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.
NO RUSH ON BUTTERS' LODGEMENT
THE Western Bulldogs are not expected to lodge paperwork for superstar midfielder Zak Butters early in the free agency period with Port Adelaide and rival clubs still working through trade discussions.
The free agency window opens on Friday morning at 9am and runs for a week through to the following Friday, with a range of deals set to be done as soon as day one – including the likes of Kieren Briggs, Joel Amartey, Toby Greene and even Lachie Neale a chance to be delivered in the first day of free agency.
But Butters will not be among those deals lodged, with the Dogs expected to wait until deeper into the free agency week before lodging their offer and then giving Port Adelaide the chance to match the deal and force a trade or accept pick No.5 as draft compensation.
A lodgement could take until mid-week next week, with clubs able to take up to three days to decide whether they will match and strike a trade or accept the compensation selection.
Port Adelaide has been in talks with multiple clubs over different trade scenarios since the AFL blocked its previous 'pick purchasing' proposal that involved the Western Bulldogs sending multiple first-round selections in a deal that would have seen contracted Power tall Todd Marshall traded to the Dogs.
However, the overlapping free agency and trade periods does mean that there will be urgency for Port Adelaide to have at least the bones of a trade deal in place before they make a call on the Butters' compensation pick or if they intend to match the deal and force the trade.
Discussions have been had between multiple clubs about a range of options in terms of future picks, pick slides and other players being involved – a mega deal of sorts – that would sit separate to the Butters' decision.
The Western Bulldogs have a busy period ahead, with interest in Hawk Finn Maginness, who is open to a move to the Dogs with a year left on his contract at Hawthorn, as well as Carlton ruckman Hudson O'Keeffe requesting a trade to join the Dogs.
Bulldog Laitham Vandermeer could also be in the mix of players to move from the Dogs, with rivals circling him with two years left on his deal. – Callum Twomey
PIE TO STAY AFTER BLUES' RAID
COLLINGWOOD will retain backline coach Jordan Roughead amid strong interest from Carlton.
The Blues had made a bold approach to lure Roughead across town to Princes Park to work with new senior coach Josh Fraser in 2027.
But Roughead is staying at the Magpies with the club looking at a contract extension of up to three years.
Roughead was voted the AFLCA Assistant Coach of the Year earlier this month ahead of Geelong's James Rahilly and Fremantle's Jaymie Graham.
Collingwood chased Corey Enright in recent months, but the Geelong great has decided to return to his old club and join Chris Scott's coaching panel.
Magpies senior assistant Hayden Skipworth is being pursued by Essendon to be included in Mark McVeigh's coaching panel for 2027 and beyond.
The Bombers are understood to have made a lucrative long-term offer to prise him out of Collingwood.
But Collingwood expects Skipworth to remain in his position at the KGM Centre and remain working closely as Craig McRae's right-hand man.
Collingwood is tweaking its coaching panel with midfield coach Matthew Boyd to run development at the club moving forward.
The Magpies have lost young development coach Nathan Murphy to Gold Coast and are working through that area right now. – Josh Gabelich
PIES, SUNS BEGIN PENDLES TALKS
GOLD Coast and Collingwood are set to use previous trades for veteran pair Luke Hodge and Sam Mitchell as a precedent for Scott Pendlebury's asking price, having already discussed potential options around the deal.
Pendlebury is set to join Gold Coast after a 21-year and 442-game career at Collingwood, but his move will likely need to be completed as a trade rather than as a free agent to avoid the Suns losing their Ben King compensation package.
Gold Coast has picks 60, 74 and 78 to use in a potential Pendlebury deal, while the club has also discussed future picks being involved in the negotiations with Collingwood.
The two clubs are using Hodge's move to Brisbane and Mitchell's to West Coast as a precedent for the asking price, with both costing a late pick and a slide of other selections.
"We've had good conversations with Collingwood," Gold Coast list boss Kall Burns told AFL.com.au's Gettable Trade Radio on Tuesday.
