The chasm between Brisbane and Adelaide’s respective offers for star free agent Zac Bailey has been laid bare, with the dual premiership likely “on the way out”, according to AFL Media reporter Cal Twomey.
A restricted free agent this year, Bailey has been strongly linked to a return to his home state of South Australia.
Twomey last week reported on AFL MediaBrisbane was “now expecting him (Bailey) to be at Adelaide next year”.
Speaking on Footy Classified on Tuesday night, Twomey said the Lions still had an opportunity to up their offer but added “no movement (is) expected in the short-term”.
“The bye coming up for Brisbane was seen as a bit of a chance to stop and pause and think, (but) I think this is going to stretch out further into the season,” Twomey told Channel 9.
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“The gap at the moment … the Adelaide offer is seven years at about $10 million, the Brisbane offer is six years at about $6.5 million. So you can see why he’s weighing this up.
“They (the Lions) have also said this is their best offer and they’re nor budging on that. I think if they came to the party and said ‘here’s an extra year and another $1 million and a bit, that’d close the gap and make him think. At this point, they haven’t done that.”
The durable Bailey has played 178 games and kicked 201 goals ever since being selected by Brisbane with Pick 15 in the 2017 draft.
STAY OR HAWKS? KING’S CALL
Free agent Ben King’s footy future call is down to remaining at Gold Coast or playing for Hawthorn, reports The Age.
The Suns had initially been hopeful of officially locking away King on a new contract – a two-year deal worth around $2.6 million – during their mid-season bye. But CODE Sports writer Jon Ralph reported on Monday night’s On The Couch the club was now officially “worried”.
“His (King’s) partner has been with him on the coast for some years, they’ve been relatively happy as a couple (there). She’s been working in various capacities and is now studying on the Gold Coast. But certainly, she has shown some willingness to potentially move,” Ralph told On The Couch.
“That means that the fifth two-year deal that he would’ve signed is in jeopardy right now.”
The Age reported on Wednesday morning that rival clubs believe the Hawks “are the main contender” for King’s services if he opted to leave the Suns, despite some interest as well from Collingwood and Geelong.
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The recent uncertainty around King’s future prompted the Suns to exponentially increase their interest in retaining Jed Walter, offering the key forward a five-year deal worth around $5 million – up from a two-year contract worth $750,000 per season – according to Ralph.
Essendon, Collingwood, Carlton and Adelaide have also been linked to Walter.
It a week after Twomey reported the Hawks had upped their offer to free agent Mitch Lewis, who remains unsigned beyond this season.
“The interesting part is a month ago when he was going to stay, Hawthorn then said: ‘Let’s offer Mitch Lewis a four-year deal’. But in the last couple of weeks, it’s been ‘we might (have) a little bit more interest now (in King)’. So there’s a real ripple effect,” Twomey told Footy Classified.
The Hawks also have interest in King’s Gold Coast teammate Bailey Humphrey, as well as Essendon star Zach Merrett again.
LATE GREENE CALL LOOMS
Toby Greene is highly unlikely to settle on his AFL future in the short term, reports CODE Sports.
An unrestricted free agent, Greene had been offered a three-year, $2 million deal to remain at the Giants.
But the 32-year-old has also been linked with a return to his home state of Victoria, especially Geelong.
CODE Sports reported on Wednesday Greene’s call “will go right to the end of the season”.
“The pull of returning to Victoria, and potentially seeing out his career at Geelong with his old mate Jeremy Cameron, looms large for the Giants skipper,” the CODE Sports report read.
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“But he has also given so much to the Giants, and it would be a tough decision to leave.”
Greene on the weekend said he hadn’t used the Giants’ mid-season bye to firm up his footy future call, adding that’d “play out in due course”.
“I haven’t had any of that, to be honest,” Greene told SEN. “I’ve just been very switched off the last few days, very low key. I spend most of the time with my family.
“To be honest, it hasn’t crossed my mind too much. I’m more focused on trying to get back in the season, try and make a run for it.
“I know as the season gets a little longer, people start to talk more about it, then you probably have to acknowledge it. But at the moment I want to make sure the Giants are going as good as we can and get it done by the end of the season.”
‘DONT WANT TO GO DOWN THE NRL TRACK’: BEVO RESPONDS TO TALKS OF BUTTERS MEETING
The Western Bulldogs remain the firm favourite to secure Port Adelaide star Zak Butters, despite interest from Geelong, Richmond and Collingwood.
Bulldogs coach Luke Beveridge could not be drawn into confirming or denying he met with Butters during the Power’s bye.
But the experienced coach is certain the AFL is not ready for an NRL-style declaration of future from players.
“I think we can only get ourselves into trouble as coaches if we talk too much about the acquisition overtures,” Beveridge said on Wednesday.
“Whether it’s Zak or anyone else, I can’t really talk to that in any detail, confirm or deny. I would rather stay out of it.
“I don’t want to go down the NRL track. I think it’s a really difficult thing club-wise to know one of your own players has gone, ‘I’m leaving’.
“Ultimately, they’ll be treated a bit differently … if they’re not your player beyond that year, you can’t help but be emotional about it.”
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Bulldogs skipper Marcus Bontempelli has been active in the club’s recruiting drive for the star free agent, helped by the Victorian teammates’ relationship through the State of Origin game.
Along with Butters growing up a Bulldogs fan, Beveridge said there’s a “romance” about getting the gun midfielder to Whitten Oval.
“Zak’s a unique one because Zak was a really keen Bulldogs supporter as a kid, and he had Brad Johnson’s No.6 on his back as a junior,” he said.
“In his draft year, I met him in the cafe pre-draft, there was a chance that maybe we picked Zak in that draft. We didn’t, obviously.
“But there’s a romance there for the club and we like to think (for) Zak, so Marcus, and some of Marcus’ teammates are quite naturally drawn to Zak.
“The thing is too, they played in the state team together, so he’s developed some relationships with some of the other boys who played in the state game which can be a good thing, and it can be a bad thing if you’re on the other end of it.”
As Butters is a restricted free agent, the Power can match any rival offer he receives and force a trade.