Tiger's new deal, talks begin with Demon, Saints look to re

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.

TIGERS LOCK IN YOUNGSTER

RICHMOND has rewarded Josh Gibcus with a new deal on the eve of the season after an impressive pre-season by the young key defender.

The 22-year-old entered 2026 out-of-contract but has now signed a three-year contract extension.

Gibcus is now locked in at Punt Road until he becomes a free agent in 2029.

The Ballarat product has long been viewed as a crucial long-term puzzle piece at Richmond, despite enduring a nightmare injury run since his debut season.

Gibcus played 18 games in 2022 after being selected at pick No.9 in 2021, but didn't play for 18 months due to a complex hamstring injury, before rupturing his ACL in his second game back in 2024.

After a slow build in 2025 and a big block in the VFL, Gibcus played the final game of last season to build momentum into the pre-season.

Now the 196cm key defender is well prepared to start 2026 in Richmond's back six against Carlton on Thursday night. – Josh Gabelich

DEES BEGIN TALKS WITH FREE AGENT FRITSCH

MELBOURNE has kickstarted contract talks with premiership player Bayley Fritsch, confident of securing a deal for the free agent forward.

Initial contract discussions with Fritsch have progressed nicely in recent months, with the 29-year-old keen to stay at the Demons where he is seen as a key part of new coach Steven King's plans.

Fritsch's name surfaced as a potential trade target for rivals last season, only for the five-time club leading goalkicker to privately reaffirm his commitment to the club late in the year.

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The 171-game player is among the leading free agents in this year's pool and is part of an intriguing crop at Melbourne, with Tom Sparrow and Kade Chandler also facing free agency decisions.

Fritsch is expected to provide a veteran presence in a new-look Demons attack this season, which will also include off-season recruits Brody Mihocek and Latrelle Pickett. – Riley Beveridge

SAINTS OPEN TO DISCUSSION ON FORWARD

ST KILDA has opened discussions on a new deal for forward Cooper Sharman.

Sharman stands as a priority re-signing for the club this year as he comes out of contract, with the club having commenced talks on a multi-year extension.

The 25-year-old has been a mid-season draft success story, playing five games in his debut 2021 season after being selected as a 20-year-old.

Last year was his best season with the Saints, with the marking forward booting a career-high 34 goals.

He kicked two goals against Collingwood in Sunday night's Opening Round game.

Sharman, along with youngster Darcy Wilson, are the Saints' most pressing contracts to sort this year after spending all of last season looking to secure the signature of Nasiah Wanganeen-Milera. – Callum Twomey

'BORIS' BACK AT BOMBERLAND

ESSENDON great Darren Bewick has joined the Bombers' recruiting department in a part-time role.

The two-time premiership Bomber will be a part of the club's wider recruiting division in focusing on the Victorian under-18 Talent League.

Bewick, who retired after the club's last flag in 2000 following 238 games and 332 goals, has a strong understanding of the junior system, having previously coached the likes of Tom Boyd and Christian Petracca as the Eastern Ranges head coach.

He has also been the long-time director of the AFL for the Rowville Sports Academy, which has produced a number of AFL graduates in recent seasons.

Bewick's son, Koby, is tied to the club for the 2027 draft class and is considered one of the leading players next year, having been a part of the Bombers' father-son program.

The Bombers have also welcomed a familiar face to their VFL program, with former Carlton and North Melbourne forward Jarrad Waite taking on a position as a development coach.

The 244-gamer will work closely with VFL head coach Cam Joyce, who was his football boss at the Kangaroos, with former Swan and Cats forward Gary Rohan, Bulldogs premiership player Toby McLean, former Lion James Polkinghorne and ex-Bombers Michael Hurley and Ricky Dyson all on the coaching panel. – Callum Twomey

DOGS' OFFER STANDS FOR KHAMIS

BUKU Khamis won a spot back in Luke Beveridge's first team of 2026 and has an opportunity to extend his contract at the Western Bulldogs beyond this year.

The 25-year-old requested a trade to Carlton for more opportunities last year only to be held to his contract after a deadline day move didn't eventuate.

