Jamarra's Suns switch edges closer, progress on Bombers' target, Buku talks drag on

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.

JAMARRA MOVE ONE STEP CLOSER

JAMARRA Ugle-Hagan is one step closer to joining Gold Coast after passing a medical at the Suns on Thursday.

Gold Coast will continue to complete its due diligence on the 2020 pick No.1 across the weekend and still require board approval, but a deal is expected to be finalised by the trade deadline.

Ugle-Hagan has travelled to Queensland twice over the past week, meeting with Damien Hardwick, Craig Cameron and the Suns' leaders in Carrara.

The 23-year-old hasn't played an AFL game since the 2024 elimination final due to well documented personal issues, but featured in the Victorian Aboriginal Community Services Association Carnival in Cranbourne last weekend, where Gold Coast watched him play his first game at any level this year.

The Suns haven't started negotiating a contract just yet, but a heavily incentivised two-year deal is set to be offered to Ugle-Hagan once everything else is ticked off by the club and the AFL. – Josh Gabelich

TALKS PROGRESS ON BOMBER DEAL

THERE were seven players to move clubs in the free agency period, but a trade for Brayden Fiorini to get to Essendon is likely to be in coming days.

Fiorini could have been free agent No.8 but the Bombers want to trade for the wingman instead of get him as a free agent and dilute their compensation pick for Sam Draper.

The Bombers have been keen to use future picks to get a deal done but the Suns have been focusing on selections in this year's pool to be able to match as many Academy bids on their group of talented Queensland prospects as possible.

Gold Coast added to its hand of picks by getting selection No.29 for Ben Ainsworth in a trade on Friday, with the Suns and Bombers talks progressing and likely to be closer by early next week.

The free agency window closed at 5pm on Friday, with Tom De Koning's eight-year deal and Oscar Allen's six-year deal, worth around $5.5 million, seeing their former clubs get first-round draft compensation picks.

Sam Draper and Jack Silvagni's exits saw their clubs be given end-of-first round selections, while Charlie Spargo and James Worpel's exits garnered end-of-second round picks. Jacob Wehr's move from Greater Western Sydney to Port Adelaide garnered the Giants no compensation selection as an unrestricted free agent. – Callum Twomey

BUKU TALKS TO DRAG OUT

A TRADE for contracted defender Buku Khamis is likely to drag deep into next week, after Carlton used a series of assets to complete a speedy double-swoop for Ben Ainsworth and Campbell Chesser on Friday.

The Blues parted with pick No.41, a future second-round selection and lost small forward Corey Durdin in order to amass Ainsworth and Chesser, as talks with the Bulldogs over a deal for Khamis continue to be locked at a standstill.

The two sides have held discussions over Khamis throughout the week, though very little progress has been made in negotiations, after the defender requested a trade to Ikon Park despite being contracted through to 2026 at the Dogs.

Carlton now has picks No.10, 22, 54, 67 and 72 to play with in a trade for Khamis, with the club also mindful of retaining enough points to match bids on father-son defender Harry Dean and Academy prospect Jack Ison during this year's draft.

"We've had initial talks with Carlton, but it's not something there's much value in commenting on publicly," Western Bulldogs list manager Michael Regan told AFL.com.au's Gettable on Continental Tyres AFL Trade Radio on Friday.

"Buku is a contracted player, who provides us depth in an area of the ground where we clearly need it. We want to preserve our depth. For Buku to leave, it's going to have to be a pick that reflects his value. Not only in the marketplace, as a contracted player, but to us specifically as a club that has ambitions next year and values his services.

"He's also a product of our Next Generation Academy and a much-loved member of our football club, who we tried to re-sign pretty aggressively in the middle of the year." – Riley Beveridge

CROWS TO RETAIN SANDERS INTEREST

ADELAIDE is set to continue its interest in Western Bulldogs youngster Ryley Sanders through to his contract year next season, after its attempts to prise the midfielder to South Australia during this trade period were quickly shut down.

AFL.com.au revealed this week the Crows have shown an interest in Sanders this year and enquired over his potential availability ahead of next Wednesday's deadline, though their efforts were quickly rebuffed.

Sanders, who is from Launceston, is contracted at the Whitten Oval through to 2026 and also has interest from Tasmania ahead of the new expansion side's entry into the competition in 2027.

