{"id":87895,"date":"2026-09-04T06:01:27","date_gmt":"2026-09-04T06:01:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/australia\/87895\/"},"modified":"2026-09-04T06:01:27","modified_gmt":"2026-09-04T06:01:27","slug":"zac-bailey-likely-to-leave-brisbane-lions-for-adelaide-in-10m-deal","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/australia\/87895\/","title":{"rendered":"Zac Bailey likely to leave Brisbane Lions for Adelaide in $10m deal"},"content":{"rendered":"

Has Craig McRae\u2019s wife Gabrielle turned into a recruiting secret weapon like Sam Mitchell\u2019s Lyndall before her? <\/p>\n

Lyndall Mitchell has famously become one of the Hawks\u2019 best recruiters <\/a>as she lobbies the wives and partners of prospective recruits to show them the full-club Hawthorn experience.<\/p>\n

As the Herald Sun revealed on Thursday, Gab McRae was in Jesse Hogan\u2019s pitch meeting with the Pies last week at club headquarters.<\/p>\n

It turns out that she isn\u2019t planning a bigger role in recruiting but she is regularly involved with meeting partners and making sure the families of players are well aware of what the club offers. <\/p>\n

The Pies have a very tailored recruiting plan for every player they meet and there were multiple Collingwood figures who had mutual friendships with Jesse Hogan and his partner, including Gab McRae.<\/p>\n

Collingwood is determined to maximise all of its relationships in every pitch, even as the club works through why it missed out on recruiting target Zak Butters.<\/p>\n

List boss Justin Leppitsch famously pitched the club\u2019s services to Hogan\u2019s former teammate Harry Perryman over a couple of beers and pizza on his couch because that\u2019s the kind of guy he is.<\/p>\n

Collingwood will secure Lachie Neale this year on a three-year deal of around $900,000 and is attempting to bring Hogan in as well despite Carlton and Gold Coast pitching their wares.<\/p>\n

BAILEY LOOKS ON THE WAY OUT<\/p>\n

Brisbane players are losing hope of securing free agent Zac Bailey to Adelaide, with the star mid-forward confiding to some that he is more likely to move on.<\/p>\n

He has still not told his management of his intentions and is torn between loyalty to a club where he and his partner have put down roots and taking a life-changing $10 million deal.<\/p>\n

It can be confirmed the gap between the Brisbane offer to the Adelaide offer is still more than $200,000 a season \u2013 which adds up over seven years.<\/p>\n

Senior Brisbane players are aware of his conundrum and believe he is likely to leave.<\/p>\n

But those close to Bailey say he changes his mind nearly every day given the impossible decision.<\/p>\n

Brisbane knows Tasmania will offer $2 million a season for their key forward Logan Morris and while they won\u2019t be able to match it, they will need to get somewhere in the ball park.<\/p>\n

Clubs will also come hard for Kai Lohmann next year, so every dollar the Lions spend on Bailey makes it harder to retain their stars.<\/p>\n

Adelaide is only quietly confident, aware that while he has family including his mother in South Australia it is hard to walk away from a club striving for three flags in a row.<\/p>\n

SDK ON THE MOVE?<\/p>\n

St Kilda will only intensify its interest in Tom De Koning\u2019s brother Sam after he was again dropped for a final this week.<\/p>\n

Barring a late change he will miss the elimination final against Carlton, two years on from being overlooked for a more mobile line-up for the 2024 preliminary final.<\/p>\n

St Kilda views him as more likely to feature in a premiership window than Marshall, who is keen to again get to Geelong, with the 25-year-old able to play key back alongside Cal Wilkie and Jack Silvagni.<\/p>\n

DON\u2019T TRY TO RORT THE SYSTEM<\/p>\n

The AFL has made clear it will scrutinise any free agency dealings involving Ben King or Zak Butters which have a second trade linked to a free agency compensation pick.<\/p>\n

Hawthorn is quietly confident that the Suns will take pick seven as free agency compensation for Ben King, while the Power could take pick five for Butters then ask for more in a deal.<\/p>\n

Every club is asked when they lodge a trade if it is part of another bigger package, while the AFL keen to close all loopholes.<\/p>\n

But in an era with the Jack Bowes salary dump and clubs trying to clear cap space by accepting lesser picks for highly paid players, all the old rules don\u2019t apply.<\/p>\n

\"'Best<\/p>\n

Clubs also include multiple rival clubs in deals with picks flying everywhere so it can be difficult to assess fair value.<\/p>\n

AFL football boss Greg Swann told SEN on Friday the league would again warn clubs but it will be interesting to see if clubs attempt some kind of convenient deal.<\/p>\n

As the Hawks prepare to add Zach Merrett and King, consider a sliding doors moment.<\/p>\n

Hawthorn not only wanted free agent Ben McKay, they offered him a bigger deal than Essendon.<\/p>\n

He went to the Hangar and they ultimately added Tom Barrass and Josh Battle, who were incredible along with James Sicily on the defeat of the Dockers on Thursday night.<\/p>\n

FORGOTTEN ROO TO STAY<\/p>\n

North Melbourne has told half back Zac Fisher it will honour the last year of his deal despite speculation he might be paid out.<\/p>\n

Fisher played only one game this year and only seven last season and hasn\u2019t been able to find a role in the side.<\/p>\n

But as the Roos attempt to find a new coach he has been told to have a big pre-season and return next year to revitalise his career.<\/p>\n

