r/melbournefc

Living rather far from regular AFL news, I'm often a bit slow to hear things. I figure that Kozzy is the most exciting player in the league most weeks. Given that he seemed to tail off as the year went on, I was expecting to hear that he had been carrying an injury for the last half of the season. Has there been any talk of injury that might be hard to hear in Canada?

Essendon has withdrawn from the race for Jack Viney, opening the door for the midfielder to join West Coast. "We've had some good discussions with Jack. We won't pursue that one at this stage," Essendon list manager Matt Rosa said. "It's obviously a hard call, given how good of a human he is. But we've just decided to prioritise our young mids and the mids on our list. It's a tough one, cause he's such an incredible person and leader. But yeah, we'll push forward with other things at this stage."

Brisbane list manager Dom Ambrogio spoke about Coleman on Trade Radio today, clarifying that they'd like to keep the defender despite him suffering a frustrating three-year period at the club, stating something "extremely compelling" would need to be offered to Brisbane for them to consider a trade. Caylen Murray is pushing higher up draft rankings and continues to be a bit of a complication for Brisbane as they have made his acquisition a key priority, which leaves a valued player like Coleman on the table still at this stage as they search for draft capital to match bids.

Will McLachlan has received a revised contract offer from Brisbane as he plans to meet with Melbourne and Essendon this week before deciding on his playing future.

Tim Lamb is confident the Zane Duursma trade will get done without the need for Melbourne to split Pick #10 into two later picks.

Which club will offer a lifeline to Elijah Tsatas? North Melbourne showed interest in the midfielder in 2025 as he struggled for opportunities but that interest seems to have cooled and George Stevens appears to be their preferred target from the list of eligible DFA targets. The other club who met with his management last year was Melbourne, who continue to be interested in adding speed through all areas of the ground. Tsatas' speed and ball-winning ability could partner well with the likes of Kysaiah Pickett - the impact player - Tom Sparrow - the defensive hard nut - and young gun Harvey Langford. Tsatas had 29 possessions and a goal in Essendon's best performance this year against the Demons during Gather Round.

Cooper Harvey is exploring his options after North Melbourne have told him and Toby Pink that a contract offer for next year may come for them but only at the conclusion of the trade and free agency periods. Harvey showed promising signs in the VFL after a move to defence as a rebounding defender and has also shown sporadic success as a small forward at AFL level. West Coast, Port Adelaide, Essendon and Melbourne are in the mix as potential targets.

Melbourne has tabled an offer for Zane Duursma. There are three options for North Melbourne to consider: pick No. 47 in 2026 or F2 in 2027 or F2 in 2028. Demons have offered the 21yo a two-year deal. Duursma still wants to leave Arden Street despite the coach change.

In a media conference yesterday, Tim Lamb has clarified that discussions with Jayden Short and his management have ceased and he will not be a target for the club in this trade period. Collingwood appear to be in the best position to land the Richmond defender at this stage with Adelaide also in the mix.

Will McLachlan met with both Melbourne and Essendon yesterday as he considers the option of leaving for either club or staying at Brisbane where he has a contract offer on the table. All three clubs are offering the young medium forward a 2 year deal. Brisbane have improved their initial contract after heavy interest from the Victorian rivals. Cal Twomey on Trade Radio still adamant Melbourne appears to be in the lead, with a final decision from McLachlan to come in the next few days.

Asked if Trent Rivers would be at the club next year, Tim Lamb said he's aware West Coast are interested in him but Rivers has not requested a trade and did not raise the possibility of a trade in his exit interview.

A Collingwood insider has suggested the 'Pies are interested in de-listed free agent Elijah Tsatas. Pick #5 in the 2022 national draft, the tall midfielder with leg speed appears one of the better low-risk punts on the market for clubs, with North Melbourne and Melbourne also engaged.

Essendon remain interested in trading out Ben McKay if they can find a suitor. McKay has 3 years to run on his contract but is no longer on big money as the deal he signed when joining Essendon was massively front-loaded. Clubs with interest in adding a key defender to their stable include Melbourne, Port Adelaide, Collingwood, Adelaide, Western Bulldogs and West Coast. The waiting game may be in the best interest for clubs as Essendon become more desperate towards the end of the trade period. Tom Morris has reported that de-listing McKay with 3 years to run on his contract is still a viable option for Essendon to consider.

Uncertainty around Jamarra Ugle-Hagan and his future continues, Gold Coast were keen to offer a new 1 year deal to the former pick 1 but that now seems uncertain as they look to bring in Aidan Schubert. Essendon, GWS and Geelong have discussed his potential whilst Collingwood and Melbourne do remain open to key forwards on the market but have ruled out any interest in this case.

St Kilda and Brisbane have so far been unable to come to an agreement on a trade for Sam Marshall, with Brisbane requiring a 2026 pick, not future picks, in any possible trade scenario. It leaves the door slightly ajar still for rival clubs interested in Marshall.

Essendon has confirmed they are very interested in the possibility of signing Bailey Banfield as a DFA amidst interest he's had as a train-on prospect at Melbourne.

Brisbane's disappointment with its free agency compensation for losing Lachie Neale extends to the tough task of matching an early bid for Academy talent Caylen Murray. And it brings into play whether a rival could tempt the Lions with a first-round pick to part with Keidean Coleman. The Lions were hoping for a band two selection for losing Neale to the Magpies, which would have meant an end-of-first round pick to go alongside their first pick (currently No.18). But the second-round compensation selection for Neale comes in at No.40 and doesn't help the Lions match a bid for Murray unless they use it to combine with another pick and shuffle up the board. Under the Lions' current draft hand, if a bid comes before or around the pick No.12 mark, the Lions would have to match using picks 18, 39 and almost their full points deficit for next year, pushing back their first-round pick in 2027. It brings into the conversation the interest from Coleman in his future, the Lions would be unlikely to open the door for a move for the contracted half-back unless an attractive draft pick came in return, which would help them match a Murray bid. Lions recruiting boss Steve Conole has said the top priority for Brisbane this off-season is having the required picks to secure Murray.

Jack Viney will have a medical with Essendon this weekend as he gets closer to a call on his future. Viney returned from Perth late in the week after spending several days in the city assessing West Coast as a possible new home, with the Eagles keen to lure him west to bolster their midfield and add leadership to the group. But the 32-year-old is yet to decide on his preferred destination, having been told several weeks ago by the Demons that he would not be in their best 23 next year and he was free to explore his trade options.

Brisbane forward Will McLachlan is getting closer to making a call on his future, with a decision likely later this week. McLachlan has an offer in front of him from the Lions, who want to keep the mid-season recruit, while he also has offers from Melbourne and Essendon. The 21-year-old made his debut in 2025, having been picked mid-year the previous season, and played six games before featuring only once this year in Brisbane's historic three-peat flag run. But he showed he was a level above the VFL, having booted 35 goals in 11 games for the Lions' VFL side, including a haul of eight against North Melbourne. Melbourne has long been linked to McLachlan, having been interested in him as a mid-season draftee after his breakout start to 2024 with the Geelong Falcons as an over-aged player.

Miers has undergone a medical with West Coast ahead of jetting out of the country for an overseas holiday amid the Eagles' interest in the Geelong playmaker.The medical assessment carries more significance if anything pushes forward for Miers given his unique ACL injury that saw him put off surgery earlier this year and finish the season playing with the partially torn ligament.