(From left to right): Ben McKay, Harley Reid and Brodie Grundy were some of the biggest names to land at new clubs over the off-season. IMAGES: AFL MEDIA, SEVEN
ADELAIDE
In: Chris Burgess (Gold Coast), Daniel Curtin (Claremont), Charlie Edwards (Sandringham Dragons), Oscar Ryan (Murray Bushrangers), Karl Gallagher (Monaghan – GAA)
Out: Tom Doedee (Brisbane – RFA), Paul Seedsman (retired), Shane McAdam (Melbourne), Andrew McPherson (delisted), Jackson Hately (delisted), Tyler Brown (delisted), Fischer McAsey (retired), Tariek Newchurch (delisted)
The Crows lost a key plank of their backline with Doedee crossing to Brisbane, making the recruitment of Curtin, widely seen as the best defender at this year’s draft, even more important for them. Acquiring Burgess goes some way to replenishing their forward depth after McAdam’s departure. Edwards is a strongly-built midfielder with very good aerobic capacity and powerful burst of speed from a standing start.
BRISBANE
In: Tom Doedee (Adelaide – RFA), Brandon Ryan (Hawthorn), Logan Morris (Western Jets), Luke Lloyd (Sandringham Dragons), Zane Zakostelsky (Claremont), Reece Torrent (Peel Thunder), Bruce Reville (Sherwood Districts)
Out: Jack Gunston (Hawthorn), Daniel Rich (retired), Marcus Adams (retired), Rhys Mathieson (delisted), Nakia Cockatoo (retired), Tom Fullarton (Melbourne), Blake Coleman (delisted), Daryl McDowell-White Jr (delisted)
Doedee probably won’t be available until the midway point of next season as he continues to recover from an ACL injury, but when fully fit, he will further bolster the Lions’ impressive key defensive stocks, which already feature Harris Andrews, Jack Payne and Darcy Gardiner, as the runners-up aim to go one better in 2024. The Gunston experiment lasted one season, but Ryan, Morris and Lloyd are all future forward prospects.
CARLTON
In: Orazio Fantasia (Port Adelaide – DFA), Elijah Hollands (Gold Coast), Ashton Moir (Glenelg), Billy Wilson (Dandenong Stingrays), Matt Carroll (Sandringham Dragons), Rob Monahan (Kerry – GAA), Matt Duffy (Longford – GAA)
Out: Ed Curnow (retired), Zac Fisher (North Melbourne), Paddy Dow (St Kilda), Josh Honey (delisted), Lachie Plowman (retired), Lochie O’Brien (delisted), Sam Philp (delisted)
The Blues have taken a punt on injury-prone Fantasia and unproven former No.7 pick Hollands, but will be hoping the talented pair turn out to be upgrades on Fisher and Dow. Moir has the potential to become a fan favourite with his freakish talents sure to provide excitement up forward when he breaks into the senior team.
COLLINGWOOD
In: Lachie Schultz (Fremantle), Harry DeMattia (Dandenong Stingrays), Tew Jiath (Gippsland Power), Jack Bytel (St Kilda – SSP), Lachie Sullivan (Footscray – SSP), Josh Eyre (Collingwood VFL – SSP)
Out: Taylor Adams (Sydney), Jack Ginnivan (Hawthorn), Trey Ruscoe (delisted), Trent Bianco (delisted), Will Kelly (delisted), Tom Wilson (delisted), Arlo Draper (delisted), Cooper Murley (delisted)
Speaking of upgrades, they don’t get much bigger than Ginnivan for Schultz. The former Docker is one of the best small forwards in the league and will only strengthen the Magpies’ stellar core of pressure forwards featuring premiership trio Bobby Hill, Jamie Elliott and Beau McCreery. Adams is certainly a loss, and would’ve won a flag himself if not for a hamstring injury, but he had already been pushed out of the midfield rotation and onto the half-forward line, so Collingwood will back itself to cover him.