\"Jon<\/a><\/p>\n

Jon Ralph has covered sport with the Herald Sun, and now CODE Sports as well, for over two decades working primarily as a football journalist… (other fields)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Has Craig McRae\u2019s wife Gabrielle turned into a recruiting secret weapon like Sam Mitchell\u2019s Lyndall before her? Lyndall…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":87896,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[148496,148441,148506,148494,148504,148455,148490,41717,5859,39998,148489,148481,39234,37114,148450,72655,148485,148446,148488,148440,148514,148465,148469,148520,49580,148482,148478,39981,74033,148528,148497,395,148461,148463,46708,148453,148442,148502,148518,148527,148499,14269,148473,148462,148516,99,148477,90547,148449,4936,6524,148524,148512,148530,21547,12381,148480,13017,3009,33052,148521,53923,148517,65012,148475,3052,10600,57228,148468,148486,148529,9715,148479,148452,1416,32803,148467,148471,148476,148457,50473,57483,49564,37457,65573,148523,74414,41790,92677,148531,148515,146217,413,146220,64974,56606,399,37392,148522,8000,12361,65931,148505,42007,52366,148495,148493,148503,82302,47236,148491,148509,148460,3121,8511,148447,103709,148454,37298,116483,148513,148448,148507,148498,9203,7414,17633,148525,74465,121,38760,568,5247,148501,37383,148519,43276,148526,148451,39770,44012,41980,136351,44647,148443,48282,148511,80764,5606,148483,148456,40920,38178,61193,9246,40599,76748,42025,76804,148445,32464,148458,148444,104352,148474,148470,148466,121580,148472,148510,148492,39096,52316,136614,7444,148487,7388,148459,148484,38329,148500,34625,24166,148464,515,148508],"class_list":["post-87895","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-adelaide","tag-s-brother-sam","tag-s-former-teammate-harry-perryman","tag-s-lyndall","tag-s-pitch-meeting","tag-s-secret-recruiting-weapon","tag-s-services","tag-s-wife-gabrielle","tag-2-million","tag-5859","tag-39998","tag-a-bigger-deal","tag-a-bigger-role","tag-a-club","tag-a-couple","tag-a-deal-every-club","tag-a-final","tag-a-free-agency-compensation-pick-hawthorn","tag-a-historic-three-peat","tag-a-late-change","tag-a-life-changing-10-million-deal-it","tag-a-more-mobile-line-up","tag-a-premiership-window","tag-a-recruiting-secret-weapon","tag-a-row-sdk","tag-a-season","tag-a-second-trade","tag-a-sliding-doors","tag-a-three-year-deal","tag-a-trade","tag-a-trade-attack","tag-a-very-tailored-recruiting-plan","tag-adelaide","tag-adelaide-ceo-matthew-richardson","tag-all-the-old-rules","tag-an-era","tag-another-bigger-package","tag-any-free-agency-dealings","tag-around-900","tag-bailey","tag-bailey-coup","tag-beers-and-pizza","tag-ben-king","tag-ben-king-or","tag-best-recruiters","tag-best-trade-outcome","tag-brisbane","tag-brisbane-players","tag-butters","tag-cal-wilkie","tag-cap-space","tag-carlton","tag-carlton-and-gold-coast","tag-cats-star","tag-club-headquarters-it","tag-clubs","tag-collingwood","tag-convenient-deal-as","tag-craig-mcrae","tag-crows","tag-deals","tag-essendon-he","tag-every-dollar","tag-every-pitch","tag-every-player","tag-fair-value-afl-football-boss-greg-swann","tag-family","tag-fly","tag-focus","tag-free-agency-compensation","tag-free-agent-ben-mckay","tag-free-agent-zac-bailey","tag-friday","tag-gab-mcrae","tag-gab-mcrae-collingwood","tag-geelong","tag-guy","tag-highly-paid-players","tag-his-conundrum","tag-his-couch","tag-his-deal","tag-his-intentions","tag-his-management","tag-his-mind","tag-his-mother","tag-his-partner","tag-his-sitdown","tag-hogan","tag-hope","tag-its-interest","tag-its-relationships","tag-jack-silvagni-don","tag-james-sicily","tag-jesse-hogan","tag-josh-battle","tag-kai-lohmann","tag-key","tag-lachie-neale","tag-last-week","tag-lesser-picks","tag-lions","tag-logan-morris","tag-loyalty","tag-lyndall-mitchell","tag-marshall","tag-more-than-200","tag-multiple-collingwood-figures","tag-multiple-rival-clubs","tag-mutual-friendships","tag-nearly-every-day","tag-next-year","tag-night-forgotten-roo-to-staynorth-melbourne","tag-on-he","tag-out-fisher","tag-part","tag-partners","tag-pick","tag-pick-five","tag-picks","tag-players","tag-pole-position","tag-prospective-recruits","tag-recruiting","tag-recruiting-target-zak-butters-list-boss-justin-leppitsch","tag-roots","tag-saints","tag-sam-mitchell","tag-sen","tag-seven-years-senior","tag-some-kind","tag-south-australia","tag-speculation","tag-st-kilda","tag-tasmania","tag-the-2024-preliminary-final-st-kilda","tag-the-25-year-old","tag-the-adelaide-offer","tag-the-afl","tag-the-ball-park-clubs","tag-the-brisbane-offer","tag-the-club","tag-the-defeat","tag-the-dockers","tag-the-elimination-final","tag-the-families","tag-the-full-club-hawthorn-experience-as","tag-the-gap","tag-the-hangar","tag-the-hawks","tag-the-herald-sun","tag-the-impossible-decision-brisbane","tag-the-jack-bowes-salary-dump","tag-the-kind","tag-the-last-year","tag-the-league","tag-the-lions","tag-the-move","tag-the-pies","tag-the-power","tag-the-saints","tag-the-star-mid-forward","tag-the-suns","tag-the-systemthe-afl","tag-the-way-outbrisbane-players","tag-the-wire","tag-the-wives-and-partners","tag-the-zac-bailey-race","tag-their-key","tag-their-players","tag-their-stars-adelaide","ta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