Fremantle great Nat Fyfe will retire at the end of the AFL season after a gruelling run with injury. The two-time Brownlow medallist called time on his glittering 16-year career on Monday.
Knee, hamstring and calf injuries have kept the 33-year-old to just five games so far as the fourth-placed Dockers look to seal a spot in finals.
Fyfe says he is at peace with his decision. “Retiring has been a conversation that has been ongoing for probably the last 12 months,” Fyfe said in a club statement.
“It just feels like it’s the right time.
“I’m just immensely grateful for what my AFL experience and playing with Fremantle has given to me.
“Knowing this is the end of my career, I leave with a sense of understanding that I don’t need anything further, which is a really peaceful place to be.”
Fremantle football boss Joe Brierty lauded Fyfe as one of the club’s greatest players.
“Nat’s legacy at the Fremantle Football Club will live on forever,” Brierty said.
“When he arrived at the club back in 2009, it was clear he had raw talent.
“With his decision to retire at the conclusion of our 2025 campaign, we know he will leave no stone unturned to make the most out of every moment left.”
Rosas to Carlton? Blues chasing the Sun
Peter Ryan
Carlton have stepped up their pursuit of Gold Coast small forward Malcolm Rosas as several clubs circle the speedy goalkicker, who has made limited AFL appearances this season.
The 24-year-old flirted with being traded at the end of last season but remained with the Suns. However, he played just his fourth game for the season on Saturday night against the Blues.
Rosas came on as the sub when the game was virtually decided and kicked a behind.
The Blues have struggled to get an impact out of their small forwards in 2025 with their forward line struggling for continuity due to injury to key forwards Charlie Curnow and Harry McKay.
Francis Evans played his best game for the club in the loss to Gold Coast, kicking four goals, while Jesse Motlop and Orazio Fantasia are out of contract. Lochie Fogarty is locked in until 2026.
Competition sources, who preferred to remain anonymous when discussing trade matters, confirmed the Blues were exploring potential forward options with speed high on their wish list as the game becomes more of a transition style.
With the club confirming last week that Michael Voss is the coach next season and Graham Wright starting as CEO at the end of this week, the Blues have some stability as they explore trade options.
They are expected to lose Tom De Koning to St Kilda via free agency and are forensically analysing their list.
Rosas has kicked 46 goals in 49 matches and has also attracted reported interest from Richmond and Sydney.
Second premiership coach withdraws from Demons’ race
Jon Pierik
Adam Simpson has become the second AFL premiership coach to withdraw from the Melbourne coaching race, strengthening Nathan Buckley’s chances of claiming the position.
Days after former Swans coach John Longmire ruled himself out, Simpson – the 2018 West Coast premiership coach – also said he would remain on the sidelines in 2026.
This is Simpson’s first full year removed after spending 11 years with the Eagles.
“I don’t want to coach next year. I think I’ll give it a spell,” Simpson told SEN on Monday.
“I was thinking it through over the weekend, and I know ‘Horse’ [Longmire] has done the same thing. It just doesn’t feel like it’s the right time to be available.”
Simpson said he had not been contacted by the Demons, and plans to retain a presence in the media.
“They haven’t called me. And sometimes you wait for these things because you might think: ‘I’m not interested’. But then you get the phone call and you go: ‘Oh hang on, I’m wanted’, and then you sort of pivot in a different way.
“I’ve had a good think about it and I’m just not in the right headspace with it. I’m enjoying all this. It’s the same things that Horse [said] really. He’s a bit different, it’s only been eight months for him, it’s been a bit longer for me.”
While Simpson experienced the ultimate success with the Eagles, his final three seasons were woeful, including a 16-game losing streak and eight wins from his final 64 games.
“The passion to go through all the process, because once you get approached it’s turbo and you need to really be prepared. I’m not really prepared and not in the right headspace,” Simpson said.
“I’ll continue to do this if this is part of my brief next year. I feel like that’s the path I’m taking at the moment.”
Buckley, who guided the Magpies into the 2018 grand final but was eased out of top role in 2021, declared last week his passion for coaching remained high, and he would take a call from the Demons, who are searching for a replacement for the axed Simon Goodwin.