ESSENDON
In: Todd Goldstein (North Melbourne – UFA), Ben McKay (North Melbourne – RFA), Jade Gresham (St Kilda – RFA), Xavier Duursma (Port Adelaide), Nate Caddy (Northern Knights), Luamon Lual (GWV Rebels), Archie Roberts (Sandringham Dragons), Vigo Visentini (Sandringham Dragons)
Out: Anthony McDonald-Tipungwuti (retired), Andrew Phillips (retired), Brandon Zerk-Thatcher (Port Adelaide), Will Snelling (delisted), James Stewart (delisted), Massimo D’Ambrosio (Hawthorn), Alastair Lord (delisted), Rhett Montgomerie (delisted), Cian McBride (delisted), Anthony Munkara (delisted), Patrick Voss (delisted)
Following Phillips’ retirement, Goldstein provides ruck depth for Sam Draper and Nick Bryan, and given Draper’s battles with injuries, the former North champ might be frequently called upon. McKay is a virtual like-for-like replacement for Zerk-Thatcher, Gresham gives the Dons the small forward they’ve been crying out for and Duursma promises to combine with the likes of Nic Martin and Sam Durham to bolster their wing stocks. Caddy is a promising young forward and Lual is sure to provide extra zip off half-back.
FREMANTLE
In: Oscar McDonald (Williamstown – DFA [Carlton]), Jeremy Sharp (Gold Coast – SSP), Cooper Simpson (Dandenong Stingrays), Ollie Murphy (Sandringham Dragons), Jack Delean (South Adelaide), Odin Jones (West Perth), Patrick Voss (Essendon – SSP)
Out: Lachie Schultz (Collingwood), Liam Henry (St Kilda), Nathan Wilson (delisted), Travis Colyer (delisted), Joel Hamling (Sydney – UFA), Roy Benning (delisted)
The Dockers certainly lost some quality in Schultz and Henry but in Simpson they’ve got themselves a quick and clean midfielder who can seamlessly weave through traffic. Simpson was touted as a top-20 pick, but slipped down the order to 35 and into Freo’s waiting arms. Murphy joins journeyman McDonald in bolstering their key defensive options following the loss of Hamling.
GEELONG
In: Emerson Jeka (Hawthorn), Connor O’Sullivan (Murray Bushrangers), Mitchell Edwards (Peel Thunder), Shaun Mannagh (Werribee), George Stevens (GWV Rebels), Oliver Wiltshire (Barwon Heads), Lawson Humphries (Swan Districts), Joe Furphy (Big V basketball)
Out: Isaac Smith (retired), Sam Menegola (delisted), Jonathon Ceglar (retired), Sam Simpson (delisted), Esava Ratugolea (Port Adelaide), Cooper Whyte (delisted), Osca Riccardi (delisted), Flynn Kroeger (delisted)
The Cats might’ve lost Ratugolea, but they acquired O’Sullivan who is a bona fide swing man that can play key posts at either end of the ground with aplomb. Edwards is a towering ruckman already standing 206cm tall and replaces Ceglar in their ruck department. Geelong will be hoping that Mannagh can translate his VFL grand final form (six goals from 28 disposals) to the big time, and he could be joined up forward by Jeka who gets a second chance.
GOLD COAST
In: Jack Mahony (North Melbourne), Jed Walter (Palm Beach Currumbin), Ethan Read (Palm Beach Currumbin), Jake Rogers (Broadbeach), Will Graham (Palm Beach Currumbin), Sam Clohesy (Werribee), Will Rowlands (Norwood)
Out: Mabior Chol (Hawthorn), Jed Anderson (delisted), Elijah Hollands (Carlton), Connor Blakely (retired), Chris Burgess (Adelaide), Jeremy Sharp (delisted – Fremantle), Charlie Constable (retired), Jake Stein (delisted), Brodie McLaughlin (delisted)
The Suns hit the motherload in the draft, snaring four academy players in the first round. Walter is a young tall forward who has the potential to become a key pillar of their forward line for the next decade. At 202cm tall, Read was seen as the best ruckman of the draft and with elite endurance as well, he promises to be a serious weapon of the future. Rogers’ raw pace, talent and quick-thinking make him an exciting prospect. And Graham is a damaging accumulator who has strength and speed in spades, and can play either in the midfield or defence.
