Credit: The Age
As top-10 draft picks from Tasmania, it could be argued the perfect timing for North Melbourne’s Colby McKercher and the Western Bulldogs’ Ryley Sanders to arrive on the scene would have been this year.
That would have seen their initial standard playing contract expire at the end of 2027 on the eve of the Tasmania Devils’ expected entry into the competition in 2028.
Tasmanians Colby McKercher (North Melbourne) and Ryley Sanders (Western Bulldogs). Credit: Getty
As it stands, being drafted in the 2023 national draft is the next best thing as it guarantees the pair – based on their current form – will be in hot demand whenever they come out of contract post-2027.
When that will be remains to be seen.
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The pair are contracted until the end of 2026, so they can wait for the next 18 months if they wish before deciding to extend with their current club. In an ideal world, the Bulldogs and Kangaroos would be open to offering them deals beyond 2027. Or they could just extend by one year to come out of contract at the end of 2027, flagging their interest in being available for the new team, creating, at the very least, competitive tension before signing any deal beyond that.
Right now, neither Sanders or McKercher are expected to be in any rush, particularly with the Tassie Devils’ list establishment rules still a work in progress and unlikely to be finalised before next month. The Bulldogs and Kangaroos are fine with that, too, knowing that all they can control is keeping their players comfortable, developing well and playing good football. On that front, both clubs are doing a good job.
AFL Media gave good insight into the league’s current thinking about those list-es
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