With another trade period now in the books, attention for list managers and fans alike turns to a loaded class of talent due to come out of contract at the conclusion of the 2026 season.
With a Brownlow Medal, two Gary Ayres Awards, AFLCA Champion Player of the Year honours and plenty of All-Australians and premiership players featuring in the off-contract crop for next year, clubs keen to add star power to their list will be salivating.
Here we've listed 10 players set to come out of contract in 2026, and rival clubs that could be suitors.
8Ed Allan
Allan is a name Collingwood fans pin their future aspirations to whenever the inevitable criticism of their ageing list emerges. The 21-year-old has shown plenty when rewarded with scarce opportunities at the top level - a motor that allows him to be a link between the lines, a hunger for the contested ball, and clean skills.
Rival clubs will understandably circle if the 2022 first-round draft pick continues to be starved of opportunity in his contract year.
2026 is not only important in the context of Allan's career, but it's also a critical junction for this iteration of Craig McRae's playing list. The Pies may find themselves in a pit like the ones the Eagles and Tigers have found themselves in recently if they do not start prioritising experience for their next generation of players.
Expect Fremantle, his father's club, and the one he grew up supporting, as well as the Eagles, to come hard for the West Australian next year.
Potential Suitors: West Coast, Fremantle