GWS
In: Phoenix Gothard (Murray Bushrangers), James Leake (Tasmania Devils), Joseph Fonti (Claremont), Harvey Thomas (Oakleigh Chargers), Nathan Wardius (Rand-Walbundrie-Walla)
Out: Phil Davis (retired), Daniel Lloyd (retired), Matt Flynn (West Coast – UFA), Cameron Fleeton (delisted), Jason Gilbee (delisted)
Gothard is a small forward who has an uncanny knack of making things happen and with his ingenuity, he might find himself forming an effective partnership with the likes of Toby Greene and Brent Daniels in the years to come. Leake was one of the most gifted utilities at this year’s draft, capable of plugging a hole wherever he is needed. Fonti is a beautiful mover who likes to take the game on playing across half-back.
HAWTHORN
In: Jack Gunston (Brisbane), Mabior Chol (Gold Coast), Jack Ginnivan (Collingwood), Massimo D’Ambrosio (Essendon), Nick Watson (Eastern Ranges), Will McCabe (Central District), Bodie Ryan (Glenelg), Calsher Dear (Sandringham Dragons), Ethan Phillips (Port Melbourne – SSP)
Out: Jacob Koschitzke (Richmond), Tyler Brockman (West Coast), Lachie Bramble (delisted – Western Bulldogs), Emerson Jeka (delisted – Geelong), Josh Morris (delisted), Brandon Ryan (Brisbane), Fergus Greene (delisted), Ned Long (delisted), Max Lynch (retired), Fionn O’Hara (delisted)
The Hawks loaded up on recycled players this off-season, and in doing so welcomed back a favourite son in Gunston who headed back to Waverley, along with Chol and Ginnivan, to beef up their forward line, especially after the departures of Koschitzke, Brockman, Jeka and Ryan. They then headed to the draft to further enhance their attacking options, and snared Watson who was one of the most exciting underage small forward prospects.
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MELBOURNE
In: Jack Billings (St Kilda), Shane McAdam (Adelaide), Tom Fullarton (Brisbane), Caleb Windsor (Eastern Ranges), Koltyn Tholstrup (Subiaco), Kynan Brown (Oakleigh Chargers), Marty Hore (Williamstown – SSP)
Out: Angus Brayshaw (retired), Brodie Grundy (Sydney), Michael Hibberd (retired), James Harmes (Western Bulldogs), James Jordon (Sydney – UFA), Luke Dunstan (retired), Deakyn Smith (delisted), Kye Turner (delisted)
The Demons lost quite a bit of depth since the end of the season with Grundy, Hibberd, Harmes and Jordon all heading through the exit door, as well as star premiership player Brayshaw who retired prematurely due to concussion concerns. They’ll be hoping that Billings and McAdam can go some way to alleviating their well-documented goalkicking woes. Fullarton comes in to take Grundy’s spot as Max Gawn’s back-up, Windsor was one of the most gifted wingmen of the draft, and Tholstrup is a powerful medium forward who is a brilliant ball user.
NORTH MELBOURNE
In: Zac Fisher (Carlton), Dylan Stephens (Sydney), Bigoa Nyuon (Richmond), Toby Pink (Glenelg – DFA [Sydney]), Colby McKercher (Tasmania Devils), Zane Duursma (Gippsland Power), Taylor Goad (South Adelaide), Wil Dawson (Gippsland Power), Riley Hardeman (Swan Districts), Finnbar Maley (Northern Bullants), Tyler Sellers (North Melbourne VFL – SSP)
Out: Todd Goldstein (Essendon – UFA), Ben Cunnington (retired), Jack Ziebell (retired), Ben McKay (Essendon – RFA), Tarryn Thomas (delisted), Daniel Howe (retired), Aaron Hall (retired), Jack Mahony (delisted – Gold Coast), Kayne Turner (delisted), Aiden Bonar (delisted), Lachie Young (delisted), Flynn Perez (delisted), Phoenix Spicer (delisted), Jacob Edwards (delisted)
Like the Suns, the Kangaroos came away with one of the hauls of the draft which featured no less than five picks in the top 23. McKercher is a silky-skilled left-footed midfielder with pace to burn and supreme ball-winning abilities. Duursma is a classy forward who has smarts, an impressive burst of speed and the ability to take big grabs. Goad and Dawson are a pair of promising ruck prospects, who North will hope help fill the void left by Todd Goldstein, while Hardeman is a key backman with high footy IQ and beautiful skills. A new era has begun at Arden St with mainstays Goldstein, Cunnington, Ziebell, McKay and Thomas leaving, as well as Howe, Hall, Mahony, Turner and Bonar.
