Collingwood has reportedly ramped up its pursuit for Zak Butters with a club record deal.
Plus St Kilda has provided an update on the injured Nasiah Wanganeen-Milera, while Patrick Dangerfield has spoken on the controversial Jake Kolodjashnij saga. More in AFL Daily.
Watch every match of every round of the AFL Premiership Season LIVE and ad-break free during play on FOX FOOTY, available on Kayo Sports | New to Kayo? Join now and get your first month for just $1.
SAINT PROVIDE NAS INJURY UPDATE
St Kilda has confirmed Nasiah Wanganeen-Milera will miss at least the rest of the home and away season after scans confirmed a moderate grade hamstring strain.
Wanganeen-Milera suffered the injury in the early minutes of the Saints’ loss to Carlton on Sunday night that Ross Lyon described as an “arrow through the heart,” with St Kilda’s finals hopes hanging by a thread.
The club also confirmed a left calf strain for Mason Wood that would sideline him for the remainder of 2026 with just two games until finals.
Meanwhile Liam Ryan and Tom De Koning (both shoulder) would need to be assessed throughout the week to determine their arability for Saturday’s clash with Richmond.
“It was very disappointing to lose both Nasiah and Mason during the first half of last night’s game,” Saints footy boss Lenny Hayes said in a statement.
“Clearer recovery timelines will be determined for both players in the coming days, however both have clearly been ruled out for the remainder of the home and away season.”
PIES TABLE RECORD DEAL TO BUTTERS
Collingwood has reportedly tabled a club-record deal to Zak Butters as the Magpies go chips in on trying to lure the superstar free agent.
The Magpies are among the Victorian clubs, along with the Western Bulldogs, Geelong and Richmond, circling the gun midfielder as he prepares to make a call on his future.
And in a fresh development, AFL Media reports Collingwood has made an “ultra aggressive” financial push to try and further itself in the race for Butters.
The report states that rival clubs estimate the Magpies’ offer would be worth around $1.8 million a season over eight years — over $14 million in total.
That would still be trumped by Richmond’s reported mammoth offer worth a total of $18 million over eight years, which is north of $2 million a season.
Emotional Tex calls time on his career | 29:16
The Pies have been seen as an outside chance in the Butters chase, despite meeting with the 25-year old earlier this year in a catch up that reportedly included Nick Daicos.
Collingwood has also been heavily linked to Brisbane free agent Lachie Neale on a lucrative three-year deal.
The Pies recently negotiated a contract buyout with Bobby Hill that’s believed to have opened up around $3 million in cap space over the next four years.
It comes after Port Adelaide coach Josh Carr earlier this month hit back at “disgraceful” comments from Collingwood chief executive Craig Kelly, who claimed Butters was “coming back to to Victoria and we’d like him to consider our club.”
Though Kelly reportedly reached out to the Power to clarify he misspoke and meant to say “if” Butters was was returning to Melbourne, they hope he’d look at them.
Butters is racing the clock to get back for Port this season with a syndesmosis injury in what could be his final appearance for the club.
DANGER SPEAKS ON KOLODJASHNIJ
Geelong captain Patrick Dangerfield has thrown his full support behind embattled chief executive Steve Hocking while admitting the Cats “buggered up” parts of the controversial concussion waiver saga that has plunged the club under AFL investigation.
Speaking exclusively to Fox Sports News, Dangerfield broke his silence on the issue after the league issued Geelong a please explain over its handling of a proposed concussion waiver involving defender Jake Kolodjashnij.
Cats president Grant McCabe on Monday said it’d been “a challenging time” for Kolodjasjnij, as well as the club and its supporters.
McCabe confirmed the club’s board met on Monday morning to the AFL’s letter and would submit a response by the end of Tuesday.
“This will provide the club with the chance to detail the actions it took in navigating this complex matter. We welcome this opportunity,” McCabe said in a statement.
“The club remains committed to providing our players with the highest standard of care and support.”
The AFL will consider the club’s response before determining whether any further action will be taken.
Despite the scrutiny surrounding Geelong, Dangerfield emphatically backed Hocking, describing him as a leader he trusts completely.
“Steve is one of the most placid people that I have ever met,” Dangerfield told Fox Sports News.
“He’s a man of the highest integrity, and I have his back wholeheartedly.
“We’ve been so fortunate to have him in charge of our football club, and we’re bloody lucky to have him.
“I know right throughout his stewardship of the club, he’s been a players-first CEO.
“I have full faith in Steve and the way that he governs our club, the way that he leads us, and that he is always players first.”
While standing firmly behind Hocking, Dangerfield acknowledged Geelong had made mistakes throughout the process.
“Clearly there were some parts that we buggered up as a club, we can be better,” he said.
“This is clearly a tough time and there’s some parts that we’ve got wrong.
Geelong board to meet amid scandal | 02:03
“It’s good to unpack it.
“Clearly there was more information needed from the AFL, and that’s what the club’s been doing over the last few days.”
Dangerfield also revealed he first became aware of the controversy the same way as most football fans.
“Just on social media, I think, like everyone else,” he said.
“As an older player, I think what I’ve learned over my time is you’ve got to wait for the detail before the shock and awe kicks in.”
The Geelong skipper urged patience while the AFL works through the club’s response, insisting it was important all of the circumstances were properly assessed before conclusions were drawn.
“It’s not until we get all of that information, that’s assessed, that there’ll be a decision made around what the next steps are,” he said.
“The detail, like anything in this that is without serious context, is important to understand.”
While much of the public focus has centred on Geelong’s processes and the AFL’s investigation, Dangerfield said the welfare of Kolodjashnij had remained the club’s highest priority throughout the past week.
Kolodjashnij publicly identified himself as the player involved after days of speculation, revealing the personal toll the situation had taken on him and his family.
Dangerfield said it was important not to lose sight of the human impact behind the headlines.
“That human element sometimes gets lost in the chase of a story,” Dangerfield said.
“It’s been a pretty difficult few days for Jake, his family, for obvious reasons.”
#Adessonews seleziona nella rete articoli di particolare interesse.
Se vuoi leggere l’articolo completo clicca sul seguente link
Source link