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"I feel like everyone wants to act in good faith here. Scott's obviously a champion of the Collingwood Football Club and a champion of our game. There's precedent that's been set with the Luke Hodge and the Sam Mitchell deals, so we've been having really positive conversations around the trade for Scott.
"It could be a combination of things. There's stuff in this year, there's obviously future years we can lean on as well if needed." – Riley Beveridge
BLUES CLOSE IN ON EX-PIE
CARLTON is closing in on another free agent signing, with delisted Magpie Wil Parker firming to join the Blues.
Parker met with Carlton earlier this month after being cut by Collingwood, where he had played 14 games over the past three years.
The Blues have progressed those discussions and are heading towards landing the half-back as a delisted free agent.
He would join Joel Amartey as the Blues' other free agent acquisition, with the club also keenly looking at Giants half-back Lachie Whitfield as a trade pick-up with a year to run on his contract.
All this makes the Blues one of the busiest clubs in the period as they also have to navigate the bidding system to match an early call on father-son prospect Cody Walker. – Callum Twomey
HAWKS RUCK TO GARNER INTEREST
CONTRACTED Hawthorn ruckman Ned Reeves is expected to garner rival interest as the ruck merry-go-round gets traction again this year.
Reeves last year signed a contract extension through to the end of 2029, having already been contracted to the end of 2026, having captured rival interest in the trade period.
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But again he is tipped to get rival calls after playing 15 games this season for the Hawks but missing out on featuring in their finals team as they preferred Lloyd Meek to shoulder the ruck load.
In the ruck movement already this off-season, Kieren Briggs will join Richmond from GWS as a free agent, Rowan Marshall is seeking a trade from St Kilda to Geelong and Carlton pair Flynn Riley (to Collingwood) and Hudson O'Keefe (to the Western Bulldogs) have also lodged trade requests. – Callum Twomey
DOG TO WAIT
RYAN Gardner played in both finals for the Western Bulldogs but will have to wait until next month to learn if there is another deal for him at the Mission Whitten Oval.
The key defender played only two senior games in three seasons before returning to Luke Beveridge's side on the eve of the finals.
But after playing a role as a back-up ruck in round 24, Gardner held his spot when Tim English returned for both finals.
Gardner was only used for 16 per cent of the wildcard final win over Collingwood and 35 per cent of the elimination final exit to Adelaide, which the Dogs have done across the year with five men on the bench in 2026.
The 29-year-old has been in the AFL since Geelong drafted him in 2015 and then landed a second chance at the Western Bulldogs in the 2019 Mid-Season Rookie Draft.
The Tasmanian has attracted interest from the Devils and could return home and play VFL next year if he doesn't land another AFL contract. – Josh Gabelich
CAT TALL TO SIGN ON
GEELONG tall Jacob Molier is set to add an extra year to his deal at the Cats to sign on until the end of 2027.
Molier joined the Cats as their second pick at the 2024 draft, with the young ruck catching the eye of the club as a longer-term prospect.
He finished the season well as a forward in the Cats' run to the VFL Grand Final, kicking two goals in five of his last six games of the season, including five goals in the finals series.
He booted 1.2 from 12 disposals and seven marks in their Grand Final loss to Box Hill, but the new deal will see him stay at the Cats for another year at least. – Callum Twomey
FREO COACH IN GIANTS' SIGHTS
GREATER Western Sydney has its eyes firmly on Peel Thunder premiership coach Adam Read to join the Giants' coaching panel.
Read has been with Fremantle for nearly two decades and was a long-term development coach before taking on the reins of the club's WAFL affiliate Peel ahead of the 2024 season.
He steered the Thunder to its thumping Grand Final win over Claremont earlier this month, having also won the flag in 2024, while also winning honours as the West Australian state coach in its clash against the SANFL.
The Giants have been looking to bolster Adam Kingsley's coaching department following the end-of-season departure of senior assistant Brett Montgomery back to South Australia. Craig Jennings has also left the Giants having joined the club in 2022.
GWS had been interested in Western Bulldogs assistant Brendon Lade, but the 2004 premiership teammate of Kingsley will be staying at the Dogs amid interest also from Essendon. – Callum Twomey