Not sure there is a topic for it (yet).

Created this for all possible 2026 player movements/trades/free agents etc.

This thread can be used to list free agents in general or more importantly players that Melbourne should look seriously at.

I believe that we need some defensive stocks, and small forward stocks.

Discuss.

I'm still a massive advocate for Darcy Wilson. I think he really suits the King gameplan and adds some genuine pace and acceleration. His disposal is actually a lot better than quite a few we have running around and a step up on the likes of Sparrow. In terms of attributes I see him as another player you can have playing that high-half forward / connecting role and could even be a long-term replacement for Melksham.

I'm a big fan and he's still only 21.

Granted, he's not going to be a freebie and we'd need to give up a bit to get him, but for mine he's a very viable option - at least from a list improvement perspective.

mids, mids, and more mids

our kid mids show promise but nothing compared to that which our previous generation displayed

we have very little players in that 25-30 age range at all, lett alone that is top quality:

we have a a really weird list at the moment with a heap of 30+ and a heap of under 25

other than koz (24) and gawn (34) i don't think we have any a-listers at this point in time

you need stars to win premierships

30 minutes ago, whatwhat say what said:

mids, mids, and more mids

our kid mids show promise but nothing compared to that which our previous generation displayed

we have very little players in that 25-30 age range at all, lett alone that is top quality:

we have a a really weird list at the moment with a heap of 30+ and a heap of under 25

other than koz (24) and gawn (34) i don't think we have any a-listers at this point in time

you need stars to win premierships

Agree, it's a peculiarity with our list but also likely will contribute to some of the yo-yoing we'll see over the coming season. We absolutely need to bring in prime-age players though to support both ends of the age spectrum.

51 minutes ago, BLWNBA said:

I'm still a massive advocate for Darcy Wilson. I think he really suits the King gameplan and adds some genuine pace and acceleration. His disposal is actually a lot better than quite a few we have running around and a step up on the likes of Sparrow. In terms of attributes I see him as another player you can have playing that high-half forward / connecting role and could even be a long-term replacement for Melksham.

I'm a big fan and he's still only 21.

Granted, he's not going to be a freebie and we'd need to give up a bit to get him, but for mine he's a very viable option - at least from a list improvement perspective.

I think there’s going to be a few players from St Kilda, Brisbane and GC who will be up for grabs.

They have overpaid for all their stars and don’t have enough to pay what their upcoming players like Wilson are seeking.

Should be able to snag a couple good players I think.

We should be after:

• A back-up key defender

• A Nev Jetta - lockdown quick defender (if AMW isn’t able to make that role his own)

• A Bailey Humphrey

• A mature bodied, not slow, genuine mid

4 minutes ago, godees said:

We should be after:

• A back-up key defender

• A Nev Jetta - lockdown quick defender (if AMW isn’t able to make that role his own)

• A Bailey Humphrey

• A mature bodied, not slow, genuine mid

Any mid in mind?

Collingwood found Angus Anderson and that seems to be a good pick that slipped through.

We need Butters. He'll bridge the gap between young and old; inside and outside. Players like Langford, Windsor et al will learn alot from him attack on the ball and 2 way running.

Will immediately upgrade our midfield from C-D grade to A-B grade. Kozzy, Butters and one of Steele, Windsor, Langford, Rivers, Viney and Sparrow with Gawn is a prospect to be reckoned with.

Forwards are good enough - i dont think we will ever get a KPF again.. Defence is good enough too.

The midfield has to be a massive priority, but we need to find a couple of decent small-medium defenders and a crumbing forward as well.

We also need to start finding players who can excel in their preferred positions, rather than being mediocre to good in a number of positions.

We have so many players at present who are just NQR, bit-part players. Guys like Salem and Langdon have regressed; Chandler, Sparrow and Rivers haven't really come on; and then you have the likes of Sharp, Tholstrup, Culley and Laurie who have very low ceilings.

All of those guys are good at some parts of the game, but they put it all together at a high level about once every five weeks. You can have a few of these players to fill gaps, but not as many as we are carrying at present.

7 minutes ago, GS_1905 said:

We need Butters. He'll bridge the gap between young and old; inside and outside. Players like Langford, Windsor et al will learn alot from him attack on the ball and 2 way running.

Will immediately upgrade our midfield from C-D grade to A-B grade. Kozzy, Butters and one of Steele, Windsor, Langford, Rivers, Viney and Sparrow with Gawn is a prospect to be reckoned with.

Forwards are good enough - i dont think we will ever get a KPF again.. Defence is good enough too.

Forget about Butters it’s not happening.

You think our defence and forwards are good enough? Jeez.

Midfield - both A-grader and depth

Key defender

Small/medium lockdown defender.

Humphrey the obvious most desirable player along with Butters. Low chance of the first, probably no chance of the second.

James Leake as depth perhaps sitting just on the outer at GWS.

