The GIANTS have re-signed Daniel Lloyd, Shane Mumford and Callum Brown.
Recruited from the NSW Central Coast, Lloyd is coming into his fifth season with the club in 2021 and has become an important cog in the GIANTS’ forward line.
The former carpenter has kicked 38 goals from his 51 games so far and played 12 matches this season.
Mumford will extend his career into a 13th season, retained as a rookie for 2021.
The 34-year-old has played 201 games across his career and 30 games over the past two seasons since coming out of retirement at the beginning of 2019.
Irishman Brown will enter his third season in the AFL, having impressed with his continued development across 2020.
Boasting speed and power, the 20-year-old played most of the club’s practice matches this year and featured in a variety of positions after returning from Ireland when the competition resumed.
GIANTS General Manager of Football Jason McCartney said:
“Daniel and his family have added so much to our club over the past four years.
“He’s a hard-working player who always puts the team first and is an important player for us.
“With Shane, we know what he’s been able to provide on the football field, and his work beyond the field with our young rucks is equally as important.
“Along with new recruit Braydon Preuss and young rucks Matt Flynn and Kieren Briggs, we feel we’re well placed to have a range of players vying for that position.
“Callum has continued to progress, and we’re really excited to see where he can go in 2021.
“He learns more and more about the game every time he plays, and he boasts some unique qualities that mean he certainly has the potential to play at the elite level.”
Lloyd and Mumford will join Matt Buntine on the rookie list for the 2021 season.
Under a new rule, approved by the AFL on Tuesday, a maximum of two players who were previously on the club’s 2020 Primary List can be transferred to the club’s 2021 Category A Rookie List.
Lloyd and Buntine, who is contracted until the end of 2021, will move to the rookie list as part of the club’s first list lodgement while Brown will continue as a Category B rookie - representing players from non-traditional football backgrounds.
Meanwhile, veteran Sam Reid and local forward Zach Sproule have been delisted.
Reid has spent three years on the rookie list, the maximum allowed under AFL rules, but the club has committed to re-drafting him in the Rookie Draft next month.
The 31-year-old has played 93 games across 11 seasons and played three games in 2020 after struggling with a calf injury.
Sproule will come off the rookie list after four years at the club. He made his AFL debut in 2019 and has played one AFL game.
Now the list sizes have been confirmed for the 2021 season, the club will assess their options to re-rookie Sproule at the Rookie Draft on December 10.
GIANTS List Manager Jason McCartney said:
“We’ve committed to re-drafting Sam next month and are looking forward to him continuing his career with us in 2021.
“Sam continues to offer a lot to us on and off the field and has been an exceptional contributor to our club.
“We farewell Zach for the time being and will continue to assess our options as we get closer to the Rookie Draft.
“Zach is a much-loved member of the playing group but with the confirmed reduction in list sizes, we need maximum flexibility for the draft period ahead.”
Second-year midfielder Jackson Hately – who expressed a desire to join the Adelaide Crows across the trade period – has delisted himself after a suitable trade agreement was unable to be reached. He will enter the pre-season draft in a bid to join the Crows.
The new list rules see clubs permitted to have a minimum of 37 players and a maximum of 44 players on their lists.
Primary lists must have between 36 and 38 players. Category A rookies are capped at 4-6, up to a total of 42 players on a list including primary-listed players.
Each club can also have two Category B rookies. In 2021, all rookie listed players will be able to play senior football, removing the need to be upgraded.
The AFL draft will be held on Wednesday, December 9 with the pre-season and rookie drafts to be held the following day.