Written by Megan Taylor, sports reporter covering international sports since 2020

The Zac Bailey contract situation has emerged as the key reason behind the unusual public tension between Brisbane Lions coach Chris Fagan and St Kilda coach Ross Lyon, after fresh reporting pointed to growing frustration inside Brisbane over the way the AFL player market has shifted. The issue centres on what Brisbane believes was the flow-on effect of St Kilda’s huge deals for Nasiah Wanganeen-Milera and Tom De Koning at the end of last year. It matters because Bailey is now one of the biggest names in the AFL free agency race, with rival clubs reportedly putting major money on the table. As the season moves on, the story is no longer just about comments between coaches, it is about whether Brisbane can keep one of its best players.

Fagan first raised eyebrows before the season when he commented on the size of contracts handed to Wanganeen-Milera and De Koning, an unusual move for a senior AFL coach speaking about rival players. Lyon later fired back, and the exchange stood out because Fagan rarely takes that path in public. Now, veteran reporter Caroline Wilson says the deeper reason is Brisbane’s concern that those St Kilda deals have pushed player prices up at the very time Bailey is weighing his future. AFL coverage has already listed Bailey among the most wanted free agents in the competition, underlining why Brisbane sees this as a live issue rather than a passing talking point.

That broader debate over player value has now become part of the week’s AFL conversation, much like the reaction to Pat Voss Taunting Incident Draws Support From Fremantle Coach Justin Longmuir, which also put club standards and public comment under the spotlight. In Brisbane’s case, the pressure point is money, list balance and what a top-end offer for Bailey could mean inside a premiership squad. Bailey remains a central figure for the Lions, and his official AFL player profile and free agency reporting reflect how strong his standing has become across the league. AFL player profile for Zac Bailey

Why the market has Brisbane worried

Wilson said Brisbane believes St Kilda’s big spending has helped reset the market. Wanganeen-Milera signed a reported $4 million deal over two years, while Tom De Koning reportedly agreed to $1.7 million a season across eight years. Those numbers landed heavily, especially at clubs trying to keep premiership lists together without breaking their internal pay structure.

At the start of the year Fagan said: “I’m hoping those numbers we saw last year, via St Kilda, don’t become a reality. I saw that as a bit of a danger for the game ...

“I think the best players in the competition deserve to be paid the most money and that’s not the case at the moment. That’s not an insult to Nasiah. I think he’s going to be a really good player and how far he goes I don’t know.

“And TDK (De Koning) has shown a lot of promise for a long time but hasn’t probably played up to expectations, and they’re getting paid extremely well. I’d rather see the better players get all the big money.”

Lyon later returned serve, saying in his 16 years of coaching he couldn’t recall commenting on a specific opposition player “in a derogatory sense”. That reply made clear St Kilda did not appreciate the line Fagan took. It also turned what might have been a one-day talking point into a longer running AFL story.

Zac Bailey sits at the centre of it

Bailey’s form is the reason Brisbane is under real pressure here. He has become one of the Lions’ best players and has been a major performer in their recent grand final runs, which is why rival offers are now reportedly climbing as high as $1.6 million a season. AFL.com.au reported last month that Brisbane had tabled Bailey a six-year deal through to the end of 2032, a sign of how badly the club wants to keep him.

“Essendon comes to mind, Adelaide is clearly the front runner at the moment. We’re reading 10 million over seven years from the Adelaide Football Club,” Wilson said on Channel 7’s The Agenda Setters on Tuesday night.

That number matters because Brisbane’s senior core has stayed for less. Wilson pointed to Hugh McCluggage, Josh Dunkley and Harris Andrews as leaders who signed long-term deals on lower figures than the sort of money now being linked to Bailey. In a side that has already won big, that balance is watched closely by both players and club officials.

What Brisbane players are thinking

Wilson said the feeling inside the club was not coming from one conversation or one department. She said it was shared across the playing group, footy staff and wider club. That helps explain why Fagan’s earlier comments felt sharper than usual.

“The Brisbane senior players, and we’re looking at their leaders, Hugh McCluggage, signed to 2031, recent extension. You’ve got Dunkley, 2030 and Harris Andrews, 2029. All those guys have stayed for significantly less money, around $1.1 million, potentially $1.2 million.

“So they’ve all stayed for way less and I could go down the list.

“The senior leaders, on and off field at the Brisbane Football Club, are not prepared to have a player at their football club earning $1.6 million in Zac Bailey, because they think it’s going to upset the apple cart.

“So, Chris Fagan knows he’s going to struggle. He’s not going to be able to match any offer, even if their salary cap would allow it, and we think there might be a bit more room at the end of this year for Zac Bailey.

“There is genuine anger, not only from the Brisbane Football Club, but specifically the Brisbane Football Club, because of what St Kilda have done to inflate the market.”

Wilson added that there had not been a player “deputation” aimed at convincing Bailey to stay. “But that is genuinely the feeling coming out of the playing group, as well as the footy department, as well as the wider club,” Wilson said.

Premiership success adds another layer

Luke Hodge said he was not surprised Bailey’s teammates would want him to stay for less if it kept the Brisbane Lions together. That view is common inside successful teams, where players often weigh money against the chance to keep contending. But Hodge also made clear Bailey has already given plenty.

“With the playing group, they will be sitting here as a collective group saying, ‘Zac, we want you to take less and we want you to stay and have success’,” Hodge said.

“But in saying that, he’s won two premierships with this group. And if you look at the figures that are being thrown around ...”

“You can’t really call him and say, ‘stay for more success’, considering they’ve just won two premierships.”

Dale Thomas also pointed to the awkward part of these talks when the push for sacrifice comes from players already higher up the pay scale. “Zac Bailey (will be thinking), ‘OK, well, this is my time now. This is the chance that I will get paid what I’m worth, if not overs.’ For then to be told by blokes who have been clearly on more than him for a long time to say that you should be staying for less, it doesn’t feel right.”

What comes next in the AFL free agency story

Wilson said Fagan’s decision to speak publicly about Wanganeen-Milera’s money showed just how much “angst” there was around the issue and how unusual the moment was for him. That may be the clearest clue of all about how worried Brisbane is as Bailey moves deeper into free agency year. For a club trying to protect both its list and its pay order, this is now one of the biggest contract stories in the AFL.

Readers wanting more official context on the players at the centre of the story can also check the AFL profiles for Nasiah Wanganeen-Milera and Tom De Koning, whose deals helped trigger the wider debate. Both profiles sit alongside the AFL’s current reporting on player movement and free agency.