2026 Trade / FA Thread

[MoreMoore]

Shopping list hoping the warchest is huge.

Restricted: Butters King Bailey

Unrestricted: Butts. Lewis Chandler Sparrow Khamis

Butters is likely the only one to require a trade

Two or Three of these added really reset the window

Do your thing Leppa

 

[Dtennent94]

The Temu option isn't too shabby though and would cost nothing in relative terms.

B. Maynard. Butts. Frampton.
HB. Quaynor. Moore. Houston.
C. Jaicos. Wardlaw. Perryman.
HF. McCreery. West. Shultz.
F. Harrison. Lewis. De Goey.

R. Steene. Anderson. Naicos.

Int. Hill. Crisp. Elliott. McStay. Cameron.


Emer. Long. Hayes. Steele. Allan. Lipinski. Buller.

Butts, Wardlaw and Lewis would be huge, but you’d hope you don’t have too much of your cap collectively tied up in Lewis & Wardlaw…

 

[NoRebuilds]

Good to see lippy as emergency
Lol

Yeah, he probably won't be, but the day he is we'll be a gun team!

 

[footballsack35]

No chance Wardlaw is coming to the Pies. Hes been suffering down the bottom of the ladder at North, now their seeing some change. Plus not sure about his hammys + concussion issues

 

[NoRebuilds]

No chance Wardlaw is coming to the Pies. Hes been suffering down the bottom of the ladder at North, now their seeing some change. Plus not sure about his hammys + concussion issues

Ok, Butters it is then.

 

[Dtennent94]

No chance Wardlaw is coming to the Pies. Hes been suffering down the bottom of the ladder at North, now their seeing some change. Plus not sure about his hammys + concussion issues

Yeah… you’d be a brave list manager to sell the farm for Wardlaw, good as he is/can be.

 

[NoRebuilds]

I wonder if we'll go hard for Bailey if we can't get Butters, Brisbane has said they won't offer more than their current offer of 6.5M over 6 years, we could beat that pretty easily and get him for nothing, Adelaide coming hard with 10M though.

 

[Eric Shin]

I’d be lying if I said that I haven’t been creating teams with Butters and King in them for 2027.

Thought I was the only one

 

[WanderingDude]

Might not be as big a number but a fair few who look very likely to not be there next year.

I'd add Membrey to the 3 often listed veterans. Then a few in the VFL who probably won't get extensions if they don't have a rise - Smit, Sully, Ryan.

I don't think we'll be tight for list spots.

Normally there are around 20 to re-sign. We have 14. A number of those I would like to keep. Howes, Parker, Frampton, Saxena and Cochran. Crisp ain’t 40 yet. Sullivan, Smit and Ryan in danger. I suspect Allan and one veteran stay. It will be good to watch, me being wrong.

 

[Roverjg]

Butts, Wardlaw and Lewis would be huge, but you’d hope you don’t have too much of your cap collectively tied up in Lewis & Wardlaw…

If we recruited both Wardlaw and Lewis and they tied up our salary cap I would sack the recruiting/ list management team. Lewis is severely injury prone and averages only 9 games per year over 9 years.

Wardlaw is a competitive beast but lacks a tank. He also is significantly injury prone playing only 42 of a possible 76 games and has had significant hamstring injuries and 4 concussions missing 11 games and he is only in his 4th season of football.

He missed the first 9 games of 2023 (as a result of injuries sustained in his pre-draft year (2022). After playing 5 games he missed 6 games due to two hamstring injuries. In 2024 he suffered multiple concussions and he missed 7 games. In 2025 he suffered a significant hamstring injury during pre-season and missed the first 6 games. He suffered a significant concussion during the 1st quarter against the Hawks and missed the next 4 games. In 2026 he suffered a hamstring injury in a practice match in February, missing 4 weeks and returning in round 4 against the Bombers.

In his 44 games he averages 10 kicks; 7 HB; 5 T; 4 clearances; 3 I50’s; 57 kicking efficiency; 66.2% disposal efficiency; 59% centre bounce attendance; 66% time on ground.

 

[NoRebuilds]

If we recruited both Wardlaw and Lewis and they tied up our salary cap I would sack the recruiting/ list management team. Lewis is severely injury prone and averages only 9 games per year over 9 years.

Wardlaw is a competitive beast but lacks a tank. He also is significantly injury prone playing only 42 of a possible 76 games and has had significant hamstring injuries and 4 concussions missing 11 games and he is only in his 4th season of football.

