Why Freo coach may stand alone come round one

If Adelaide and Carlton have their way, Justin Longmuir will begin the AFL season as the only senior coach without a contract.

9News Melbourne understands Adelaide's preference is to lock away Matthew Nicks before it takes on Gold Coast on March 16 in round one, while Carlton and Michael Voss are in a temporary holding pattern.

Nicks, who is highly regarded at West Lake both among players and in the boardroom, is likely to sign a two-year extension in the coming weeks.

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Adelaide's primary focus has been on turning Thebarton into its new $100 million training base, though there is a strong desire to reach an agreement with their coach before round one so his tenure does not become a distraction.

Voss, who was under pressure to keep his job 10 months ago, is now certain to stay on a two-year extension.

The hold up on this deal relates to finances, though there is little doubt Carlton and Voss' management will eventually reach a resolution, especially considering clubs can pay 20 per cent of their senior coach salaries from outside the soft cap now.

The holding pattern is no reason to panic for Blues fans, with Voss keen to stay and the club keen to keep him.

The Blues initial offer to Voss was scoffed at, and now the two parties are working through revised offers and negotiations.

Carlton is not short of money following a strong year on the field in 2023 in which the club made the preliminary final and boasted an average crowd attendance of 51,421.

This leaves Longmuir as the only coach who will be out of contract if not at round one, then by a month or two into the season.

Meanwhile, Fremantle was frustrated by a report in the West Australian which claimed the Dockers had their eyes on Luke Beveridge as a contingency plan for Longmuir's demise.

Beveridge, who is contracted until the end of 2025 at the Dogs, is his own manager. So any approach would need to be made directly to the 2016 premiership coach.

Chris Fagan, Adam Simpson, Sam Mitchell, Adam Kingsley and John Longmire are the other coaches out of contract at the end of 2025.