Trade talk: The ace in the pack of the key forward pyramid

The key forward pyramid is something that is catching Tom Morris’ eye ahead of this off-season.

A raft of tall forwards are off contract at the end of 2026, and with clubs trying to re-sign their spearheads, Morris expects clubs to start going down the pyramid to find one that could join their club come season’s end.

For Morris, Coleman Medal leader Ben King sits atop the pyramid as a restricted free agent, while fellow free agents Mitch Lewis and Joel Amartey sit below him on the second tier.

Morris revealed his other tiers below that as he expects these names to really begin to attract attention, particularly if those at the top re-sign with their current clubs.

“I wanted to talk about the key forward pyramid that's taking shape. You've got Ben King at the very top, it's like a domino effect,” Morris explained on SEN Breakfast.

“If Ben King re-signs at the Gold Coast Suns, which I think his rival clubs expect him to do on that two-year deal, then there's a whole host of other key forwards around the competition that I think big Victorian clubs in particular will be looking at.

“Below Ben King, you've then got Mitch Lewis and Joel Amartey, who are both free agents. 

“Now, the Swans have offered Joe Amartey a new deal, and the Mitch Lewis conversations, I think, will commence or ramp up pretty soon.

“Then below that, you've got Jed Walter, Casher Dear and Hayden McLean. 

“All of a sudden, these forwards become far more valuable if one or more of King, Lewis, and Amartey re-sign. 

“Then you’ve got someone like Ollie Lord, who's out for the rest of the season injured, and Max Gruszewski as well from GWS. These are the key forwards that I'd be keeping an eye on…”

According to Morris, there’s even an ace in the pack of his pyramid, that being GWS star Jesse Hogan.

While the 31-year-old hasn’t been at his best in 2026, Morris thinks he could become very gettable for a rival club that’s willing to offer him a strong contract, given GWS aren’t anywhere near meeting his demands currently.

“Then you've got the ace in the pack. Jesse Hogan. There’s a massive gap between what Jesse Hogan wants and what the Giants are willing to pay,” Morris said.

“I would be giving a calculated guess on numbers. I want to preface it by that, but I think he’s worth around $800,000 a year or if not a little more… but I don’t think they’re offering anywhere near that.

“I'd be surprised if they're offering more than $500,000 to $600,000 a year, given his age. So there's a gap”

Hogan kicked 77 goals in a career-best 2024 season but played only 16 games in 2025, where he kicked 46 goals, due to injury.

He’s kicked 10 majors from seven games in 2026.