He missed the first 9 games of 2023 (as a result of injuries sustained in his pre-draft year (2022). After playing 5 games he missed 6 games due to two hamstring injuries. In 2024 he suffered multiple concussions and he missed 7 games. In 2025 he suffered a significant hamstring injury during pre-season and missed the first 6 games. He suffered a significant concussion during the 1st quarter against the Hawks and missed the next 4 games. In 2026 he suffered a hamstring injury in a practice match in February, missing 4 weeks and returning in round 4 against the Bombers.

In his 44 games he averages 10 kicks; 7 HB; 5 T; 4 clearances; 3 I50’s; 57 kicking efficiency; 66.2% disposal efficiency; 59% centre bounce attendance; 66% time on ground.

Butts and Lewis wouldn't tie up your cap too much, in fact you'd have a couple of bookends for very little and then have the cash to go after a Butters or Bailey. Wardlaw was just a Temu example, I'm hoping for way better.

 

[Apex36]

Of course but what I meant was we don’t have the resources to just throw a decent offer at Port to get him, if he specially requests us it might be a touch easier

When has throwing a decent offer at a team for a player who hasn’t requested to go to your club ever worked?

Maybe a handful of times in AFL history when their first preference couldn’t get the deal done?

 

[sr36]

Normally there are around 20 to re-sign. We have 14. A number of those I would like to keep. Howes, Parker, Frampton, Saxena and Cochran. Crisp ain’t 40 yet. Sullivan, Smit and Ryan in danger. I suspect Allan and one veteran stay. It will be good to watch, me being wrong.

I think that 7 players off looks pretty easy this year compared to the past couple of years.

 

[SchuPie]

Speed, strength, disposal efficiency

(Edit: and more than 15 disposals a game)

 

[tmpies01]

Butters would be crazy to look at today’s game and not have us in his top 3 options. You don’t get that at any other club.

He’s a player who should be on the big stage of the MCG weekly in front of 70k+ crowds, not rotting away under the Marvel lid.

I don’t know how it happens, just get it done Leppa.

 

[Gymnorhina tibic]

When has throwing a decent offer at a team for a player who hasn’t requested to go to your club ever worked?

Maybe a handful of times in AFL history when their first preference couldn’t get the deal done?

Silvani last year?

 

[Pragmatic Shill]

Butters would be crazy to look at today’s game and not have us in his top 3 options. You don’t get that at any other club.

He’s a player who should be on the big stage of the MCG weekly in front of 70k+ crowds, not rotting away under the Marvel lid.

I don’t know how it happens, just get it done Leppa.

I think we are in his top 3 options, but we're a pretty distant third. Dogs are seat 1A by a fair way.

 

[10571z]

Butters would be crazy to look at today’s game and not have us in his top 3 options. You don’t get that at any other club.

He’s a player who should be on the big stage of the MCG weekly in front of 70k+ crowds, not rotting away under the Marvel lid.

I don’t know how it happens, just get it done Leppa.

If I was a player with a choice to go anywhere it would be Geelong, Hawks or Pies.

Hawks have won a flag in every decade since 1960

Pies have played in a GF every 10 years with bulk tilts between that in the AFL era

Geelong have been excellent in the AFL era with constant challenges and flags.

 

[soreplums]

I think we are in his top 3 options, but we're a pretty distant third. Dogs are seat 1A by a fair way.

Don’t think we are that far behind.
Agree that Dogs are in the box seat, but from what I hear, we aren’t too far behind.

 

[Apex36]

Silvani last year?

Can you tell me what it was that St Kilda offered Carlton that made Silvagni decide to go there as a free agent?

 

[Eric Shin]

Can you tell me what it was that St Kilda offered Carlton that made Silvagni decide to go there as a free agent?

Getting to go to work with his dad everyday

 

[Apex36]

Getting to go to work with his dad everyday

That’s an offer to Jack, not to Carlton!

I sense that Gymnorhina tibic misunderstood what I was saying in the post he responded to.

 

[footballsack35]

Just watching bris vs crom.
Can't wait to see Butts and Bailey for us next year.

 

[WanderingDude]

I keep hearing Jessie Hogan is putting off signing and Victoria clubs are circling. Out of contract, not free agent. Anyone have more details?

Coner Stone is an UFA, former pick number 15 and only about 20 games. 189cm tall and running power strength. Is he any good?

 

[sr36]

I keep hearing Jessie Hogan is putting off signing and Victoria clubs are circling. Out of contract, not free agent. Anyone have more details?

Pretty straight forward from what was said in the media the other day. GWS not offering close to what Jesse and his manager expect.