There comes a time in every AFL season when players’ panic levels start rising about still being out of contract. That time is now,although not every unsigned footballer is in the same situation.
Some have all the power and plenty of interest from rival clubs if they want to leave,while others are certain to get a contract somewhere but are not priorities. Then there are those living on the edge who may not be in the league in 2025.
We have picked an out-of-contract player at each AFL club who lands somewhere in these categories,with the second half of the season important to their futures for various reasons.
Sam Weideman,Luke Breust,Nathan Kreuger,and Brandan Parfitt.Getty Images,AFL Photos. Artwork:Matt Absalom-Wong
Adelaide
Ned McHenry
McHenry was the No.16 pick in the 2018 draft after being the leading tackler at that year’s national under-18 championships,but his AFL career has never quite taken off despite some promising glimpses. He has kicked only four goals in 10 matches this season,while averaging fewer than 10 disposals and only two tackles.
Brisbane Lions
Jarryd Lyons
Lyons was a free hit for the Lions after Gold Coast cut him at the end of 2018,and he has been a good contributor for them across 102 games – but only three of those have come this year. At almost 32,the end is nigh for the ex-Crow and Sun,who may be in the final months of his career unless he can produce something special from here.
Carlton
Jack Martin
There is no danger of the Blues giving up on Martin,given how good he was in their second-half resurrection last year,when he kicked 16 goals across his final 10 matches. He is a prodigious talent,but injuries are a significant part of his story and have kept him to one match so far in 2024. Martin is not a free agent,so he has less leverage,and figuring out his value will be difficult. A big,and importantly durable,second half would be helpful.
Carlton’s Jack Martin has played just one game so far in 2024 due to injury.AFL Photos
Collingwood
Nathan Kreuger
Kreuger’s been a hard-luck story in the AFL,having undergone reconstructions on both shoulders in the past two years before hamstring and calf setbacks delayed his season start in 2024. Ironically,injuries to others helped open the door for him to return to the senior side,and he has been a handy inclusion as a 196-centimetre target. Maintaining that form and staying healthy are crucial for him.
Essendon
Sam Weideman
The ex-Demon,who was a top-10 pick in 2015,is yet to appear at AFL level this year while adjusting to his new football life as a key defender,with still the odd stint in attack. Weideman is averaging three intercept marks for the Bombers’ reserves,but is stuck behind Ben McKay,Jordan Ridley,Jayden Laverde,Zach Reid and Lewis Hayes in the pecking order.
Fremantle
Matt Taberner
Taberner did the heavy lifting for the Dockers up forward during a period when they were bereft of tall targets,but that is no longer an issue,with Jye Amiss and Josh Treacy looking terrific. At 31,and with an injury-chequered past,Taberner needs to show he still has something to offer. Coach Justin Longmuir was willing to play him alongside Amiss and Treacy early in the season.
Geelong
Brandan Parfitt
It is well past the time for Parfitt to look elsewhere. He made a bright start to the season after breaking into the Cats’ senior side in round two,but spent the past three games in the VFL after being dropped. Parfitt’s averaging 29 disposals and seven clearances in that period for Geelong’s reserves. He recorded 10 tackles three times at AFL level in 2024,but his defensive running is the knock on him.
Gold Coast
Brandon Ellis
The Suns are no longer begging for experienced talent,with their group of rising stars blossoming as they chase their first finals berth. Ellis arrived as a free agent from Richmond for the 2020 season and played some good football for Gold Coast,but life gets difficult after 30 for most players. He has played only three AFL games this year,but is still winning a mountain of the ball in the VFL.
GWS
Nick Haynes
Haynes regained his spot in the Giants’ AFL team in round nine and has kept it ever since,but it will be interesting to see what coach Adam Kingsley does once Isaac Cumming is ready for a recall. Haynes,a 2019 All-Australian,has played three VFL games this year – amassing 100 disposals and 42 marks in that time – and is no longer an automatic selection at age 32.
All-Australian defender Nick Haynes is a highly respected figure at GWS.AFL Photos
Hawthorn
Luke Breust
Breust is coming off a 47-goal season but he turns 34 this year and has been the starting sub the past six matches. The rebuilding Hawks are understandably prioritising Jack Ginnivan,Nick Watson and Connor Macdonald alongside Dylan Moore up forward. Breust is still contributing in limited minutes,but it might be the end for an all-time great and high-quality person.
Melbourne
Ben Brown
Brown and Tom McDonald entered this season in a similarly challenging position,at an advanced age and with an expiring contract,but the latter’s ability to swing into defence saved his career. Brown’s played only six games and kicked seven goals in 2024,after seven and 11 last year,so it will take a remarkable turn of events for him to score another deal.
North Melbourne
Will Phillips
Phillips did an excellent job on Collingwood superstar Nick Daicos on Sunday,leading to the Pies sending Daicos forward,. The No.3 pick in the 2020 draft,Phillips’ senior opportunities have dried up this year,and North’s deep on-ball brigade means it won’t get any easier for him to find a regular place.
Port Adelaide
Charlie Dixon
If there is one position the Power are flush with talent in,it is key forwards. They already locked away Todd Marshall (2029),Mitch Georgiades (2027) and Ollie Lord (2026),while Jeremy Finlayson and Tom Scully,like Dixon,are out of contract at year’s end. The Power dropped Dixon,now 33,after three goalless outings in a row,and he now faces a three-match ban for a bump in the SANFL.
Richmond
Noah Cumberland
Cumberland’s talent has never been in doubt,but he has not built on his breakout 2022 season and decent start to last year. At a time the Tigers are retooling for the future under first-year coach Adem Yze,Cumberland broke back into the senior side in round 10 but managed only six goals in as many games since. He was subbed out after failing to kick a goal or lay a tackle on the weekend.
St Kilda
Josh Battle
Battle is the Ben McKay or Esava Ratugolea of 2024 as this year’s in-demand tall defender. Those two departed their clubs,and there is a possibility the Saints’ unrestricted free agent follows suit,with Hawthorn – who missed out on McKay and Ratugolea – a leading contender. Several clubs are keeping a close eye on Battle,and him being in a contract year could not have worked out better.
Josh Battle is a versatile defender for St Kilda.Getty Images
Sydney
Logan McDonald
The No.4 pick in the 2020 draft – directly after Will Phillips – is enjoying another productive season for the Swans,with his hard running up and down the ground one of his best assets. McDonald is Sydney’s top re-signing priority this year and has rival suitors,while the Swans must also ink star midfielder Chad Warner,who is contracted until the end of 2025,to a long-term deal.
West Coast
Elliot Yeo
is experiencing a career resurgence this year after injuries kept him to 37 games in his previous four seasons. Opposition clubs have tried to tempt the ex-Lion to seek another fresh start,but he appears poised to re-sign at the Eagles. As long as Yeo stays healthy,he will be an asset for West Coast.
Western Bulldogs
Buku Khamis
Rebadged as a key defender after rejecting rival clubs’ overtures last year and returning to the Kennel,Khamis has played the best football of his career in 2024. He has doubled his career match tally in making 10 senior appearances so far this season,and is averaging 2.4 intercept marks. A continuation of that formline should earn Khamis a multi-year contract.
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