List Mgmt. 2025 List Management Discussion - Part 3

[Hubnester]

2025 List Management Discussion - Part 3

Now that our season is over, and news is starting to break - it's time for a fresh thread.

This thread is to discuss all things list management - trades, draft, free agency, delistings and more.
As we are now officially in our off-season, we'll be wanting to keep this thread more strictly on-topic than the previous iterations.
Be respectful. You are allowed to disagree with someone - but play the ball, not the man. Repeat offenders will have their posting rights revoked.

Thanks to Lore once again for this incredibly useful spreadsheet.

2025 KEY DATES
Free Agency Period: Friday, October 3rd - Friday, October 10th
Trade Period: Monday, October 6th - Wednesday, October 15th
AFL Draft: Wednesday, November 19th - Thursday, November 20th

See Also:
2025 Year in Review Rumours & Confirmed Movements 2025 Draft Discussion
​

 

[Addy23]

So you have an advantage not all clubs had and you believe it only to be fair to allow you that advantage that will both simultaneously screw the clubs after you and punish the clubs without the advantage still?

I genuinely dont understand what you mean when you say we have an advantage not all clubs have. If you mean by NGA access, all clubs do have NGA programs. Its the investment that varies. Thats on the club if they dont want to invest and develop. You can penalise the clubs that do help in increasing the talent pool.

 

[Saintscomemarchingin]

Isaac Rankine has apologised for being a naughty boy
I wanna know why Collard got the biggest ban of six weeks?
Must of been a very naughty boy
He & Flanders could be our gay looking waiter's? at our pirate themed function
Sorry Gringo, can't let it go.

 

[Hubnester]

Keep it respectful or don't bother. Cheers

 

[austinnn]

I watch games.

TBH I'm hoping Steele gets traded (don't think he will). He showed some improvement late but having him and Macrae in there isn't the way forward imo.

Grateful to Jack but it's a new day.

I absolutely don't see keeping him as captain as a good move though.

Totally agree. It is time. I would prefer him to go, but if he stays, it's well past time for a new skipper

 

[Spider Eater]

I genuinely dont understand what you mean when you say we have an advantage not all clubs have. If you mean by NGA access, all clubs do have NGA programs. Its the investment that varies. Thats on the club if they dont want to invest and develop. You can penalise the clubs that do help in increasing the talent pool.

You're talking to a group of supporters whose top 10 academy prospect is playing for a side that has won 4 recent premierships, Melbourne's only 1st round NGA plays for a side that is on the cusp of getting another 3 1st round NGA's for loose change. We have developed and were denied the right, which of course all changed to suit Essendon so they could get theirs... we couldn't care less what you think is fair.

 

[Diehard Saint]

I see it this way.
2023, the strategy was put in place to save SC, and front load contracts.
This was because the AFL basically only gave us one way to improve, through FA while taking four years to hit the draft. We didn't have FS, free picks like beggars North or free top 10 NGA's like the fake Northern clubs.
We also have Tassie coming in which will compromise the draft and drive up player salaries.
Yawkey Way put it best, Saints have started an arms race in recruiting and are stepping on toes while tooling up before the AFL gets nuked by Tassie.
It's the new reality and the others haven't caught up.

Necessity is the mother of invention.
We were forced into this, as you said. Needed to help ourselves.
And again it shows the forethought and nous of those now running the joint.
We are in good hands.

 

[Addy23]

You're talking to a group of supporters whose top 10 academy prospect is playing for a side that has won 4 recent premierships, Melbourne's only 1st round NGA plays for a side that is on the cusp of getting another 3 1st round NGA's for loose change. We have developed and were denied the right, which of course all changed to suit Essendon so they could get theirs... we couldn't care less what you think is fair.

So because you were denied in the past, you want to continue to be denied of it in the future when you could actually benefit from it?

 

[botts]

So because you were denied in the past, you want to continue to be denied of it in the future when you could actually benefit from it?

No. But we would like you to be denied

 

[g_TRAIN]

So because you were denied in the past, you want to continue to be denied of it in the future when you could actually benefit from it?

What's fair is fair mate.

All we want is a more even playing field and a less compromised draft.

Might hurt us short term but long term it benefits all clubs (aside from those with Northern Academy's etc.)

 

[Saintscomemarchingin]

Totally agree. It is time. I would prefer him to go, but if he stays, it's well past time for a new skipper

We had a makeshift midfield this year
Pou out injured
Henry on a wing out injured
Windy found his wing
Nas & Hall looked good in there at times
Macrae & Steele provide the grunt work.
If we can get most of those players, playing together consistently well.
I think Steele may still be important to the set-up

 

[austinnn]

It was really good tbh

Saints media haven't come up with anything better in over a decade.

It was mostly about the personalities of people like Milney and Lenny, but the editing was first rate too.

 

[Addy23]

No. But we would like you to be denied

That makes way more sense.

What's fair is fair mate.

All we want is a more even playing field and a less compromised draft.

Might hurt us short term but long term it benefits all clubs (aside from those with Northern Academy's etc.)

I get the concerns, and I think there are some things on Cal Twomey's article that I agree should be implemented to make it an even playing field.

What's at play here is the problem that the AFL will face a smaller talent pool in its attempts to make it a less compromised draft. And it'll very likely go that way with the abolishment of NGAs

 

[BrutThough]

Maybe not even that actually. Here's his accuracy across the top 20 tall forwards.

