Every Thursday AFL.com.au presents Inside Trading, with breaking news and the best analysis of the AFL trade landscape covering contracts, re-signings, free agents, the AFL Draft and industry insights.
IN-FORM SAINT TO BE REWARDED
ST KILDA goalkicker Jack Higgins is in discussions for a contract extension after his excellent start to the season.
Higgins leads the Saints for goals this season (14) as he comes to the end of his three-year deal with the club after he crossed from Richmond at the end of 2020.
But talks are underway for a multi-year deal to lock in the crafty small forward and childhood Saints fan at Moorabbin.
Higgins kicked 27 goals in his first season at the Saints in 2021 and 30 last year and has kicked a goal in all but one game this season, including five against Gold Coast in round four and four against Essendon in round three.
The 2017 first-round pick spent three seasons at the Tigers before requesting a trade at the end of 2020 and has played a total of 87 games across his career.
His running capacity and ability to capitalise on the Saints' improved defence this year has been crucial for Ross Lyon's side, with Higgins ahead of Mitchito Owens (12 goals) and Dan Butler (nine) as the leading goalkickers so far. – Callum Twomey
SWANS KEEN TO LOCK IN TALL
OUT-OF-CONTRACT key forward Joel Amartey has an offer on the table to remain at Sydney and is expected to finalise an extension later in the year.
The 23-year-old is currently recovering from a hamstring tendon injury and won't return until after the Swans' mid-season bye in round 12.
Amartey has experienced a stop-start career to date at the SCG, managing only 17 appearances across his six years in red and white due to injury setbacks and the dominance of Lance Franklin inside 50.
But after attracting interest from St Kilda last year and after booting a career-high four goals – from 50 per cent game time – in round two to show growth on his potential, outside interest was growing in the Sandringham Dragons product, before he suffered the significant hamstring injury against Richmond in round five.
It is understood that the Swans offered Amartey a two-year extension for 2024 and 2025 last year and are keen to re-sign the budding spearhead to partner Logan McDonald in attack in a future that eventually doesn't include the four-time Coleman medallist.
Amartey is settled and happy in Sydney, with the two parties set to finalise terms once he returns to action in the second half of the year. – Josh Gabelich
TRIGGER FOR IMPORTANT DOCKER
FREMANTLE forward Lachie Schultz is closing in on reaching a trigger for another year at the Dockers.
Schultz signed a two-year deal with the Dockers in 2021 that is due to expire this year but he is heading towards hitting a games clause that would add on another season for 2024.
TRADE HUB All the latest player movement news
He is in the Dockers' group of unrestricted free agents this season at this stage after being previously delisted and qualifying under that mechanism.
The 25-year-old has become a key player for the Dockers in their forward half, booting 30 goals last year and kicking 10 so far this season from seven games.
He was drafted by the Dockers as a mature-age find from Williamstown in the VFL and knocked back interest from Hawthorn two years ago when he was out of contract to remain with Fremantle. – Callum Twomey
TASSIE IMPACT ON DRAFT
A NUMBER of early draft picks, including the No.1 selection, are expected to be maintained as normal in the year the Tasmanian licence enters the AFL.
Outgoing League boss Gillon McLachlan on Wednesday confirmed the incoming 19th team and said the drafts would be "a lot less compromised" than when Gold Coast and Greater Western Sydney entered the AFL in the expansion era.
TASSIE TARGETS How the AFL's 19th team could build its list
That could include keeping a handful of the top picks available to the clubs that finish in the bottom rungs of the ladder so their chance to rebuild isn't severely hampered by the new Tasmanian side, with the draft concessions to be rolled out over successive seasons.
Early draft picks are also expected to be given to Tasmania over a number of years under the caveats it must trade them for established players, which would create a marketplace for the selections among rivals.
The AFL is keen for the incoming side to be competitive sooner than was faced by the Suns and Giants in their early days. – Callum Twomey
LORD EARNS HIS REWARD
PORT Adelaide youngster Ollie Lord is set to be rewarded for his recent breakthrough into the senior team, with another year to be added to his contract.
It's understood Lord has recently agreed to an extension with the Power that will take him through until at least 2024, marking another step in his progress after he made his AFL debut a fortnight ago.
Lord has deputised for Charlie Dixon (knee) and Todd Marshall (concussion) in the last two weeks, with the 197cm forward impressing with one goal from 10 disposals and three marks on debut against the Eagles.
The 49th selection in the 2020 national draft, Lord has played in a variety of roles since arriving at Alberton but has settled in the forward line throughout the opening stages of this year.
The tough 21-year-old recovered from a lacerated kidney sustained in January following a nasty collision at pre-season training to earn his AFL debut last month. – Riley Beveridge
BIG CAT KEEN TO KEEP WAITING
GEELONG defender Esava Ratugolea will continue to let the season progress before focusing on his contract call, having broken through as a senior regular in his new backline post this year.
Ratugolea was chased by Port Adelaide during last year's Trade Period, but the club couldn't secure a deadline-day move for the versatile tall as Geelong held him to a contract that expires at the end of this season.
Trialled as a key defender late last year, Ratugolea couldn't crack Geelong's team that claimed premiership success but has played all seven games so far this season to establish himself as a pivotal part of coach Chris Scott's future plans.
