“Watch this space”: The big Victorian club to watch in the race for free agent Lion

Channel Seven footy reporter Mitch Cleary is keeping a close eye on Brisbane free agent Jarrod Berry.

Berry, 26, is just one of nine remaining restricted free agents that comes out of contract at the end of the season.

The club that Cleary can see making a real play at the Lion is Essendon, who spent big in the free agency market last season.

Cleary envisions Essendon using Berry as a centre-bounce midfielder, a role that he’s played in the last two weeks after not attending a single centre bounce from Opening Round to Round 7.

“I just want to talk about Jarrod Berry, I’m keeping a very close eye on Essendon with Jarrod Berry,” Cleary told the Tradies Podcast.

“Have a look at what they did last year in the free agency market. They went and got (Ben) McKay, (Jade) Gresham and (Todd) Goldstein) … what are they cooking this year in this space?

“They’ve gone hard in free agency and they’ve clearly got cap room, they front-ended McKay’s deal (to afford other players later).

“I look at Berry, we always ask is he an inside or outside midfielder? In the last two weeks, he’s gone to 60 per cent and 70 per cent of centre bounce attendances.”

Cleary revealed the connection that Berry already has to Essendon, which comes via Bombers assistant Dale Tapping, who used to work with the midfielder at Brisbane.

With Brisbane also trying to re-sign fellow restricted free agent Hugh McCluggage, Cleary pondered whether the Lions will have enough remaining to compete with offers that Berry could receive on the open market.

“I look at connections … Dale Tapping was the midfield coach at Brisbane for the first five years of his career, he’s now into year eight (at Brisbane) and Dale Tapping is now an assistant coach at Essendon,” Cleary said.

“That’s his first line coach and someone you’d form a very close bond with in Dale Tapping.

“It’s his home state, he’s from Horsham, which is a little way out (from Melbourne), but he’s got his brother (Tom) at the Suns up in Queensland. 

“But I’m just keeping an eye on it … if Brisbane gets the Hugh McCluggage deal over the line, there’s less money in the cap for Jarrod Berry.

“I think the market is going to dictate that he’s going to look around.”

While Cleary thinks there’s a good chance that Berry remains in Brisbane, he expects speculation about his future to really ramp up if he remains unsigned in the weeks following Brisbane’s Round 12 bye.

“I still think there’s a good chance he stays,” Cleary said.

“He’s a loyal guy, I keep getting told that and Brisbane has a four-year offer to him.

“But watch this space on Jarrod Berry. If he hasn’t re-signed a week after the bye, I think we’ll be talking a lot more about him.”

Berry and his Lions teammates are currently enjoying the week off with the bye. 

The 13th-placed Lions next face the Bulldogs at Marvel Stadium on Friday, June 7.