They have yet to confirm a subcommittee to help choose the new coach, and what process prospective applicants will need to follow. A club spokesman said this was expected to be finalised by Friday.
The Demons also have several experienced senior assistant coaches across the league to consider, but Buckley is now the standout former senior coach.
Melbourne great David Schwarz has called on the Demons to at least interview former Essendon coach James Hird. The Bombers champion hasn’t been an AFL senior coach since leaving Essendon in 2015, when the doping saga had destroyed the club. However, Hird said last week he was not interested in the role.
Hird spent time as an assistant with the Giants in 2022, and is now involved with Port Melbourne in the VFL.
Ken Hinkley is also a senior coach who will be without a job next season, although he is likely to have other options in football department roles across the league, particularly if he opts to leave South Australia.
Magpies assistant Hayden Skipworth interviewed for the Eagles’ top role last year, while Brisbane coach Chris Fagan last week said his football boss Danny Daly had the skills to become a senior coach.
Pies extend sought-after ruckman, Pendlebury
Michael Gleeson
Collingwood have re-signed Darcy Cameron to fend off interest from West Coast, who had been circling the sought-after premiership ruckman.
And veteran Scott Pendlebury has also re-signed and will play his 21st season in black and white, meaning he is most likely next year to overtake Brent Harvey’s games 432 AFL games record. Pendlebury has played 421 games.
Despite being 37, the re-signing of Pendlebury, a six-time All-Australian and five-time Copeland Trophy winner, was not unexpected after his impressive season this year.
The re-signing of Cameron to a new three-year deal through until the end of 2029, however is more consequential.
The Magpies ruckman who is among the best few in the competition for several years and vying this year for All-Australian selection had been on comparatively poor money still with a year to run on his contract. Cameron had been recruited by Collingwood from Sydney, where he had played only one game before moving to the Pies in 2020.
The 30-year-old has since become a premiership player, was in the All-Australian squad and runner-up in the Copeland Trophy last year, and is an extremely popular figure in the locker room.
The Magpies have revised terms for this year and next and extended the contract. That move will stave off interest from the Eagles for the ruckman who is originally from Albany.
The Magpies still have a relatively large number of players out of contract, many of them in their 30s as they juggle contention for a flag and rejuvenating their list.
Star forwards Jamie Elliott and Brody Mihocek are chief among those players still to re-sign.
Defender Jeremy Howe has been offered a new contract of roughly $350,000 to play next year. Howe and the club are also discussing a possible coaching role for him after he finishes playing.
“I’m incredibly grateful to sign on for a further three years. Collingwood is a special place and I’m proud to call it home,” Cameron said.
“With a single game under my belt when I arrived, to now playing over 100, the Pies put their faith in me and I’ll be forever grateful for the growth and opportunities I’ve had since arriving at the club.
“Recommitting to Collingwood was an easy decision. This club means a lot to me and now feels like the right time to commit again. We have such a special group here, from the players to the coaches and all staff, and I can’t wait to see what we achieve over the coming years.”
Grundy to miss Cats’ clash
Jon Pierik
Sydney star Brodie Grundy has been ruled out of Sunday’s clash against Geelong because of concussion.
Grundy left the field late in Sydney’s upset win over Brisbane on Saturday at the Gabba, having been hit in a marking contest. While he passed an immediate concussion test, he has since suffered delayed symptoms.
Swans coach Dean Cox said on Monday Grundy was now in concussion protocols.
“He obviously passed his HIA but then wasn’t well yesterday,” Cox told SEN.
“So, he’ll be into concussion protocols, which will mean he won’t be available this weekend. He might be back for [round 24]. I think the thing we need to do with Brodie is to just assess day-to-day, which is what we have done with Hayden McLean.
“He [McLean] came back after the 12-day protocol, and Tom McCartin was a week earlier. We’ll just assess it as it plays out.”
Grundy’s absence should aid the Cats’ bid at the SCG to retain second spot on the ladder, with two rounds remaining.