68%+: King (69 goals)
66%+: Treacy (42), Larkey (41)
64%+: Chol (39), Hogan (43), Neale (41)
62%+: Fogarty (40), Darcy (48)
60%+: Thilthorpe (55), Cadman (44), Cameron (83), Morris (48), Naughton (60)
58%+:
56%+:
54%+: Gunston (62), Walker (37), Melksham (33), Sharman (34)
52%+: Voss (34)
50%+: Georgiades (58), Mihocek (36)

That said, kicking at the tall forward average of about 60% would have only got him a handful more goals.

With no stats to back it up - if feels like Sharman hits the post a lot. When he misses, it's a close miss.

Compared to an Owens whose miss is anywhere from hitting the post to completely missing his foot.

 

[austinnn]

Of course, for if we trade him his current contract would be null and void. So he will ona new contract with the Cats, and not St Kilda.

However, he knows what he signed up for, and that he was being part-paid in advance so the club could land other players in 26/27.

So this needs to factor into any trade deal. Either we get a player that the Cats part pay the salary of or Geelong stumps up extra trade value for him to recognise this.




The Cars will not give us SDK, and SDK may not be keen to leave the Cats either.

Who's gonna drive you home to Moorabbin tonight?

 

[Goddardwetrust]

Has Windy farted yet?

 

[Saint12]

Isaac Rankine has apologised for being a naughty boy
I wanna know why Collard got the biggest ban of six weeks?
Must of been a very naughty boy
He & Flanders could be our gay looking waiter's? at our pirate themed function
Sorry Gringo, can't let it go.

Wasn't the Collard case judicated by the VFL?

 

[Saintscomemarchingin]

Wasn't the Collard case judicated by the VFL?

Yeah ok

 

[austinnn]

Again, there may just be loyalty towards Jack from the players. It's not uncommon.

Regardless, I don't necessarily think having the captain decided by a players vote is the best possible way to go about it.

As for Jack, I'd like to see him move on as I'd rather see Nas, Hugo, Pou, Boxshall, Windy, Hall, (heaven forbid, Owens), De Armas, etc get more midfield time with Macrae in there doing his thing. I'd rather see Jack traded while he still has some value.

Once again, agreed on both points

 

[Spider Eater]

So because you were denied in the past, you want to continue to be denied of it in the future when you could actually benefit from it?

The NGA's are a joke in my opinion just a glorified sponsorship with some Aus-kick hosting duties.
What is it that clubs actually do in development as far as you know?
Give the clubs one option to draft them at 16 and take responsibility in developing them.

 

[Joffaboy]

Just regarding SDK, I don't disagree that they wont give him up. But that should be the cost of poaching Marshall with 2 years left. Sorry Ro, they just didn't want you bad enough in the end...

SDK and 17 for Roh and 7.

I would then make the DK boys get a joint account, pay SDK 600K so they get a mill.each.
I am sure that would be kosher

 

[Saintscomemarchingin]

Once again, agreed on both points

Jack may set the standards on the training track & is as tough as they come on match day.
Maybe the other players admire that & believe that those traits are worthy of being the captain.
Another thing that doesnt get brought up too often is that whenever Steele gets put forward (probably not often enough) he rarely misses a set shot.
That's pretty dependable & inspirational for mine.
Him, Hall, Nas & maybe Sharman
You'd want it in their hands for a clutch or winning goal
Oh, l think Steele actually did that in the record last quarter win against the Demons.

 

[magd2992]

I’m pretty happy with Jack. But he has only really done it down back.

Battle performed up forward on a wing for awhile and down back.

I got excited reading the first two lines of this. A massive opportunity missed….


The Ballad of Jack: A Silvagni Heist

I’m pretty happy with Jack
But he has only really done it down back
Carlton FC are under attack
A Silvagni surprise in red, white, and black.

Carlton supporters? They're starting to crack
Screaming “Band 1!” because intelligence they lack
The media’s spinning, all flair and flak
“Is he worth it?” they ask, without journalistic knack.

Five years, eight hundred, just for that hack?
But we Saints think he’s worth it, if he can get on the track
He’ll rebound, intercept, maybe even smack
Forwards who dare to test our backs.

So raise up your scarves, give the air a whack
We’ve got our man, no need to backtrack.
Let’s hope it pays off so we can sit back and relax
With smug little grins, we’ve stolen their Jack.

 

[BrutThough]

It's amazing how quickly opposition supporters become experts on our list once a player rejects their club.

 

[Joffaboy]

So because you were denied in the past, you want to continue to be denied of it in the future when you could actually benefit from it?

Yes, everyone should pay an appropriate price for FS and NGA, including Saints. Not hard to fathom.

 

[Leigh58]

That still pisses me off! Singing oh when the crows go marching in as we were walking out I was close to decking one of them

I still wonder what was worse, 1997 or 2010 after the Grand Final and Grand Final replay respectively:
1997: Crows fans singing oh when the crows come marching in as we walked out, or
2010: Pies fans screeching "Milney's a rapist"...??
Absolutely pathetic supporters with no grace!

I personally think the Crows were worse however as one of them became physical with me as well.
Not forgotten 28 years later!
Needless to say I want both sides to lose...