Fremantle Dockers ruckman Sean Darcy poised to sign three-year contract extension to remain at club
Fremantle ruck Sean Darcy is poised to sign a lucrative three-year extension that will keep him at the club for at least the next four seasons.
Darcy’s current contract expires at the end of next season when he will become a restricted free agent, but he is believed to have turned his back on lucrative offers to move interstate.
One source told The West Australian the new deal will take him through to 2027 when he will become an unrestricted free agent.
The prospect of playing in the Dockers’ first ever premiership was understood to be a motivating factor as the Dockers finished a disappointing season in strong fashion, winning three of their last five games, after playing finals in 2022.
The West Australian reported in June the Dockers would be forced to cough up to keep Darcy, with Geelong tabling a huge offer in a bid to lure him home.
That offer from the Cats is believed to have been worth about $1 million a season for five years, although his manager Scott Lucas has denied the claim.
The 25-year-old, a Doig medallist in 2021, had surgery to repair ligament damage after injuring an ankle in round 18 against Collingwood and did not add to his 15 games in 2023.
He was still sporting a moon boot when spotted with teammates cheering on the club’s WAFL affiliate Peel Thunder in a finals win on Saturday.
He was above average in most categories and elite in hitouts (39.1) this year and barring injury and will play his 100th game in round two of next season.
The Pav on Nine News last night lead with the story that sean's signing is imminent.
It means the Dockers are committed to Darcy’s ruck partnership with athletic big man Luke Jackson, with around $1.8 million of their salary cap tied to the duo each year.
Former captain and two-time Brownlow medallist Nat Fyfe’s latest contract includes a significant pay cut, set to help ease any salary strain on the club.
Fyfe has slashed his wage by more than half, from $1.1 million to the AFL average of about $400,000.
That is despite Jackson, who was named in the All-Australian squad, shining in a late-season period rucking solo with Darcy injured.
The Melbourne premiership player and former Rising Star winner signed a seven-year deal that takes him to the end of 2029 when he moved to the club in a high-profile trade.
“Through the middle part of the year when we played our best footy in my opinion, they were both both playing,” Longmuir said last month.
“It gives us more flexibility to use Jacko in different ways and now we continue to grow Sean’s forward craft and our ability to kick it to him better in the forward half.”
This article will appear in tomorrow's Worst .
