The 25-year-old Harry Perryman, who will be an unrestricted free agent at the end of the season, has drawn interest from a number of teams as he thinks about his future, including both South Australian teams.
Caroline Wilson, a seasoned journalist, revealed on Channel 9’s Footy Classified that Hawthorn has taken a risk by signing Harry Perryman, offering a contract worth about $800,000 for five years.
“Jarryd Roughead, an expert in free agency, and Sam Mitchell led a group that recently targeted Sydney, which included Dylan Moore, the vice captain of the Hawks,” she said. This endeavour bears similarities to Geelong’s futile endeavor to sign Travis Boak. It remains to be seen if this will be successful.”
“Hawthorn has made a substantial offer—five years at about $800,000 a year for a player who mainly fills a supporting role at GWS but has the potential to be excellent at a team with a less competitive midfield.”
“Essendon and at least one Adelaide team remain in the running. Perryman plays netball with his partner, and they both enjoy Sydney.”
Reporter Jon Ralph of the Herald Sun stated earlier this year on Fox Footy’s Midweek Tackle that GWS has extended an offer to Perryman for a five-year contract valued at approximately $650,000.
Perryman shared that he is trying to ignore the surrounding speculation about his future and expects progress on his contract negotiations soon.
“It’s been interesting. I haven’t experienced this much before. I try to tune out that noise; that’s why I have a manager to handle it,” Perryman told AFL Media. “Being in Sydney helps, as it keeps me away from it all. I hope something happens in the next couple of weeks or month, but if not, I’ll just focus on playing well.”
“My manager is in regular contact with the club and is working hard to sort things out.”
A product of the Giants Academy and a former first-round draft pick, Perryman finished third in GWS’s best and fairest in 2020 and has played 119 AFL games since debuting in 2017.