PORT ADELAIDE
In: Ivan Soldo (Richmond), Brandon Zerk-Thatcher (Essendon), Esava Ratugolea (Geelong), Jordon Sweet (Western Bulldogs), Thomas Anastasopoulos (Geelong Falcons), Lachlan Charleson (GWV Rebels), Will Lorenz (Oakleigh Chargers), Xavier Walsh (East Perth)
Out: Tom Jonas (retired), Scott Lycett (retired), Xavier Duursma (Essendon), Orazio Fantasia (Carlton – DFA), Riley Bonner (delisted – St Kilda), Brynn Teakle (delisted), Trent Dumont (delisted), Nathan Barkla (delisted), Sam Hayes (delisted), Jake Pasini (delisted)
Port Adelaide was another club that went all in on the recycled front. Soldo and Sweet have come in as a readymade ruck tandem following Lycett’s retirement, and coach Ken Hinkley will hope that he now won’t have to use key forwards Charlie Dixon and Jeremy Finlayson as pinch-hitters. Zerk-Thatcher and Ratugolea have been tasked with providing badly-needed support for Aliir Aliir down back where the Power were badly exposed in the finals.
RICHMOND
In: Jacob Koschitzke (Hawthorn), Sam Naismith (Port Melbourne – DFA [Sydney]), Kane McAuliffe (North Adelaide), Liam Fawcett (Central District), Oliver Hayes-Brown (Perth Wildcats – NBL), Mykelti Lefau (Richmond VFL – SSP)
Out: Trent Cotchin (retired), Jack Riewoldt (retired), Ivan Soldo (Port Adelaide), Robbie Tarrant (retired), Jason Castagna (retired), Bigoa Nyuon (North Melbourne), Kaelan Bradtke (delisted)
With Riewoldt retiring, the Tigers have turned to Koschitzke in the hope that he can team up with Tom Lynch to form an effective key forward duo, and they also pulled a surprise by plucking forgotten former Swan Naismith from the VFL to replace Soldo as Toby Nankervis’ support in the ruck. McAuliffe is a ball magnet expected to quickly challenge for a spot at AFL level and Fawcett is another key forward who booted 32 goals in 16 games this year in the SANFL.
ST KILDA
In: Liam Henry (Fremantle), Riley Bonner (Port Adelaide), Paddy Dow (Carlton), Darcy Wilson (Murray Bushrangers), Lance Collard (Subiaco), Angus Hastie (Geelong Falcons), Hugo Garcia (Calder Cannons), Arie Schoenmaker (Tasmania Devils), Liam O’Connell (Cork – GAA)
Out: Jade Gresham (Essendon – RFA), Jack Billings (Melbourne), Nick Coffield (Western Bulldogs), Daniel McKenzie (delisted), Tom Highmore (delisted), Jack Bytel (delisted), Leo Connolly (delisted), Jack Peris (delisted), Oscar Adams (delisted)
The Saints identified pace in their back half as a clear deficiency and as such targeted Henry and Bonner to fix that issue. By combining with the likes of Brad Hill and Nasiah Wanganeen-Milera, St Kilda will hope its rebounding capabilities will become more potent in 2024. Dow has shown glimpses at the Blues, but perhaps he will flourish with more opportunity in St Kilda’s midfield. The Saints also targeted pace at the draft with Wilson, Collard, Hastie and Garcia all renowned for their speed.
