Free agency market watch Jon Ralph
From: Herald Sun
June 06, 2012 ALL sizzle, no sausage.
That's the usual fizzling trade period wash-up, but things might be about to change.
This year free agency has thrown a considerable spanner into the works.
And, just as importantly, a raft of Victorian clubs have money to burn.
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All of Richmond, Melbourne, Geelong, Essendon and the Western Bulldogs have cashola to spare.Carlton says it could find room for the right player too.
So which of the free agents publicly released by the AFL are on the march?
And which ones could your club secure?
As usual, most will re-sign with their clubs, with a handful likely to retire.
But as Richmond has witnessed after trading for Ivan Maric, sometimes it only takes a handful of new players to make a difference.
Here is The Buzz's assessment on the free agency situation as we approach the halfway mark of the season.
RichmondBrett Deledio (restricted)
Nathan Foley (restricted)
Luke McGuane (restricted)
Kelvin Moore (unrestricted)
Shane Tuck (unrestricted
Not much doing. Deledio has signed for five years, Foley is deep in contract talks, McGuane won't survive past this year, and Shane Tuck is sure to win another year.
Kel Moore is attempting another comeback from hip problems, but even he acknowledges he is a long shot.
Richmond has some salary cap space - not heaps given the stars it needs to keep under wraps - but it hasn't been about the big fish in recent years.
Instead, it has lured cut-price recruits who need more opportunity.
It has been an unqualified success almost without flaw thanks to Blair Hartley and Craig Cameron.
Think Ivan Maric, Steve Morris, Shaun Grigg, Bachar Houli at the expense of basically Andrew Collins, pick 37 and a pre-season pick for Houli.
That is a stunning win.
The whole article including other clubs' summaries is here: http://www.heraldsun.com.au/afl/expert-opinion/free-agency-market-watch/story-fn6cisdj-1226385214357
