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ABC News
23-07-2025
- Business
- ABC News
As West Coast prepares monster Harley Reid offer, it is time for the AFL to consider introducing max contract lengths
Over 25 years ago, the NBA decided enough was enough and flexed a key cap mechanism, introducing maximum contract lengths. The 90s had seen teams dish out ridiculously long contracts, ones that had the potential to handicap them for the best part of a decade. One of the more notorious examples saw Juwan Howard, the fifth overall pick in the 1994 draft, locked into a 12-year, $42 million deal with the Washington Bullets, one which gave him an option to opt out after two years. The NBA's current rules mean the longest contract that a player can now earn is a five-year deal with their own team, or a four-year deal if they sign with a rival. It is a mechanism that essentially protects teams from themselves, even if it limits the amount of financial security for the players. Even with this measure, NBA teams still make bad signings and players have bad contracts, but at least the length of the financial damage to a team's cap sheet is limited. With lengthy extensions becoming more and more popular over the last few years, the AFL, too, has started to save teams from their own mishaps, and would be well served to do more in coming years. Since the start of the 2024 season, AFL teams offering contracts longer than six years must submit written approval from their president and CEO, explaining the deal. It is like trying to convince your parents why you should buy a brand-new PS5. That move came after Brodie Grundy, now with Sydney, was moved twice by two different clubs, Collingwood and Melbourne, in the space of two years. The seven-year extension Grundy signed runs through 2027. By the time it expires, he will have played for at least three different clubs over the duration of the contract. No one was to blame for the Grundy extension in hindsight. His management was well within its rights to ask for top dollar from the Magpies, given he was a two-time All-Australian and one of the best big men in the game at the time. The decision was simple for Collingwood: either pay Grundy or lose him to a rival club, leaving a gaping hole at the ruck position. A couple of teams in the AFL currently face the same conundrum the Magpies did at the end of 2019, namely West Coast, which is trying to retain the services of their prolific youngster, Harley Reid. The Eagles have won a combined 10 games in four seasons, and currently have an abysmal 1-17 record so far this year. Despite spending four years as the AFL's cellar-dwellers, Reid is the only Eagles player who seems a sure bet to make an All-Australian team in the future, making locking him up a priority for the club. Ever since Eagles selected Reid, a Victorian native, first overall in the 2023 draft, clubs from his home state have been sniffing around the prospect of prying him out of Western Australia. The bidding war has allowed Reid's management to drive up his asking price. The latest number being thrown around is a reported 11-year extension that would net Reid an estimated total of $20 million across the duration of the deal. The AFL hasn't seen numbers like this before, so understandably, there is apprehension around the competition, particularly due to the fact that Reid has played 38 career games and blown hot and cold in those, as you'd expect from a 20-year-old in his second season. From an Eagles perspective, the deal is a no-brainer. You simply pay whatever you can to keep your crown jewel and worry about the rest later. West Coast might not be winning very often, but Reid's presence still draws significant interest, which is of tangible value to the club. The idea of what he might be is enough to keep fans entertained. Rival clubs may not be willing to match the 11 years West Coast is offering, but are clearly prepared to stump up well in excess of $1 million per annum if it means Reid is spending his prime years running around in their guernsey. Like the situation with Grundy and Collingwood, no one is necessarily at fault. This just happens to be the price of doing business. St Kilda finds itself in a similar boat when it comes to the seemingly intertwined futures of Nasiah Waganeen-Milera, who is already at the club, and Tom De Koning, whom the Saints are trying to acquire this summer. The Saints have been big-game hunting for a few years now, and everyone in the league knows it. They failed to lure Finn Callaghan and Essendon captain Zach Merrett to come to the club in the last 12 months, but appear to have turned the head of Carlton's De Koning. De Koning has been reportedly offered a deal in the vicinity of $1.7 million per season to leave the Blues, a deal which has seen Waganeen-Milera's camp raise his asking price to $1.4 million per year amid interest from both South Australian clubs. St Kilda, which is currently flush with salary cap space, can afford to sign both players to huge deals, but will likely restrict itself moving forward by committing such a large portion of its cap to two players. People in power at all these clubs have one thing in common: trying to follow through on whatever the message is to their members. The only thing that differs is what exactly that message is. For West Coast, the message is one of hope, patience, and an idea of what could be. Pitching that to fans is doable when Reid is the centrepiece of it. Good luck doing it while he's ripping it up back in Victoria after being traded by the Eagles. The Saints have an entirely different mandate. This is a club that has not had any real star-power since the Nick Riewoldt era a decade ago. To those in charge at St Kilda, giving the fans a shiny new toy in De Koning makes paying him well above the usual going rate for a ruckman worth it. People in power at each of these clubs are trying to appease their members as quickly as possible. If that means handicapping the club in the long run, a time when they may not still remain at the club in their respective positions, it is a decision they'll make every single time. This isn't a problem that is AFL-exclusive. Across all sports, if you leave clubs to their own vices, the chances are they make short-sighted decisions that usually result in adversely impacting their long-term futures. The AFL cannot make any changes until the end of the current Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA), which ends in 2027. When it comes to the negotiation of a new deal, contract lengths should be central to these discussions, particularly with expansion on the horizon. The current AFL administration has already shown an inclination to keeping a close eye on how the NBA does things, dabbling in play-in tournament and in-season cup ideas. If there is one thing they can actually take from the NBA, it should be contract lengths.
