Sharrod Wellingham has agreed to stay at Collingwood as the club forge ahead without the signature of Travis Cloke.
Wellingham joins key defender Ben Reid and hot midfielder Dayne BeamsAir max shoes in committing to the Magpies.
The key trio had headed a list 10 players coming out of contract at the end of the season, including Cloke, fourair max 2012 fellow premiership stars Harry O’Brien, Ben Johnson, Brent Macaffer and Tyson Goldsack and veterans Chris Tarrant and Andrew Krakouer.
AFL LadderPWDL%Pts1Sydney161303147.38522Adelaide161303133.79523Hawthorn161204156.60484Collingwood161204115.85485West Coast161105124.83446Essendon161105122.02447Geelong161006113.89408North Melbourne16907107.73369Fremantle16907105.063610St Kilda16808117.233211Carlton16808104.793212Richmond16709106.242813Brisbane1670993.442814Port Adelaide16501182.542015Bulldogs16501175.202016Melbourne16201464.24817Gold Coast16101558.61418Greaterair max 2012 Western Sydney16101542.054
Round 17 - as at 00:00 AM, 22/07/12
A day after the shock announcement that Cloke’s negotiations were on hold, the Magpies wereAir Max 95 buzzing about imminent announcements.
Wellingham has rejected bigger offers from Western Australia to remain a Magpie.
“Nothing changes at all,” Magpies chief executive Gary Pert said.
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“It’s not like we work on one and then start working on another, we’re working on all of them on an on-going basis.
“There will be other announcements in the coming days and weeks.”
While Pert said talks were continuing with player managers, some of those talks had barely begun.
Goldsack and Macaffer, who are managed by Anthony McConville, have not been spoken to by senior Magpies management.
Cloke’s offer of five years, with the fifth year heavily incentive based, remains on the table.
It remains to be seen if the Magpies can keep all their uncontracted stars.
There are concerns for the futures of Macaffer and Krakouer, who are returning from knee reconstructions.
“I wouldn’t talk about any specific contracts, but anyone with any long-term injuries are probably going to want to be waiting until they are in a stronger position (to discuss contracts),” Pert said.
“That would make sense, them wanting to prove themselves.
“And the rest of everyone we would be in discussion with their managers, and some of those discussions would be further down the track than others.”
It is believed the Magpies will consider the futures of Macaffer, Krakouer, Tarrant and Johnson at the end of the season.
Magpies skipper Nick Maxwell this week said he feared players could be squeezed from the club, but Pert believed it would not be any player in the club’s best 22.
“I absolutely don’t think any player will be squeezed out from our best team,” Pert said.
“The players who I think will end up going are the players who can’t get into the team and don’t think they can get in the best team and other clubs would want them.”