List Mgmt. 2025 List Management Discussion - Part IV

[Hubnester]

2025 List Management Discussion - Part 4

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
​

 

[pebblesofsand]

Memo to Kane & Sam - in the big world outside your cloistered bubble where its all about me, me, me - people can actually be mindful of their own position while being fully focused on whats best for the team - its called being professional.

 

[phantom13]

The significant rise in the salary cap has flipped the entire industry on his head in recent years. The $$$ and benefits being afforded to players has made for a much more fluid industry. 10 years ago it would have been unheard of, let alone the amount of players wanting to be traded whilst in contract but thats history.

No one was bemoaning Nas working the club for the biggest contract in the game, even though he had decided to stay a month before the deal was made. Thats an entire million more than what we expect Callum is being paid.

Players are entitled to ask for increases in line with industry standards and the club should be mature enough to deal with it.

Its gonna happen more and more, just this year we have two captains clearly demanding a trade (Simpkin and Merret) one leaving in FA (Allen) and at least one or two others being floated.

Adapt or die.

 

[CursingFijian]

Went on the dogs board. They banned him and deleted the evidence.

Never go onto that board. The victim mentality is unreal and their mods will ban you.

Same warning applies to Carlton.

Adelaide Collingwood Essendon (just don’t call them injectors) Freo Melbourne North Port Richmond West Coast based on my experience are all somewhat decent.

Keep in mind, you are on their turf and need to accept their own bath water drinking delusions whilst there.

The Melbourne board is good fun. They know how to poke fun at themselves and rally together at the same time, much like ourselves here.

 

[phantom13]

Went on the dogs board. They banned him and deleted the evidence.

Never go onto that board. The victim mentality is unreal and their mods will ban you.

Same warning applies to Carlton.

Adelaide Collingwood Essendon (just don’t call them injectors) Freo Melbourne North Port Richmond West Coast based on my experience are all somewhat decent.

Keep in mind, you are on their turf and need to accept their own bath water drinking delusions whilst there.

To be fair... weve got plenty of them ourselves

 

[SaintsofSteel]

I'm meaning the talk of him being traded. We aught have enough cover so from a LM POV I'd say they'd like to move him out if possible.

I hadnt seen that, but I guess it goes with the nearly 30 year old fire sale. I still believe when fit he is a decent player, but I can understand the club wanting a small forward who is stronger in the air. For me that is Butt's biggest weakness he simply cant create a contest when it comes to contested marking.

Its not just Dan though, as a collective list we are not a strong contested marking side and that needs to improve. Particularly when you look at this years top 4 sides, they have strong marks right across every line and dont just rely on the few.

 

[phantom13]

I hadnt seen that, but I guess it goes with the nearly 30 year old fire sale. I still believe when fit he is a decent player, but I can understand the club wanting a small forward who is stronger in the air. For me that is Butt's biggest weakness he simply cant create a contest when it comes to contested marking.

Its not just Dan though, as a list collective we are not a strong contested marking side and that needs to improve.

Butler almost has to be retained as insurance for Collard. Were real weak at pure small/pressure forward and its a bloody tough spot to play.

Collard has all the talent it just hasnt clicked and the rumours of him wanting to go home persist, outside those two the cupboard is bare.

 

[phantom13]

Why isn't Jed Buttlicker getting games?

Hes either shit or hes wound up on Bevos shitlist.

I suspect the latter, his VFL form looks okay.

 

[hangdog]

Don't condone what he said, but it is always a bit rough when somebody leaks a private chat group message.

If somebody got access to your private chat groups would absolutely everything from you and your mates be 100% politically correct?

He was a young guy showing off, made some poor comments, but came across as genuinely remorseful IMO.

Doesn't give flog vibes when u meet him, willing to give him the benefit of the doubt.

Exactly this.

Unless your private chats are cleaner than a preachers sheets, refrain from commenting.

 

[Joffaboy]

Well said James Hird, Wilkie has done nothing wrong, was offered a huge contract, had a look, Saints say, we will look after you, Wilkie says great, really wanted to stay.
Interesting the misogynist private schoolboy in TR said Wilkie recommitted only a few days after he met with Beveridge and other Bulldog officials. Obviously saw who runs the whole show and how everyone else is an acolyte at that club.
Just go forth and multiply Morris you brain-dead incel.

 

[Jade Buddha]

Does anyone actually know what the new deal for Cal is? Same 2 years with more money or a longer contract.

 

[SaintsofSteel]

I think just give him the captaincy. We will all move on pretty quickly.

There is nothing to move on from, its not 1990... and yes he very much deserves the Captaincy and should have been annoited this year.

