Giant Kieren Briggs' new home locked in, young Magpie Wil Parker gets interest, Cats veteran Mark Blicavs eyes new deal

Get all the latest news in the trade, free agency and draft landscape in Inside Trading, AFL.com.au's dedicated column for player movement. Find out the latest on contracts, deals, trades, draftees, rules, agents and who is going where from the AFL.com.au team.

TIGER TARGET LOCKED IN

KIEREN Briggs will join Richmond as an unrestricted free agent after departing Greater Western Sydney this week.

The long-mooted move to the Tigers will become official in the free agency window following the Grand Final.

Inside Trading revealed last month that the Tigers had a four-year deal on the table for the ruckman, with Briggs locked in to land at Punt Road.

Richmond had also chased Giants ruckman Nick Madden earlier this year before he turned down a lucrative deal to remain at GWS.

But the Tigers have locked in on Briggs to be their ruckman and support Toby Nankervis, who has a year to run on his deal at the club.

Briggs, 26, played 88 games for the Giants including 18 this season and will arrive at Punt Road as a key signing for Adem Yze's side. – Callum Twomey

MAGPIE ON PORT RADAR

PORT Adelaide has expressed interest in out-of-contract Collingwood half-back Wil Parker.

The cricket convert has played 14 games since signing with the Magpies as a Category B rookie in 2024.

Parker started the season in Craig McRae's side but was squeezed out after two rounds and has played five senior games in 2026 around 12 games in the VFL.

The Power have tracked the 24-year-old for years as a wider recruiting department, while long-time national recruiting manager Geoff Parker is his uncle.

Parker is yet to receive a contract at Collingwood for 2027.

Port Adelaide added Will Brodie, Jacob Wehr and Corey Durdin from other clubs last October and 12 months earlier, the Power made a shrewd move for Joe Richards, who has become a permanent fixture since moving from Collingwood. – Josh Gabelich

COGS TO LAND DEAL

GREATER Western Sydney veteran Stephen Coniglio will get a one-year deal to play on for a 16th season with the club.

The former Giants skipper has been keen to play on and will get a new contract to remain at the club for 2027.

The 32-year-old played 21 games for the Giants this year and finished the season with a strong run of form, including back-to-back games of three goals against Sydney and Port Adelaide in round 20 and 21.

The Giants are set to get the deal sorted soon, with Coniglio due to play his 250th game early next season.

The winds of change have swept through the Giants, with Jesse Hogan, Jake Stringer and Kieren Briggs departing the club officially this week and captain Toby Greene weighing up a move to Geelong. – Callum Twomey

CHAMPION CAT TO GO ON

GEELONG is in discussions with Mark Blicavs on a one-year extension to continue his extraordinary career into 2027.

The 35-year-old is set to go around again next year with discussions underway on a new deal for next season.

Blicavs has played 313 games for the Cats and remains a key player for Chris Scott's side as it heads into this year's finals series.

Having made his debut as a 22-year-old, the famed steeplechaser-turned-premiership player's story is set for another chapter next year.

Blicavs is a two-time best and fairest winner as well as an All Australian in Geelong's 2022 premiership season. He has remained a key part of the Cats' push this season, swapping between the ruck and key defence. – Callum Twomey

BOMBERS COACH ON 'REQUIRED' RIDLEY, NO.1 PICK OPTIONS

NEW Essendon coach Mark McVeigh will spend Thursday getting his first look at the Bombers' No.1 pick contenders as the club weighs up a huge call at November's Telstra AFL Draft.

The Bombers hold the No.1 pick for the first time since 2016 after their wooden spoon finish this season in a pool that has several contenders for the first live pick.

Putting aside tied players Dougie Cochrane (Port Adelaide) and Cody Walker (Carlton), the likes of Northern Knights ruckman Harry van Hattum, Sandringham pair Arki Butler and Gus Teixeira and Greater Western Victoria Rebels midfielder Ethan Drever are the leading contenders for the first open pick, as well as West Australian Heath Mellody.

McVeigh spent an hour with Essendon list boss Matt Rosa on Monday evening after he was rubber-stamped as the Bombers' new coach. In an extended interview with AFL.com.au on Wednesday, McVeigh said he would soon see where the club rated its top prospects in the draft crop.

"I'm looking at the options tomorrow, so we'll sit down and go through that. I know with these picks everyone has different opinions. The beauty of coming into the club (now) is Matty Rosa and his team will present what they think is right, they will give me all the facts and the detail that I need," McVeigh said.

"I'm not only making the decision, clearly we will do that together. I'm really looking forward to seeing where that goes. I don't have a strong opinion on it right now, but I do have a strong opinion on the player's character and what they can do and how quickly they can adapt to what we want.

"That will be in the forefront of my mind."

As Zach Merrett looks at a trade to Hawthorn again, Bombers defender Jordan Ridley is also considering seeking a move, with North Melbourne showing interest. Ridley also last year looked at a trade to Brisbane, before committing to the Bombers where he is contracted to the end of 2029.

McVeigh said he had already met with the important defender, who missed the end of the season with a foot injury.

"I have (chatted to him) and he was terrific, to be honest. I think he's an elite talent. I think he's got tremendous upside. Has he been challenged with his body? Yes. Have we explored every area to get him better that sits outside our footy club? The answer was yes," he said.

"I threw up a few different ideas, he raised his eyebrows and thought that's not bad. So for me, he's required, absolutely. He's a player who knows his body, knows what he wants to do. It's another conversation I need to have privately and we'll do that over coming days." – Callum Twomey

YOUNG EAGLE WEIGHING UP FUTURE

WEST Coast mid-season draftee Marcus Herbert is weighing up a potentially unprecedented call to request a trade just three months after arriving at the Eagles, having courted interest from Carlton.

The Eagles have recently upped their offer to Herbert from one year to two in a deal that would take him through to 2028, but the running defender has also received a similar two-year deal at the Blues.

Herbert is yet to decide on his future, having only arrived at West Coast in May through the mid-season draft before impressing across the final 10 games of the Eagles' campaign.

West Coast recruited the 24-year-old Herbert with the No.13 pick in the mid-season draft, after Carlton had passed on him nine selections earlier to take young ruck Flynn Riley at the No.4 pick.

He averaged 21.6 disposals, 5.3 marks and 4.7 intercepts per game at AFL level, having impressed both across half back and through the midfield during the first half of the year with Geelong's VFL program.

Carlton is after cover across half back ahead of this year's Trade Period and is understood to have also shown interest in uncontracted Adelaide youngster Charlie Edwards. – Riley Beveridge

BOMBER A ROOKIE OPTION?

JADE Gresham looms as a possible category B rookie as clubs look to use the AFL's new rule to add experienced Indigenous players to their lists.

Under the proposed rule that the AFL has settled on and wants to bring in this year, clubs would have the option to sign an extra category B rookie if they are Indigenous.

That player can come from another club if they are delisted by them and bypassed in the national draft.

It means Gresham, who is out of contract at Essendon this year, could be added to another club as a category B rookie if they want to use the position on experience.

AFL.com.au revealed earlier this month that clubs were looking at Carlton's Zac Williams in the same fashion under the new rule, which requires AFL Players Association sign-off but has been ticked off by the League.

Gresham has been in strong VFL form in the Bombers' run to that competition's finals series, but the former Saint only played seven AFL games this season and didn't reach his contract trigger to enact a fourth year at the Bombers in 2027. – Callum Twomey

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