Eagles free agent in talks, Sun eyes new deal, Dee to extend

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EAGLE IN LONG-TERM TALKS

WEST Coast is in discussions with free agent Bailey Williams on a long-term deal after the Eagles ruckman's form spike this year.

Williams started the season out of the Eagles' team but has enjoyed a strong run of form as the ruck rules changed to his favour.

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It has seen interest in him in his home state of Victoria, including from the Western Bulldogs while Richmond is on the search for a ruckman, with the Eagles looking to sign him to a longer deal.

Talks have been around a deal of five to six years, with the Eagles looking to tie up a ruckman in a market that isn't flushed with options this year.

Williams is one of only four restricted free agents left in the pool this year, alongside Zak Butters, Ben King and Zac Bailey, and played his 100th game for the club last week.

JAMARRA EYES NEW DEAL

GOLD Coast is yet to re-sign Ben King or Jed Walter beyond October, but the Suns will make a move on a new deal for Jamarra Ugle-Hagan in the coming weeks.

The 2020 No.1 pick has played only three senior games for Damien Hardwick in 2026, but after not playing any football at all during a tumultuous 2025, Ugle-Hagan has also featured in seven VFL games.

After showing the commitment they wanted to see, the Suns will get moving on what is expected to be a one-year extension for 2027 soon, following strong support from the senior coach.

Ugle-Hagan secured a second chance at the Suns on a one-year deal with a trigger for a second season, which hasn't been hit yet.

The 24-year-old's season has been interrupted by knee surgery in March and he hasn't played at senior level since an ankle injury in the final drill before the round 10 game in Darwin against Port Adelaide.

King and Walter are being courted heavily by clubs in Victoria and yet to make a decision. If one or both depart in October, Ugle-Hagan would become more important to the Suns in 2027, especially after a full pre-season in Queensland. – Josh Gabelich

DEE TO EXTEND

MELBOURNE will lock in young gun Caleb Windsor to a longer deal in a move that will take him out of Tasmania's access to out-of-contract players.

Windsor was already signed to the Demons until the end of 2028, which will be his fifth year in the system after being Melbourne's No.7 pick at the 2023 draft.

But the Dees are set to extend Windsor by an extra year to sign him through to the end of 2029.

The quiet move would allow Melbourne to have another one of its batch of talented youngsters off limits during the Devils' two years of access to out-of-contract players between 2027 and 2028.

Windsor, 21, played the 50th game of his career in Saturday's win over Hawthorn in Tasmania and has featured more in the midfield in his third season.

The Eastern Ranges dasher pushed up draft boards in the second half of his draft season before joining the Dees as one of their two first-round selections, along with Koltyn Tholstrup.

His signature will follow that of fellow top pick Harvey Langford, who earlier this year agreed to a two-year extension to the end of 2029, also taking him out of the Devils' uncontracted player grasp. – Callum Twomey

SWEET STUFF FOR PORT

PORT Adelaide has started positive talks on a new deal for in-form big man Jordon Sweet, with clubs looking elsewhere ahead of the ruck merry-go-round kicking into full swing.

Sweet is coming to the end of the three-year deal he signed on joining from the Western Bulldogs, but is expected to remain at Alberton after another impressive year where he's risen to be the fifth-rated ruck in the competition.

Ruck-needy rivals have subsequently overlooked Sweet as a potential option, given the expectation he re-signs at the Power, and have instead turned their attentions to a number of other tall prospects.

Gold Coast veteran Jarrod Witts, Brisbane premiership winner Darcy Fort, Greater Western Sydney free agent Kieren Briggs and contracted Sydney option Peter Ladhams are among those being watched by rival clubs.

Giants youngster Nick Madden had also been the subject of significant rival interest, with the Tigers making a serious attempt to lure the 22-year-old, but he turned down the approach to pen a four-year extension last week. – Riley Beveridge

BOMBERS OPEN DISCUSSIONS WITH DEFENDER

ESSENDON has opened discussions on a new deal for Jaxon Prior, with the defender being a fixture in the Bombers' line-up since arriving at the club.

Prior is out of contract at the end of this season but has commenced talks on a one-year extension that would take him through to the end of 2027.

The former Lion has played 15 games this year after 23 last season, seeing him only miss one appearance since arriving at Essendon following five years at Brisbane, where he played 39 games.

The left-footer is the son of former Bombers and Eagles player Michael Prior, who played 90 games across his stints at both clubs.

Prior signing on would take the Bombers' list of uncontracted players down to 12 ahead of the end of the season. – Callum Twomey

YOUNG SAINT SET TO STAY

ST KILDA ruckman Alex Dodson is in talks on an extension at the club.

The South Australian, who turned down a promising basketball career to pursue footy in the 2024 draft class, is out of contract at the end of this year.

Discussions have been ongoing and a new deal is expected soon at the Saints for Dodson, who debuted last year in round 23 but hasn't featured at AFL level this season.

The 20-year-old has recruit Tom De Koning and Saints veteran Rowan Marshall ahead of him at the club this season but has been learning off the pair as he builds his game at VFL level. – Callum Twomey

DEVILS' DATE

TASMANIA will address families of under-16 prospects next week as the draft class shapes as another key year for the Devils' list build.

Recruiters will converge on the Gold Coast next week for the final rounds of the Marsh AFL National Under-16 Boys Championships, with games set to be staged from Monday through to Friday, where the title winners will be crowned at Southport.

The Devils last year hosted families and draft hopefuls at the under-16s to explain their club, given last year's under-16s crop will be in the 2027 draft pool – when Tasmania will have the lion's share of picks in the first round.

They will again have that in 2028, when the current under-16s draft class is draft eligible, plus players in this year's under-16s group will also be eligible to join the Devils as part of their access to under-17s players in 2027.

The club is expected to sign up to six or seven of its access to a dozen 17-year-olds this year and leave the rest for next year to have a blend across both years. – Callum Twomey

PLAYERS TURN SCOUTS

A NUMBER of current players have taken the chance to test their eye as recruiters during the national under-18 carnival.

Last week's double-header at Marvel Stadium saw clubs' scouting teams scattered around the venue, with some players also involved taking notes to get a taste of the recruiting world.

Jackson Archer has returned from his recent US trip while recovering from his knee reconstruction and was experiencing the games with North Melbourne's recruiting team, while Richmond's Hugo Ralphsmith also did the same with Richmond's group.

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Meanwhile, St Kilda's Hunter Clark has been a regular at Talent League games this season as he continues to be interested in the recruiting space, joining the Saints' scouting network on weekends while he was nursing an injury and at other stages between his own playing commitments.

A number of more recent retirees have moved into recruiting and list management post career, including Jarryd Roughead (Adelaide), Liam Shiels (North Melbourne) and Shane Edwards (Adelaide). – Callum Twomey

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