Yahoo
21-07-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Giants relish top-four chase ahead of Sydney derby
As enticing a proposition as ending rivals Sydney's season may be, GWS captain Toby Greene has his focus elsewhere. The chance to step closer to a top-four finish is on the line for the Giants when they host the Swans at Engie Stadium on Friday night. And as bitter as their rivalry is, Greene says bringing Sydney's barnstorming run to September to a shuddering halt is secondary. "I'll relish the idea of us trying to make top four, so I just want to worry about that," Greene said on Monday. "If we beat them, their season's probably done and we're a chance for top four, so it's a huge game." GWS (12-6) are sixth, ranked by percentage against Fremantle, Hawthorn and Geelong, who are all on 48 points. The Swans (9-9) are just four points behind the ninth-placed Western Bulldogs (10-8) after claiming their third-straight win. Dean Cox's men must knock off the Giants and win every match thereafter to keep their slim finals chances alive. Sydney at least have history on their side, winning their past five matches - including last year's quarter final. And with Isaac Heeney enjoying a rich vein of form, they just might produce an upset on enemy territory. Well-supported by Swans ruck Brodie Grundy, Heeney kicked five goals and finished with 34 disposals and 13 clearances to fire them to a 31-point win over North Melbourne at the SCG on Saturday. Greene, who runs a football clinic with Heeney, was happy to keep the lid on the Swans midfielder. "No, I didn't want to pump him up because I knew we were playing him this week," Greene said when he was asked if he had sent Heeney a message after their Kangaroos win. "But it was a special game and he's in great form. He's in my SuperCoach, it's been great. "It was a pretty dominant game on the weekend from him, so we're not going to let him run around and do whatever he wants, that's for sure." GWS are expecting to be at full strength, with Josh Kelly and Jesse Hogan set for a recall after being managed last week. All-Australian defender Sam Taylor is also on target to return from a fractured toe. The Giants also have their own in-form goalscoring star, with Jake Stringer finishing with three goals, 18 disposals and three score involvements in the last-out 48-point win over Essendon. "He put on a bit of a show down in Melbourne on the weekend," Greene said. "He would have been up for that against his old side, so really happy for him. "We're fit and firing at the moment (which is) when you want to be."
Yahoo
19-07-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Grundy finds top gear as sizzling Swans cull Kangaroos
Brodie Grundy's ruck heroics have fired Sydney to a 31-point win over North Melbourne as their AFL finals campaign continues to gather steam. Grundy dominated in Kangaroos counterpart Tristan Xerri's absence, and Isaac Heeney kicked five goals as the Swans kept their September hopes alive with a 12.12 (84) to 7.11 (53) victory over North at the SCG on Saturday. The result brings the Swans (9-9) within four points of the ninth-placed Western Bulldogs (10-8), with eighth-placed Fremantle (11-6) on 44 points ahead of Sunday's clash against ladder leaders Collingwood. A huge first half in the middle 😤Is Todd Goldstein's record of 80 in danger? 👀#AFLSwansNorth — AFL (@AFL) July 19, 2025 Meanwhile, North Melbourne (4-13) are left to lament their fourth straight loss. Swans ruck Grundy's late-season dominance continued as he gathered a monster 62 hitouts, 11 clearances and 22 disposals. Without the suspended Xerri, North coach Alastair Clarkson handed Callum Coleman-Jones his first AFL game of the year and his first since rupturing his achilles tendon last year to do the job against Grundy. But luckless Coleman-Jones (calf) went down in the first quarter, forcing North to call on Brynn Teakle and Jack Darling. The trio took a combined 10 hitouts. Heeney benefited the most from a near-lethal connection with Grundy, finishing with 34 disposals and 13 clearances to go with his five-goal haul. For the Kangaroos, Luke Davies-Uniacke starred on return from concussion, alongside Jy Simpkin and Caleb Daniel, while former Swans stalwart Luke Parker was quiet in his first game back at the SCG. A pre-first-bounce tussle with Kangaroos defender Wil Dawson was enough to rile up Swans forward Hayden McLean, who opened the scoring before Heeney slotted his first. North responded through Teakle and Cooper Harvey (two goals) to limit the margin to six points at quarter-time. The visitors started the second term better and leaped ahead by one point, before the Swans grappled back momentum with four goals to two. Goalscoring opportunities dried up for both sides in a third-quarter grind, with North captain Simpkin kicking the only goal. Heeney made up for lost time by slotting a goal in the opening 30 seconds of the final quarter, the first in a chain of four majors for the home side.