Speaking on AFL.com.au's trade and draft show Gettable this week, Ratugolea's manager Winston Rous from Phoenix Management Group said the 24-year-old's future plans would be broached later in the year as he continues to focus on his new role.
"You take your time with it. As long as he's playing and playing consistently and the opportunities are there, that's something that will be addressed in the back end of the year," Rous told AFL.com.au's Gettable.
Port Adelaide has retained its interest in Ratugolea throughout the start of the season, with Rous saying the young key-position talent was impressed by coach Ken Hinkley's strong pitch during last year's Trade Period.
"Esava never really fell out of love with Geelong," Rous said.
"He was identified by a number of clubs. Someone who sits in front of Ken … he's got a great sales pitch and he's able to get a few across. It was more about how excited he was to maybe work under Ken and have a fresh start.
"[Ratugolea] was very disappointed, because he was keen to go and chase that opportunity. When someone doesn't get what they want from a trade point of view, there's that initial lull. But then very quickly, Geelong wrapped its arms around him. It showed that the high threshold they had for letting him go was their confidence in what he could bring to them." – Riley Beveridge
YOUNG HAWK BEING MONITORED
CLUBS are keeping an eye on Hawthorn youngster Denver Grainger-Barras as a potential trade target.
Grainger-Barras has a year to run on his contract at the Hawks, but has so far only been in and out of the senior side, including playing two games this season.
It is his third year at AFL level after being the Hawks' No.6 pick at the 2020 AFL Draft.
The 21-year-old played 16 games last season for Sam Mitchell's side but has played the majority of this year in the VFL, which has seen rival clubs keep a watch on his progress.
The dearth of tall defensive options around the AFL means that clubs will scour lists for potential options in that part of the ground. – Callum Twomey
PIES SET TO START NOBLE TALKS
COLLINGWOOD is set to ramp up contract talks with John Noble in the coming weeks.
Noble has been one of the mid-season draft's biggest success stories since its return in 2019, breaking through for 76 senior games and becoming a mainstay in Craig McRae's plans across half-back. He kicked a crucial goal late against Adelaide last week in another Collingwood comeback.
The 26-year-old is enjoying his best campaign to date to begin the 2023 season and is averaging career-highs in disposals (21.7 per game), marks (six per game), rebounds (5.1 per game), score involvements (3.6 per game) and metres gained (483m per game).
Noble is keen to remain at Collingwood, but is yet to start negotiations around an extension beyond this season. However, his manager Winston Rous told AFL.com.au's trade and draft show Gettable this week that talks were imminent.
"He's probably having his best year so far, as a number of those Pies are," Rous said.
"It's something that we'll start talks on pretty soon. He has made his intentions clear to them and them to us, so it's something where in the next little bit we will sit down and map out what that future looks like." – Riley Beveridge
EAGLES' MID-SEASON PICK REMAINS UNSIGNED
THE AFL MID-SEASON Rookie Draft is only weeks away, but last year's No.1 pick Jai Culley is once again a name being monitored by list managers around the competition.
Culley has played eight games since being selected at the start of last June, earning the round six AFL Rising Star nomination after kicking four goals against Port Adelaide at Adelaide Oval.
But the Eagles are yet to put a contract offer in front of the Dandenong Stingrays product, who attracted widespread interest this time last year before the Eagles swooped.
DRAFT HUB Click here for the latest draft news
At least three clubs have expressed interest, although Culley is understood to be settled in Perth and keen to remain at West Coast beyond his initial 18-month contract.
After winning a club-low two games last year, the Eagles have won only once so far in 2023 and have plenty of list decisions to make in the second half of the year.
Culley is expected to receive an extension in the coming months, but as the industry turns its attention to the rookie draft in the coming weeks, his contract status is a point of interest for some. – Josh Gabelich
FORMER PIE REMAINS IN MID-SEASON HUNT
FORMER Collingwood midfielder Callum Brown remains in the hunt to land an AFL lifeline at Hawthorn via this month's Mid-Season Rookie Draft, following a standout start to the VFL season.
The 25-year-old signed with Box Hill late last year and trained with Sam Mitchell's squad across the summer, joining the AFL program full-time for the last week of the pre-season supplemental selection period, before the Hawks opted to keep the final spot open.
Since then, Brown has been one of the most dominant players across the first six rounds of the VFL season, amassing five consecutive 30-plus disposal games to start 2023 to average 33.4 disposals, 4.6 tackles and 4.4 clearances per game.
Brown collected 36 disposals, nine tackles and five clearances against a Casey Demons midfield stacked with AFL talent on Sunday and is equal sixth in the VFL coaches MVP award.
Two other clubs expressed interest after Brown's 70-game career at Collingwood ended in September, but it was Hawthorn’s attention that led the son of Magpies great Gavin to Box Hill City Oval.
Since the Mid-Season Rookie Draft was reintroduced in 2019, Hawthorn has signed five players out of the Box Hill program – Jai Newcombe, Ned Reeves, James Blanck, Lachie Bramble and Fergus Greene – via mid-season, SSP or the delisted free agency window. – Josh Gabelich