SYDNEY
In: Brodie Grundy (Melbourne), Taylor Adams (Collingwood), James Jordon (Melbourne – UFA), Joel Hamling (Fremantle – UFA), Will Green (Northern Knights), Caiden Cleary (Sydney University), Patrick Snell (Wilston Grange), Indhi Kirk (Sydney VFL)
Out: Lance Franklin (retired), Tom Hickey (retired), Patrick McCartin (retired), Dylan Stephens (North Melbourne), Ryan Clarke (delisted), Will Gould (delisted), Hugo Hall-Kahan (delisted), Cameron Owen (delisted), Lachlan Rankin (delisted), Marc Sheather (delisted)
Having suffered an early exit from the finals this year, the 2022 runners-up clearly believe they’re still in the premiership window, and therefore have loaded up on experienced players in the hope of pushing them over the edge of glory in the post-Franklin era. Grundy has the potential to be an inspired replacement for Hickey in the ruck, Adams will add extra grunt and class to an already impressive engine room, Jordon will add depth to that midfield unit and injury-prone Hamling is a like-for-like replacement for Paddy McCartin down back. Green was one of the best rucks of the draft and could form an effective tandem with Grundy in the years to come.
WEST COAST
In: Tyler Brockman (Hawthorn), Matt Flynn (GWS – UFA), Harley Reid (Bendigo Pioneers), Archer Reid (Gippsland Power), Clay Hall (Peel Thunder), Harvey Johnston (Sandringham Dragons), Loch Rawlinson (Sturt), Coen Livingstone (Perth)
Out: Shannon Hurn (retired), Luke Shuey (retired), Nic Naitanui (retired), Sam Petrevski-Seton (delisted), Luke Foley (delisted), Xavier O’Neill (delisted), Greg Clark (delisted), Connor West (delisted), Isiah Winder (delisted)
The Eagles are well and truly at ground zero. The only way is up and they’ll be hoping the acquisition of Harley Reid will ensure their ascent is a quick one. The No.1 pick was widely considered the cream of the 2023 crop because of his ability to consistently stamp his influence on games. The midfielder-forward is big and strong, as evidenced by his ferocious “don’t argues”, and also knows where the goals are. Brockman comes in to help complement Jamie Cripps in the small forward role, while Flynn will provide emerging ruck Bailey Williams with support in the wake of Naitanui’s retirement. The departures of stalwarts Hurn, Shuey and Naitanui truly signal the start of a new chapter.
WESTERN BULLDOGS
In: James Harmes (Melbourne), Nick Coffield (St Kilda), Lachie Bramble (Hawthorn – SSP), Ryley Sanders (Sandringham Dragons), Jordan Croft (Calder Cannons), Joel Freijah (GWV Rebels), Lachlan Smith (Gippsland Power), Aiden O’Driscoll (Perth)
Out: Toby McLean (delisted), Hayden Crozier (retired), Josh Bruce (retired), Mitch Hannan (delisted), Tim O’Brien (delisted), Roarke Smith (delisted), Robbie McComb (delisted), Jordon Sweet (Port Adelaide), Cody Raak (delisted)
Having surprisingly missed the finals in 2023, the Bulldogs have undergone wholesale changes as well with experienced players such as McLean, Crozier, Bruce, Hannan, O’Brien and Roarke Smith all departing. Coming back through the revolving door were Harmes, a hard nut premiership midfielder who can kick goals, as well as Coffield and Bramble who will be seen by coach Luke Beveridge as viable defensive options. The Coffield acquisition is a bit of a punt considering the former Saint hasn’t played a game for two years due to ACL and soft-tissue injuries. Sanders is a readymade disposal machine and Croft is a 200cm athlete who has enormous potential as a forward.
*Legend: DFA – delisted free agent, GAA – Gaelic Athletic Association (Ireland), NBL – National Basketball League (Australia), RFA – restricted free agent, SSP – supplemental selection period, UFA – unrestricted free agent
