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Cornes: The free agency call that's holding my attention
Kane Cornes •  February 19th, 2026 8:30 pm
I’ve heard Zak Butters’ name a million times this year, and rightly so. He is going to be the highest paid player in the history of the game, I would think, by this time next year.
Zac Bailey and Ben King are all really interesting contract talking points as they decide what they are going to do with their future and which teams they are going to play for.
The one that I am most intrigued about is George Wardlaw, for a number of reasons. I’m going to watch this so closely, as to how this plays out.
What’s he worth? What is George Wardlaw worth?
Heart and soul, spirit player at North Melbourne. So important already, going into season number four. He is not the same player that Joel Selwood is, but he reminds me of the same impact that Joel Selwood has.
There’s the positive – everyone loves him, universally admired. So tough and disciplined, says all the right things and just an upstanding citizen. North Melbourne fans rightly love him and hope he doesn’t go anywhere.
But only 39 games in three seasons, just the 17 touches a game – although the disposal count doesn’t reflect his true value to the team.
Harry Sheezel was drafted in the same draft – he has played 67 in the same time. Josh Weddle, from the same draft, just signed a monster four-year extension for what I read today was $900,000 a season. Essendon had offered him a $10 million deal. Brisbane young gun Jaspa Fletcher has signed until the end of 2030. Sheezel, 2030.
Wardlaw and his management would want the same, but there is no way you could give George Wardlaw a long-term lucrative deal with the issues that he has had prior to him even being drafted.
The hamstring issues that are now chronic, and he has already a long history of at such a young age. Soft tissue injuries – every season has been hampered by injury.
Then there is the concussion concerns. 2025 was particularly interrupted by a third concussion in a short window. You would think that is going to be hard to manage for him with the way that he plays.
My question is, what’s he worth, and how long would you give him? If I’m George Wardlaw, I’m going in and saying, I want seven. I want a seven-year deal, that’s it. Seven-year deal, or I will start speaking to other clubs.
If you are North Melbourne, are you prepared to do what St Kilda did with Max King, and give a player with injury history like this, a long-term lucrative deal when there is such a dark cloud of injury hanging over him?
What would I be comfortable with? At his age, three doesn’t make you nervous. You’d go four, and back in your medical team to get him right like others have done over the journey.
How much would you pay him? 58 millionaires in footy now – he is not a million-dollar player. He is probably just under the Josh Weddle level - $800,000-850,000 over four years.
Anything more than that, and I think you’ve got to walk away, North Melbourne. I don’t think he’s going to go anywhere.
Butters, Bailey, King. My focus is firmly on George Wardlaw – how he plays it, and then what is North Melbourne’s walk-away price.
