HE 2017 free agency pool will be headlined by star midfielders Nat Fyfe and Dustin Martin.
Fyfe and Martin are probably the best two players to come out of the 2009 NAB AFL Draft and are set to enter free agency when they complete the minimum eight year's service at the end of next season.
Next year's crop also includes seasoned stars such as Swans midfielder Josh Kennedy as well as his Eagles namesake and two-time Coleman medallist, Fremantle captain David Mundy, Hawks defender Grant Birchall and Eagles forward Mark LeCras.
But Fyfe and Martin's relative youth – both are 25 – gives them added appeal, with clubs set to tempt them with lucrative long-term contracts.
Fyfe, in particular, has already been linked with Victorian clubs Carlton and Hawthorn, but the 2015 Brownlow medallist recently spoke passionately about the Dockers and hinted his preference was to stay there.
Tom Rockliff and Steven Motlop are two other prospective 2017 free agents who will be watched closely next season.
The Lions captain and Geelong midfielder were on the trade table this year, but after no serious suitors emerged both recommitted to serving the final years of their existing contracts.
However, Travis Cloke, Jordan Lewis, Brett Deledio, Aaron Black and Lynden Dunn switched clubs a year short of qualifying for free agency.
The 2017 pool is likely to expand to include Dennis Armfield, who has agreed to terms with the Blues, Sam Butler and Tom Lonergan, who are all likely to sign new one-year deals with their clubs. Jarryd Blair, Brendan Whitecross and Josh Cowan could follow their lead.
Key defender Rory Thompson is set to become the first Sun to enter free agency.
Although 2017 will be just Gold Coast's seventh season in the AFL, Thompson's two years' service in the TAC Cup and VFL before the club's entry to the AFL will count towards his free agency eligibility given he bypassed the 2008 NAB AFL Draft to play with the expansion club.
AFL.com.au preliminary list of 2017 free agents
Adelaide
Andy Otten
Sam Shaw
Brisbane
Claye Beams
Ryan Harwood
Tom Rockliff
Carlton
Levi Casboult
Matthew Kreuzer
Kade Simpson
Simon White
Collingwood
Tyson Goldsack
Lachlan Keefe
Ben Sinclair
Josh Thomas
Essendon
Heath Hocking
Ben Howlett
Brent Stanton
Jobe Watson
David Zaharakis
Fremantle
Hayden Ballantyne
Nat Fyfe
Garrick Ibbotson
Michael Johnson
David Mundy
Aaron Sandilands
Nick Suban
Geelong
Andrew Mackie
Daniel Menzel
Steven Motlop
Gold Coast
Rory Thompson
Hawthorn
Grant Birchall
Luke Breust
Shaun Burgoyne
Taylor Duryea
Josh Gibson
Luke Hodge
Ryan Schoenmakers
Melbourne
Jake Spencer
Jack Trengove
North Melbourne
Lachlan Hansen
Scott Thompson
Port Adelaide
Jasper Pittard
Jackson Trengove
Justin Westhoff
Richmond
Dustin Martin
St Kilda
Sean Dempster
Sam Gilbert
Leigh Montagna
Nick Riewoldt
Sydney
Heath Grundy
Josh Kennedy
Jarrad McVeigh
Sam Reid
West Coast
Josh Kennedy
Mark LeCras
Eric Mackenzie
Matt Priddis
Western Bulldogs
Matthew Boyd
Dale Morris
Robert Murphy
Liam Picken
