectively, with the free agency offers tipped to be worth just under the $3 million mark across the length of their contracts.

It will test the AFL's free agency compensation system, which considers the age of free agents but has little precedent for such offers being made to 33-year-olds. Clubs believe the age of free agents isn't the most significant factor in the League's mechanism.

The potential of Greene and Neale triggering 'band two' compensation for the Giants and the Lions – fitting in at the end of the first round – has had rivals sweating that up to 11 picks could be shoved into the first 25 to 30 selections of this year's draft.

AFL.com.au reported in Inside Trading in June the prospect of a unique compensation pick for the Lions for Neale.

Essendon, Richmond, West Coast, Port Adelaide and North Melbourne could all be eligible to receive start-of-second-round picks as part of the League's new bottom-five compensation mechanism.

Those picks will crucially slot into the draft order after the end-of-first-round free agency compensation selections that could potentially be dished out for Greene and Neale, while five-year deals worth around $3.5 million to $4 million for Joel Amartey and Jordon Butts could also trigger 'band two' compensation.

While negotiations are ongoing on both, it's certain that Zak Butters and Ben King's moves would land the Power and the Suns 'band one' compensation picks if they leave as free agents. They're currently due to fall at No.5 and No.7 respectively. – Riley Beveridge

CAT TO MEET BOMBERS

GEELONG midfielder Jack Bowes will meet with Essendon coach Mark McVeigh and list manager Matt Rosa this week.

The out-of-contract Cat is exploring a move to a third club after being starved of opportunities in 2026. 

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The Bombers chased the Queenslander in 2022 before he joined Geelong from Gold Coast.

This year, Essendon has circled back and are looking to add Bowes to a new-look midfield in 2027.

Geelong has offered Bowes another contract, while Inside Trading revealed earlier this month North Melbourne also has interest.

But after just nine senior games this year, the 28-year-old Bowes could seek a fresh start in October. – Josh Gabelich 

FLAG LION'S NEW DEAL

DARCY Fort could be a three-time premiership player by the end of the week and is set to play on again in 2027. 

The 33-year-old is finalising another contract at the Lions for next season, amid rival interest, with Brisbane ticking off out-of-contract players after re-signing Zac Bailey earlier this month.

Fort's involvement in the premiership run under Chris Fagan has become part of footy folklore. 

The former Cat was called up for the 2024 Grand Final in his third game of the season after Oscar McInerney dislocated his shoulder in the preliminary final. 

Fort then played alongside McInerney in 2025 and has shared the ruck duties alongside recruit Sam Draper this season. 

After making his debut at Geelong at 25, Fort was traded to Brisbane in 2021 and has lived off one-year deals, aside from a two-year deal he signed in 2023. – Josh Gabelich

CROW SET TO STAY

MITCH Hinge is set to stay at Adelaide on a new one-year deal.

The former Lion is an unrestricted free agent, having previously been delisted by Brisbane, and has been weighing up rival interest.

However the 28-year-old is closing in on a new one-year deal at the Crows after an injury-hit season that saw him play only one game. 

Hinge had been a fixture of Adelaide's side the past four years, having played 85 games across the past four seasons, before back and hamstring injuries curtailed his campaign in 2026.

An extension will take him through to the end of 2029. – Callum Twomey

LIONS' TOUGHER BIDDING TASK

BRISBANE'S task to match a bid on rising Academy product Caylen Murray has been made far tougher by the Lions making their fourth straight Grand Final appearance. 

Under the new rules introduced for this season, clubs that finish in the Grand Final have a 20 per cent points loading applied to bids on picks between 1 and 18.

Murray has continued to develop and impress clubs after starring for the Allies at the mid-year carnival and a bid around the top-10 would severely stretch the Lions' capacity to match it. 

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Using a bid at pick 10 as an example, the Lions would need to find 1531 points to match after taking into account the 20 per cent loading. 

If the Lions win the premiership, they will hold pick 18 – worth 836 points – and under the new bidding system clubs can only match with their first two selections after a bid comes. 

Brisbane's next pick is in the second round – which would be No.36 if they win the flag – and the pair of selections could pay for Murray if a rival bid came at No.10, if Brisbane was prepared to go into a points deficit. A 'band two' compensation pick for Neale, however, would make Brisbane's chances of matching far easier.

The maximum points deficit a team can go in is 412 points, which would push back their first pick next year commensurate with the level of points a club goes into deficit. – Callum Twomey

TASSIE TALENTS' LAST DAY BEFORE DEVILS

TASMANIA has allowed its first batch of signings to play a last game in the open draft pool in Saturday's under-17s curtain raiser before the AFL Grand Final.

The Devils will officially unveil their seven first signings next week, with AFL.com.au revealing last week the club had settled on Axel Walsh, Jake Millar, Baxter Sruk, Griffin Barker, Angus Brown, Riley Stratford and Nate Jenkins as their inaugural group.

They were all flown to Hobart last week with their families to meet with coach Ken Hinkley and see the club's planned facilities ahead of locking in their four-year deals with the club.

The under-17s game on Grand Final morning will be the last time the group will play as part of an open draft pool, with the Devils keen for them all to feature in the showpiece talent game ahead of the AFL flag decider.

Only Jenkins, who will miss with illness, won't be playing as one of the group who days later on Tuesday night will be unveiled at a gala draft event in Hobart. 

Several 2027 father-son prospects will be playing in the game as well, including Koby Bewick (Essendon) and Percy Burgoyne and Tevita Rodan (Port Adelaide). – Callum Twomey

FIRST-ROUND CROW LOCKS IN

ADELAIDE has re-signed 2023 first-round pick Oscar Ryan for next season. 

The 21-year-old broke through for a debut late this season and impressed across two games at half-back against Essendon and Richmond. 

Ryan's initial contract expires in October, but the Victorian is now locked in for 2027. 

The Shepparton product has served a long apprenticeship in the SANFL, playing 43 games in the reserves since being selected at pick No.27 three years ago, but will be out to become a more permanent fixture next year.

Adelaide has also re-signed Billy Dowling for next year.

Out-of-contract Crow Charlie Edwards has been offered a contract for 2027. – Josh Gabelich

DEADLINE DAY'S NEXT EVOLUTION

CAMERAS will be placed in every club's trade room on deadline day as AFL.com.au's deadline day coverage takes another step to capturing all the drama of the final deals.

In recent years a select batch of clubs have had cameras placed inside their rooms to be capture the inner sanctum meetings and dealings as trades come down to the wire.

Last year, cameras were in the Essendon, Hawthorn, Sydney and Carlton rooms as the negotiations on Zach Merrett and Charlie Curnow trades took place.

This year clubs have been told by the League that there will be cameras in each club's room, with roving cameras in the hallways at Marvel Stadium also set to capture every part of the trade talks. – Callum Twomey