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.
CAT'S CALL COMING
GEELONG premiership defender Jake Kolodjashnij is heading towards a likely retirement as soon as this week after the fallout of the concussion document controversy.
Kolodjashnij did not feature in the end of the Cats' season after facing intense scrutiny following the discovery of the concussion form that he had signed when he last inked a new deal with Geelong.
Following that, the Cats put Kolodjashnij through a new set of concussion protocols under the League's procedures, having fronted the concussion panel in 2024.
Kolodjashnij played 11 games for Geelong this year, last playing at senior level in round 18 against Greater Western Sydney, but didn't feature in the club's VFL finals series and spent time training away from the club as the AFL worked through its investigation of the concussion letter.
The AFL's enquiry found that the letter "constituted a variation" to the standard playing contract and should have been lodged with the AFL and AFLPA, which saw the Commission impose a $140,000 fine on the Cats, including a $40,000 previously suspended fine relating to a lodgement breach.
Kolodjashnij, 31, played 209 games for the club between 2015-2026, including the 2022 premiership win against Sydney.
His future was plunged into uncertainty after the concussion letter emerged and Kolodjashnij is expected to follow his 2022 flag teammate Rhys Stanley into a retirement call albeit in different circumstances. – Callum Twomey
CLUBS KEEN ON CONTRACTED DOG
WESTERN Bulldogs speedster Laitham Vandermeer has emerged as a trade target for rivals, with multiple teams circling the contracted forward amid the club's pursuit of key targets elsewhere.
Vandermeer is under contract at the Dogs until 2028, though rivals believe he could be squeezed out as the club chases a headline move for Zak Butters and other deals involving Jordon Butts, Hudson O'Keeffe, Finn Maginness and more.
A deal for Butters could either happen independently as a free agent, with other trades completed between the Western Bulldogs and Port Adelaide, or as part of a mega negotiation involving multiple clubs.
Vandermeer's name has been mentioned by clubs in both scenarios, as well as independently to the Butters discussions, following a frustrating 2026 campaign where he was limited to just two AFL games.
Rival interest in the Vandermeer would have to be reciprocated by the 27-year-old, having signed through a three-year contract extension at the Bulldogs midway through last year taking him through until the end of 2028. – Riley Beveridge
TRADE HUB All the latest player movement news
MARTIN CLOSING IN ON NEW DEAL
ESSENDON is closing in on a new deal for gun midfielder Nic Martin that will take him through to the end of 2031.
AFL.com.au revealed earlier this month the Bombers had been in talks on a long-term deal with the 25-year-old to lock in his future at the club beyond 2027, when his current deal ends.
Those discussions have progressed and Martin is looking at adding an extra four years to his deal at the Hangar.
The West Australian has been sorely missed by Essendon since rupturing his ACL late in the 2025 season, which saw him have a setback at training towards the end of last year which meant he was ruled out of a return to the field in 2026.
Martin, considered a future captain at the club, had played 83 games for the Bombers out of a possible 84 games until that point after arriving at the club as a pre-season rookie selection.
A deal to the end of 2031 would have Martin join Nate Caddy as being the longest signed Bombers behind Sam Durham, who has a deal to the end of 2032. – Callum Twomey
DRAFT HUB Click here for the latest draft news
SWANS VETERAN WEIGHS UP FUTURE
SYDNEY has offered Harry Cunningham a new contract, as the veteran weighs up playing on into a 16th season next year.
Cunningham, who turns 33 in December, is yet to decide on his future but has an offer on the table to extend his tenure at the Swans into 2027.
The contract offer follows another solid season for Cunningham, who played 14 senior games in a variety of roles but was settled mostly across half back.
Cunningham has been one of Sydney's most reliable citizens across a 15-year and 233-game career that has included Grand Final appearances in 2014 and 2024.
He's one of only a handful of Swans still uncontracted at season's end, after free agent Joel Amartey announced his intention to take up a five-year contract at Carlton last week. – Riley Beveridge
SUN EXPECTED TO STAY
GOLD Coast defender Charlie Ballard looks likely to remain at the Suns next year.
A number of clubs have looked at Ballard as a potential trade option throughout this season, including Essendon and the Western Bulldogs, however he is expected to stay at the Suns.
Ballard has a long-term contract at the club until the end of 2029 and clubs had believed he was a target for the key defensive carousel.
However the 27-year-old is considered most likely to remain at the Suns for next season having played 11 games in 2026. – Callum Twomey
DRAFT ORDER Click here for the full draft order
CROW TO SIGN ON
ADELAIDE'S first-round pick Charlie Edwards is set to pen a new one-year deal with the Crows.
Edwards had captured some interest from Carlton as the Blues assessed their half-back options, but he is now expected to stay at Adelaide on a one-year deal through to the end of 2027.
Edwards made his AFL debut this season with two games in his third year at the club after being selected at No.21 in the 2023 national draft.
It comes as another one of the Crows' first-round picks – Luke Pedlar – seeks a trade to crosstown rivals Port Adelaide.
Pedlar was pick No.11 in the 2020 draft and played 49 games for Adelaide in six seasons at the club, including 10 games this season. – Callum Twomey
VFL FORWARD EYES THIRD AFL CLUB
FORMER Fremantle and West Coast key forward Hugh Dixon is on Gold Coast’s radar as they search for key forward depth.
With star spearhead Ben King informing the club recently he wants to exercise his free agency rights, the Suns have been chasing some coverage.
Dixon played one game for the Dockers in 2017 and 10 for the Eagles in 2022, before being delisted for the second time at the end of that season.
The 197cm spearhead played on the Gold Coast for Southport in 2024 and 2025, where he established himself as one of the best key forwards in the state leagues.
Last year, the Devils made him a priority target ahead of the club’s return to the VFL, luring the Tasmanian back to his home state.
But after kicking 34 goals this year, Dixon has attracted interest from Gold Coast, who want another key forward to provide coverage behind Jed Walter, Ethan Read and Jamarra Ugle-Hagan, who is currently negotiating a one-year extension.
Dixon can be signed as a delisted free agent, but is more likely to be an option in the rookie draft or via the pre-season supplemental selection period. – Josh Gabelich
ROOKIE CHANGE SEES CLUBS TRACK U.S. OPTION
THE AFL'S decision to greenlight the dedicated category B rookie list spot for Indigenous players has seen clubs renew their interest in American athlete Hayden Curtiss.
Curtiss' foot skills took the eye in the recent trials that he, along with fellow US prospects Camden Dunbury and Cyril Martynov, did at AFL clubs.
The trio trained at or toured seven different clubs in August – Gold Coast, Brisbane, Carlton, Collingwood, Essendon, Hawthorn and Melbourne – and also did a separate training session at Gosch's Paddock for more clubs to attend.
The AFL Commission last week approved the extra category B rookie spot, which allows clubs to have an Indigenous player on their list as their third category B position.
If clubs don't have an Indigenous player on their category B rookie list, then they will be restricted to two spots, but if one of those rookies is Indigenous, then they will be able to open up a third position, leading to clubs putting in more time on Curtiss and the American options.
All of the American athletes who travelled to Australia were 210cm or above as the AFL looks to find extra ruck prospects. – Callum Twomey