But he also has links to South Australia, where his brother Ollie plays at SANFL level for Norwood, with Adelaide list boss Justin Reid telling AFL.com.au's Gettable that the club will retain its interest in Sanders through to next year.

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"That was certainly a consideration with us asking the question," Reid said.

"We were not really sure what the Bulldogs were trying to achieve through the trade period. But he's a 20-year-old, he's contracted, we respect that. That was where the interest came from, the work that we'd done in his draft year as well." – Riley Beveridge

BRISBANE EYES BAILEY TALKS

BRISBANE will meet with Zac Bailey's management in the off-season and begin negotiating a long-term extension for the dual premiership star, while rivals prepare godfather offers for one of the biggest free agents in the 2026 pool.

The 2025 All-Australian half-forward will be courted by clubs across the country, with Essendon preparing a monster offer to lure him to Tullamarine.

Bailey was born and raised in Darwin but went to boarding school at Prince Alfred College in Adelaide and was selected out of Norwood in the SANFL with pick No.15 in the 2017 Draft.

Brisbane list manager Dom Ambrogio said his main focus this off-season will be progressing discussions with Bailey's management to lock away the 26-year-old.

"Absolute priority for us is to sign and extend Zac Bailey. There is no question about that," Ambrogio said on Continental Tyres AFL Trade Radio on Friday.

"We have had some discussions, (but) we did agree that the best time for these discussions would be in the off-season. That's what we've traditionally done (with Zac for) the last two extensions he's done.

"We'll get through the trade period and that will be job number one to sit down with the guys from Mac's Sports."

Tom McConville from Mac's Sports Promotions has fielded calls from almost every club gauging Bailey's appetite in moving from Brisbane, but said proper discussions will be held over the off-season.

"We haven't had those chats yet. He has obviously just come off a flag and is in Japan at the moment and is enjoying a little bit of down time," McConville said.

"We'll have a conversation with him when he comes back and see what he wants to do. There is no doubt he's had a career best year and I think he is going to be hot property next year as a free agent. We'll work through that in due course."

Both South Australian teams are expected to pursue Bailey after failing to land Nasiah Wanganeen-Milera this year, while Victorian clubs will also be preparing monster offers to lure him to Melbourne for 2027 and beyond.

"It will be a lifestyle and football decision, but there is also the financial component," McConville said.

"He wants to be winning games, playing well and getting the best out of himself. He is going to be looked after well." – Josh Gabelich

AFL ACADEMY REVAMP

THE AFL Academy is looking at a revamp, with the League's talent division considering adding a group of up to eight 'bottom-aged' players to its squad to fast-track them for their draft years.

The Marsh AFL Academy has annually selected 30 players from around the country to participate in the 'finishing school' for draftees ahead of each November's Telstra AFL Draft.

But the League has told clubs it is considering adding as many as eight 17-year-olds to the group who are shaping as top talents the following year to assist their development heading into their draft campaigns.

The group would be in addition to – and not instead of – the 30 players who are eligible for that year's draft.

It is a throwback to the former days of the level one and level two national Academy systems, which used to have as many as 30 players in each group as top-age draft hopefuls and then bottom-agers getting ready for the next year.

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It would also be a boost for Tasmania as it shapes to be introduced for the 2026 intake, with 17-year-olds in next year's draft going to be available to the Devils in their first proposed draft in 2027.

The extra work as part of the Academy for the select group will be beneficial in setting them up for the higher demands of the elite level and the opportunity to train with AFL clubs. – Callum Twomey

DEVILS SIGN MORE EX-AFL TALENT

TASMANIA will add another ex-AFL player to its initial VFL list, with former Sydney defender Caleb Mitchell signing on with the Devils.

Mitchell joins Jye Menzie and Robbie Fox as former AFL players to have penned a deal with Tasmania ahead of its entry into the VFL competition next year.

The three-game Swan, who made one senior appearance for Dean Cox's side in 2025, will now vie for a spot on the Devils' maiden AFL list as part of a 'golden ticket' system the new expansion side is running.

Tasmania will save a minimum of two rookie spots on its initial AFL list for players who have impressed via its VFL program, with up to four potentially able to get a senior nod via the mechanism. – Riley Beveridge

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