Why Harley Reid could prove to be football’s biggest bargain

However, the players’ association player relations manager Brett Murphy said the clause was not tied to a specific return and was introduced as part of the overall negotiation. He stuck by the decision to agree to the clause.

“The AFLPA agreed to three-year contracts for new draftees as part of this year’s collective bargaining agreement,” Murphy told this masthead.

“This was a position put to us by the AFL and clubs, which was discussed in depth with the playing group and the agent group. We understand the view that it has the potential to restrict the earnings of some players in their third year, but this provides a fair outcome for all players to be paid based on what they have achieved in the game in their first two seasons, rather than on speculation.

“We understand some agents, in particular, have a different view of that and respect the views of those agents, but there is a bit of self-interest in that perspective.”

Five player agents who this masthead spoke to were unanimous that the clause would have unintended consequences, with the agents preferring to remain anonymous to speak freely about the issue.

Apart from the obvious financial impact, they believe very few players will extend beyond their first contract until they are into their third year, ending a recent trend of players – soon after being drafted – signing with a club until the end of their fourth season.

The agents believe players who contemplate returning home to be nearer to their families will feel more comfortable doing so after spending three seasons on a standard contract than they may have been after two seasons.

Only one top-20 player from the 2021 national draft, Jason Horne-Francis, who left after one season at North Melbourne, has changed clubs, while two top-20 players from the 2020 national draft, Tanner Bruhn and Ollie Henry, left their club after two years. The Giants also suffered the loss of two top-20 draft picks at the end of 2020 when Jye Caldwell and Jackson Hately returned to their home states two seasons after being drafted.

The players’ association previously resisted the move to extend the first contract to three years on the basis it was up to clubs to create an environment that would retain players. However, clubs, particularly those from non-traditional states, have complained that they were paying early draft picks way above the odds to retain them beyond two seasons.

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Managers also believe the huge impact players are having on their clubs’ fortunes in their initial years should be rewarded without any constraints, with Horne-Francis, Sheezel, Daicos, Will Ashcroft, Errol Gulden and potentially Reid among the competition’s stars both on and off the field. One pointed out that slower-maturing tall players would be disadvantaged, while another said the incentive process only complicated contracts further in an already labour-intensive regulatory environment for player managers.

Clubs, particularly those based outside Victoria, argued that players were more likely to remain if they were required to stay for three years, while the league believed too much salary-cap room was being expended on the third year of players’ contracts signed before they had proven their worth.

The situation won’t change with the CBA locked in until 2027, however the prospect of shifts in player-movement rules occurring during the competitive balance and player movement reviews is possible.

Or, what is more likely, negotiations for a player’s fourth season are likely to get very interesting, particularly with many clubs having salary-cap room, the northern-based academies starting to yield dividends with local players on their lists, and the Tasmania Devils due to enter an already competitive market in 2028.

It could be a case of clubs being careful what they wish for.

Uncontracted Brad Hill is not over the hill

St Kilda are yet to open talks with in-form speedster Brad Hill, who comes out of contract at the end of the season.

The 30-year-old has been in outstanding form so far this year, earning coaches’ votes in each of the past three rounds, with his hard running suiting the style Ross Lyon has introduced to the Saints since he returned to the club as coach in 2023.

Hill had a rocky start to his time at the Saints after crossing from Fremantle on a lucrative five-year deal as he battled for form and fitness, but he has flourished under Lyon, who coached him at the Dockers for three seasons, finishing equal sixth in the club’s best and fairest last year.

He has been a resilient performer at the Saints, playing 89 of a possible 91 games in his stint at the club so far.

Against the Giants, Hill recorded 805 metres gained and kicked two goals with his explosiveness and run keeping the Saints in the game in the first three quarters before their final-quarter comeback. He earned five coaches’ votes for his efforts.

A source familiar with Hill’s standing at the Saints said they expected talks on a new deal for the veteran would get underway at some point during the season.

The Murphy deal

Collingwood contracted Nathan Murphy for 2025 in the weeks leading up to his decision to retire due to concussion in a show of support as he contemplated his future.

Two club sources, who preferred to remain anonymous, confirmed the extension was granted while there was still some hope Murphy would be able to resume his career, however the Magpies recognised he could decide to retire soon after the contract was signed. They knew they could come to a financial agreement if he did make that decision without impacting on next year’s salary cap.

The Magpies defender eventually announced that he had been “medically retired” on Tuesday after months of speculation about his future.

The club had prioritised his health since he received his 10th concussion in the grand final and invited him and his parents to meet the board in December, so everyone was cognisant of the risks involved in playing on after the AFL’s concussion panel gave him the all clear to play.

He had been in line for a multi-year extension before the concussion in the grand final.

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