Sydney Morning Herald
17-07-2025
- Sport
- Sydney Morning Herald
Perfection isn't enough. The Swans need a miracle to make the finals
Sydney's slim finals hopes appeared to be gone with four minutes remaining in Sunday's clash with St. Kilda. That was until Brodie Grundy tapped a ball-up down the throat of Errol Gulden, who had sprinted clear of his marker and snapped a goal from 40 metres out to put them in front. It was a miracle play - and for the Swans to have any chance of sneaking into the top eight, they need a few more of those. Quite a few, actually. The Swans sit 10th on the ladder with an 8-9 win-loss record, adrift of the finals by 12 points (or three wins) and burdened by a hefty percentage deficit. They've got six games to go: North Melbourne at the SCG on Saturday afternoon, then GWS Giants (away), Essendon (home), Brisbane Lions (away), Geelong (home) and West Coast (away). The good news is they're all winnable. Yes, even the round 22 trip to the Gabba to face the reigning premiers and the home clash with the Cats the following week. Though they are wrecked by injury and down on confidence, there are the flashes of brilliance from the Swans that serve as reminders that, not that long ago, they were considered one of the AFL's most fearsome teams. It's still in them, somewhere, buried under a pile of hurt. And statistically, they have one of the easiest runs home. So they're still a chance … in the Dumb & Dumber sense, sure, but it's something to hold onto. The bad news is that even if they were perfect for the rest of the season, and managed to string together a six-game winning streak to round out the home-and-away campaign - a fair ask considering that this year, they haven't managed to put more than two consecutive wins together - it still mightn't be enough. Of the teams they could hope to leapfrog, they only face one of them, the Giants, in a bona fide eight-pointer in next weekend's derby at Engie Stadium. Assuming the Swans take care of business against lowly North Melbourne first, that game could not only put wind in their own sails but leave a fair dent in GWS' ambitions, too.
The Age
17-07-2025
- Sport
- The Age
Perfection isn't enough. The Swans need a miracle to make the finals
Sydney's slim finals hopes appeared to be gone with four minutes remaining in Sunday's clash with St. Kilda. That was until Brodie Grundy tapped a ball-up down the throat of Errol Gulden, who had sprinted clear of his marker and snapped a goal from 40 metres out to put them in front. It was a miracle play - and for the Swans to have any chance of sneaking into the top eight, they need a few more of those. Quite a few, actually. The Swans sit 10th on the ladder with an 8-9 win-loss record, adrift of the finals by 12 points (or three wins) and burdened by a hefty percentage deficit. They've got six games to go: North Melbourne at the SCG on Saturday afternoon, then GWS Giants (away), Essendon (home), Brisbane Lions (away), Geelong (home) and West Coast (away). The good news is they're all winnable. Yes, even the round 22 trip to the Gabba to face the reigning premiers and the home clash with the Cats the following week. Though they are wrecked by injury and down on confidence, there are the flashes of brilliance from the Swans that serve as reminders that, not that long ago, they were considered one of the AFL's most fearsome teams. It's still in them, somewhere, buried under a pile of hurt. And statistically, they have one of the easiest runs home. So they're still a chance … in the Dumb & Dumber sense, sure, but it's something to hold onto. The bad news is that even if they were perfect for the rest of the season, and managed to string together a six-game winning streak to round out the home-and-away campaign - a fair ask considering that this year, they haven't managed to put more than two consecutive wins together - it still mightn't be enough. Of the teams they could hope to leapfrog, they only face one of them, the Giants, in a bona fide eight-pointer in next weekend's derby at Engie Stadium. Assuming the Swans take care of business against lowly North Melbourne first, that game could not only put wind in their own sails but leave a fair dent in GWS' ambitions, too.
