Adelaide and Port Adelade Delist Players and Two More Retire

Adelaide delisted McPherson, Jackson Hately, Tariek Newchurch, and Tyler Brown while Port Adelaide delisted Riley Bonner, Trent Dumont, Brynn Teakle, and Nathan Barkla. Luke Dunstan retired from Melbourne and Gold Coast saw Connor Blakely hang up the boots.

McPherson played 28 AFL games since being drafted in 2017. He had to overcome a series of soft tissue injuries and played nine games. He won both the Mark Bickley Emerging Talent Award and Brian Sando OAM Award for professionalism on Club Champion night. The hard-working defender was a regular in Adelaide’s senior side in 2021 when he played 18 games, however injuries have restricted him to just one AFL game since then. Hately has also played 28 AFL games including 15 with the Crows after he joined Adelaide from GWS at the end of the 2020. He played 11 games in 2021 and one this year while performing strongly in the SANFL. Newchurch joined Adelaide as a Category B rookie from its Next Generation Academy in 2020 and has been a valuable contributor to the Crows’ SANFL side for the past three seasons, as has Tyler Brown who joined the club as a rookie in January and played one AFL game for the Crows to go with 27 at his former club Collingwood.

Bonner played 11 games in 2023 but fell out of selection favor late in the season, while Teakle (six overall) managed four after being selected in last year’s mid-season draft. Former Kangaroo Dumont wasn't able to break into he side in 2023 while Barkla never played any senior games.

Demon midfielder Luke Dunstan has retired. He had been playing all year in the VFL. His season ended abruptly when he ruptured his ACL. Dunstan, 28 started at St Kilda where he played 117 games. He joined the Demons at the end of 2021 an unrestricted free agent but managed just five senior games. He was named to the VFL's team of the year for 2023 and was a member of Melbourne's VFL premiership side in 2022.Reflecting on his decade-long career spanning two clubs, Dunstan acknowledged those who have contributed to his journey, "I would just like to thank St Kilda Football Club for the opportunity, as well as Melbourne. I've thoroughly enjoyed my time at the club and feel lucky to have been a part of such a great culture. I've met some amazing people over the journey and some lifelong friends ...".

Suns midfielder Connor Blakely announced his retirement. He played in the VFL Grand Final during the AFL's preliminary final weekend. Blakely, 27, was drafted by Fremantle in 2014 and played 78 games before being selected as a rookie by Gold Coast in 2022 but failed to play any senior games for the Suns. He s said, "I've had so many ups and downs and challenges along the way throughout my career but I’m very appreciative of the opportunities and experiences that I’ve had. I'm at a point of time in my life where I'm ready to let go of football ...". Gold Coast footy performance manager Wayne Campbell thanked Blakely for his commitment to the club, "Despite not getting the opportunity he would have desired at AFL level, Connor has provided invaluable experience to our group at VFL level which will see us play in the Grand Final this weekend"

Source: sen.com.au, afl.com.au, Reece Homfray , Adelaide Media Release