I reckon Jesse Dattoli will be star and is behind a lot at the Swans. Currently more half forward but reckon he has mid potential.

Jordan Butts would be a decent cheap option for key depth. Like the look of Xavier Ladbrook in the draft as an athletic tall defender.

We need a Darcy Wilmot type defender. Doubt we can prise him out of the Lions. One player I liked in his draft year that was a competative defender with an excellent kick was Harrison Oliver from GWS. Hasnt cracked a game yet but think he's had injuries. Will be 3rs into the system next year.

Humphrey’s going to cost too much for the position we’re in. The list’s not at a point where we can throw 2 or 3 first rounders at one player. There’s a few holes all over the field. If you bring in Humphrey right before Tassie comes in you’re basically saying he’s the missing piece, but there’s more to it than that for us, particularly in defence

2 hours ago, BLWNBA said:

I'm still a massive advocate for Darcy Wilson. I think he really suits the King gameplan and adds some genuine pace and acceleration. His disposal is actually a lot better than quite a few we have running around and a step up on the likes of Sparrow. In terms of attributes I see him as another player you can have playing that high-half forward / connecting role and could even be a long-term replacement for Melksham.

I'm a big fan and he's still only 21.

Granted, he's not going to be a freebie and we'd need to give up a bit to get him, but for mine he's a very viable option - at least from a list improvement perspective.

Wilson and Humphries would be good.

Here’s a list from AFL story recently of both restricted and unrestricted free agents (to note - this isn’t up to date and some may no longer be available)

I’ve highlighted who I think I think would benefit the club.

Restricted free agents (6)

• Zac Bailey

• Ben King

• Jarman Impey

• Bayley Fritsch

• Zak Butters

• Bailey Williams

Unrestricted free agents (95)

Adelaide

• James Borlase

• Jordon Butts

• Mitchell Hinge

• Chayce Jones

• Lachlan Sholl

• Taylor Walker

• Tyler Welsh

Brisbane

• Darragh Joyce

• Ryan Lester

• Lincoln McCarthy

• Lachie Neale

• Dayne Zorko

Carlton

• Wade Derksen

• Francis Evans

• Nick Haynes

• Elijah Hollands

• Mitchell McGovern

• Nicholas Newman

• Zachary Williams

Collingwood

• Jack Crisp

• Jeremy Howe

• Tim Membrey

• Scott Pendlebury

• Steele Sidebottom

Essendon

• Jade Gresham

• Matt Guelfi

• Liam McMahon

• Jaxon Prior

• Will Setterfield

Fremantle

• Bailey Banfield

• Oscar McDonald

• Samuel Sturt

• Sam Switkowski

• Corey Wagner

Geelong

• Jed Bews

• Mark Blicavs

• Patrick Dangerfield

• Jake Kolodjashnij

• Jack Martin

• Keighton Matofai-Forbes

• Mark O’Connor

• Rhys Stanley

• George Stevens

Gold Coast

• Oscar Adams

• Caleb Graham

• Nick Holman

• Ben Jepsen

• Lachlan Weller

• Jarrad Witts

GWS

• Kieren Briggs

• Stephen Coniglio

• Toby Greene

• Jayden Laverde

• Jake Stringer

• Conor Stone

Hawthorn

• Jack Gunston

• Mitchell Lewis

• Harry Morrison

• Flynn Perez

Melbourne

• Tom Campbell

• Kade Chandler

• Jai Culley

• Tom McDonald

• Jake Melksham

• Christian Salem

• Thomas Sparrow

North Melbourne

• Aidan Corr

• Luke McDonald

• Toby Pink

• Bailey Scott

Port Adelaide

• Darcy Byrne-Jones

• Oliver Wines

Richmond

• Nathan Broad

• Thomas Lynch

• Dion Prestia

St Kilda

• Ryan Byrnes

• Jack Carroll

• Patrick Said

• Liam Stocker

Sydney

• Joel Amartey

• Harry Cunningham

• Joel Hamling

• Jake Lloyd

• Justin McInerney

• Dane Rampe

West Coast

• Thomas Cole

• Jamie Cripps

• Matthew Flynn

• Harry Schoenberg

Western Bulldogs

• Oskar Baker

• Lachlan Bramble

• Ryan Gardner

• Tom Liberatore

• Buku Khamis

• Lachlan McNeil

Edited 30 minutes ago30 min by GawnOfTheDead

1 hour ago, GS_1905 said:

We need Butters. He'll bridge the gap between young and old; inside and outside. Players like Langford, Windsor et al will learn alot from him attack on the ball and 2 way running.

Will immediately upgrade our midfield from C-D grade to A-B grade. Kozzy, Butters and one of Steele, Windsor, Langford, Rivers, Viney and Sparrow with Gawn is a prospect to be reckoned with.

Forwards are good enough - i dont think we will ever get a KPF again.. Defence is good enough too.