The Blues had presented a lucrative contract to Khamis, but couldn't entertain a trade until completing the Charlie Curnow deal, which wasn't lodged until three minutes before the deadline.

Western Bulldogs presented Khamis with a two-year contract in 2025 and haven't removed that offer.

The club understood why Khamis explored a move after playing 41 games in eight seasons at the Whitten Oval, but wants to retain the popular intercept defender.

Khamis is expected to take his time to consider his options and should attract wider interest this October as a free agent. – Josh Gabelich

SUNS PAIR TO WAIT

TALENTED Gold Coast duo Jed Walter and Jake Rogers are likely to wait for the season to progress before entering contract talks with the club.

Walter and Rogers are part of an initial 2023 draft crop that earned three-year deals as top 20 picks, but are both yet to re-sign beyond their maiden contracts.

Both found themselves out of the Suns' side at key stretches last year, with Walter left out of Damien Hardwick's side for the final eight games of the season and Rogers managing just nine appearances for the year.

The pair subsequently attracted trade buzz late last season, with the duo likely to evaluate their place in Hardwick's plans before starting contract talks.

Walters, the No.3 pick in 2023, is widely viewed as one of the League's brightest young key forwards but finds himself in an intriguing tall setup at Gold Coast that also features Ben King, Ethan Read, Jy Farrar and new recruit Jamarra Ugle-Hagan.

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The 20-year-old was seen as a likely starter for Opening Round, before being suspended following an incident in a pre-season scratch match.

Rogers also missed the side's Opening Round win over Geelong and will likely battle the year's first Rising Star nominee, fellow Suns Academy graduate Leo Lombard, for a spot in the team's forward line.

Read was also part of Gold Coast's top 20 crop from the 2023 pool, but penned a two-year extension through to 2028 in his maiden season at the club. – Riley Beveridge

DEVILS' FOOTBALL BOSS SEARCH CONTINUES

TASMANIA is continuing its search for its first football manager, with former Carlton football boss Brad Lloyd among the figures linked with the role.

The Devils are underway in their process of filling the important position, with chief executive Brendon Gale hoping to have a target landed by the middle of this season.

Lloyd finished at Carlton last year after seven years as the Blues' football manager, having joined the club after being Fremantle's list boss.

He is among the names linked as candidates for the job, with former Port Adelaide coach Ken Hinkley among the others to have been linked with the position.

Gale told AFL.com.au in February that the football manager role was an "important" appointment as the club builds ahead of its entrance into the competition in 2028.

"That role is critical. You want that person to own all those big key decisions about what the footy department looks like and the personnel," he said.

"I'd like to have that role locked away by the middle of this year at the latest." – Callum Twomey

PLAYER OPTION DEALS ON THE AGENDA

'PLAYER options' and more clauses added to contracts will be on the agenda in talks over the next Collective Bargaining Agreement.

Under current rules, deals such as Port Adelaide's agreement with Miles Bergman – where he signed a two-year extension last year with the option to extend by a further seven years at the end of 2027 when he reaches free agency – can be agreed but not written into official paperwork of deals.

That has been the case through the history of the 'plus' deals – going back to Josh Kelly's two-year extension to stay at the Giants that saw him able to lock in an eight-year extension at any stage of the deal.

Exit clauses, including ways to be able to leave a club and void a contract if the team hasn't reached a certain benchmark of wins or finals appearances or even games played by some players, are other aspects of deals that could be discussed to be permitted within contracting for the next CBA.

New AFL Players Association boss James Gallagher said the players union would consider more aspects to be added to contracts, such as player option deals being elevated and more.

"I'm really open to us looking at the whole system and going 'What's working?' and let's make sure we enshrine that. But equally where some things aren't, particularly if there's restraints and restrictions that are in place, do we really need them?" Gallagher told AFL.com.au.

"That's a good conversation to have, because sometimes we're inclined to just put a rule in place to stop things, but maybe we're better off taking some handbrakes off. And so I think. I mean, that's more of a philosophical answer than a specific one.

"The most important part is us understanding where the player priorities lie. And first and foremost, do they want to see more flexibility in the movement market? I imagine they will, but that's something we're working through." – Callum Twomey

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