One of next year’s biggest potential targets has come off the market.
Plus a Port Adelaide first-round pick is gaining interest from rivals.
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OVER $1M-A-YEAR DEAL LOOMS FOR TOP 2024 TARGET
The Western Bulldogs have locked in a staggering eight-year deal for Aaron Naughton which will keep him at the club until the end of 2032.
Reports on Wednesday evening suggested Naughton would earn more than $1 million per year on the new contract.
“It’s a special moment for me to sign, particularly for my family,” Naughton said.
“To sign a long contract and to be here to stay, especially for my teammates as well, I want them to know I am in it with them together. To play alongside these guys for the years to come is really exciting.
“When you get drafted by this club and they make you feel so welcome, not only myself, but the whole family back in WA, it’s fantastic. You build strong connections with all your teammates and I have some of my best mates here.
“I am bullish on this group and what we can achieve in the years to come. It is a lot of hard work and I know this group is willing to put in every day.”
Demons ‘open’ to trading Clayton Oliver | 00:35
Naughton was set to come out of contract after the 2024 season though he would not have been a free agent.
The futures of both Naughton and fellow West Australian Tim English, who will be a restricted free agent, have been two of the top priorities for the Bulldogs.
Also coming out of contract next year are former No.1 pick Jamarra Ugle-Hagan and midfielder Bailey Smith, whose form has been up and down since his breakthrough 2021 finals campaign.
West Coast and Fremantle were both believed to hold interest in luring Naughton home to anchor their attacks.
Naughton was the No.9 pick in the 2017 draft and has kicked 142 goals over the past three seasons.
Boak to play on in 2024 | 00:25
RIVAL INTEREST IN PORT FIRST ROUNDER
Victorian clubs are considering whether to make a play for Port Adelaide midfielder Xavier Duursma this coming trade period, reports AFL Media.
Duursma is contracted for 2024 but the former No.18 pick has not quite lived up to the status of his fellow 2018 first-round selections Connor Rozee (pick 5) or Zak Butters (pick 12).
The Power are in need of draft assets, given they’re targeting Geelong’s Esava Ratugolea, Essendon’s Brandon Zerk-Thatcher and the Bulldogs’ Jordon Sweet, and don’t have their own first-round pick.
The report did not state which clubs were interested in Duursma, who would need to be traded for.
He has played 73 career games and is from the Gippsland area in south-east Victoria.
Duursma’s brother Zane is one of the top prospects in the upcoming 2023 draft, ranked fifth in Foxfooty.com.au’s prospect rankings following the national championships.