 

[SainterinSydney]

Rooey met Eddie and was Captain still

I just want the best leader as the captain. If that's Wilkie, he should be captain.

 

[Joffaboy]

Does anyone actually know what the new deal for Cal is? Same 2 years with more money or a longer contract.

Nobody knows, especially Morris

 

[Anythings_sipposible]

The club have been actively encouraging our players to listen to other offers, and to communicate their needs and desires regarding contracts. I think it is in response to the Battle situation last year, but what ever the reason is, it's an open and very professional decision.

Wilkie did this, talked to the club afterwards, and the two parties came to an agreement that suited them both. That's just good management and communication all around, and it is well within Cal's rights as an employee and a hard working member of the club to look around if he wants to. It was all above board, and has absolutely no impact on his capacity to lead. If anything, it shows maturity and professionalism, with a bit of loyalty as well.

Kane and crew are just setting up a meaningless talking point that they can refer back to later when there is a slow news day. This whole situation never deserved even a 10th of the air time it got, but the AFL media have to fill time and brain space, lest they be irrelevant for even a second.

 

[karaoke]

I personally have no issue giving Wilkie the captaincy next year.

Bulldogs came asking, not the other way around, be silly not to have a ‘chat’.

 

[sammm]

Leave Sunshine Coast, drive around Australia, to end up in Darwin. Put car in a shipping container and send it to Dili, Timor Leste. Drive around country and cross to West Timor (Indonesia). Then ferries to Flores, Sumbuwa, Lombok, Bali, Java and Borneo. Drive to Malaysia and Brunei, and back to Kuching Malaysia. Ship to Port Klang Malaysia (mainland). Then Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Cambodia, Laos, China, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Russia, Georgia, Armenia and now in Turkey. Lots of twists and turns with border closures, disputes etc, but that is what we ended up doing. Tell your wife she is on the right track and it will be something you will always treasure that you have done. In three weeks we have been gone for 2 years. The plan is it will take us another 4-5 years to finish. So lots of other routes, adventures ahead.

do you have a blog? on what you are doing?. if not you should,. if yes, can others see / read it?

 

[sammm]

Why are we positing about holidays in St Kilda trade thread. Can’t we get back on topic and talk about Hutchys girth.

becuase we are all in awe of Sunshine Sainter

 

[sammm]

That's both inspiring and unsettling.

We went to Metung last weekend and I thought that was a long drive.

I went travelling solo overseas for 10 weeks. Greece and Israel. that was amazing.

 

[stavro#4]

To be fair... weve got plenty of them ourselves

Wasn’t a shot. More advice of what to expect.

 

[Pardon me]

I dont suppose any of our current mids getting squeezed out by the avalanche of new recruits could play the defensive fwd role?

 

[sauce_head]

Agree with the fellas. Windhager is a decent option

Would be good to know what the deal is. Is it:
a) an uplift on the preexisting contract and an extension of the term;
b) an extension of the term and no uplift on the existing; or
c) an uplift on the existing only and no extension.

If c, then I agree he should not be captain. But to take Cornes position to an extreme to show it’s flawed logic, any player seeking above minimum wage cannot be captain because they are reducing the clubs ability to improve its list. Obviously nonsense.

 

[Minga]

And we’ve only just started

 

[boulders]

 

[Diehard Saint]

I love Windy. Rapt he’s staying.

But
This was the guy “supposedly” not in the best 22 when presented to Nas
( I believe he should be)

And
apparently low-balled in his first offer by the club.

Just thinking - does the club see him
the same way we do, and as potential captaincy material?

Personally, I’d give it to my new fave -
Maxy Hall

Moot point really, because Wilkie will get it no matter what Cornes thinks.

 

[hangdog]

He can't really play along side Macrae so has to be pushed out a bit. I think he also played sore for a lot of it again. His worst form always seems to correspond to a jarred knee or similar. Add that we want to feed inside time to guys like Garcia and he's getting less and less time to show his best.


He's pretty badly disrespected on here. He is doing what a good captain does and allowing kids to start to replace him. There might not be premium spot for him much longer but he's not some spud draining us for a wage.


When you are getting to the point that your captain is getting less and less time the coal face it means others are coming on at least. We still have a thin midfield and if we lose him we are potentially playing Dow and Clark on ball which is a step down again.

I'll speak for the silent majority and say we love Steele and want him to see out his career playing great footy and eventually retiring on his own terms.

He might just have to seek a trade to do that though.

It would be an undeserved way to go out of he is likely to be playing in the VFL most weeks for the next 2 years.