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
​

 

[Cleanupsoup]

We probably were going to get an F anyway according to Barrett

Damo thinks we overpaid for flanders, doesn't rate our ins, but also reckons it's a failure if we don't make week 2 of finals next year. Wonder how those two opinions coexist

 

[mad-saint-guy]

There's plenty of decisions made by the club that I don't agree with, but I'm very happy with recent developments.

Getting Flanders in - tick
Respectfully let Steele know that he should explore his options if he wants guaranteed midfield time - tick
Ditch the Aleer pursuit - tick
(seemingly) Hold Marshall to contract if Geelong aren't going to pay up - tick


I don't think Ryan is going to do much for us, but I'm glad that we've basically just downgraded a 2nd I to a 3rd, so no harm done.

 

[Hayes4PM]

Saints give up pick 7 for contracted Sam Flanders, a best 22 player at GC for years, averaged 31 touches a game in their midfield last year, quality player.

Media: geez he’s a decent player but they’ve overpaid

Saints give up a future 2nd for contracted Liam Ryan

1

Liam Ryan

Age

29

Ht

181cm

Wt

76kg

Pos.

Fwd

Career

Season

Last 5

D

11.3

3star

K

8.6

3star

HB

2.7

2star

M

3.0

3star

T

2.0

4star

G

1.3

5star

D

9.9

3star

K

8.0

3star

HB

1.9

1star

M

3.3

3star

T

1.6

3star

G

1.3

5star

D

11.4

3star

K

9.0

4star

HB

2.4

3star

M

3.8

4star

T

1.8

4star

G

1.6

5star

and change. A best 22 player from West Coast, part of a flag team.

Media: Geez have they overpaid for a bloke almost 30? I dunno..

Saints off a future 2nd but want change for a uncontracted Leek Aleer, a 24 year old who has only played 25 games at AFL level, usually when injuries occur at GWS. GWS turn it down, we walk away.

Media: WOW. BOMBSHELL BY THE SAINTS. ALEER IS SHATTEREE. GWS ARE LIVID.


Get ****ed campaigners, a deal was there, you said no, we’ve got other fish to fry.

 

[_Maximus_12]

who cares

 

[Sainter93]

The Gettable rock music slaps tbh

 

[Mav3rick]

Yet if a deal was done for a third rounder, we would have.

Go figure

Who knows the genuine truth, hopefully it comes out soon. But the reporting is that we've completely pulled out our interest and will not try to trade for him. That isn't the same as our offer not being met no matter how you spin it, otherwise we'd keep the offer of a future third/fourth on the table for the rest of the period and see if GWS eventually cave and accept it, as well as trying to walk Aleer to the draft as had been previously reported. Instead, we've completely slammed the door shut (according to reports) after saying days ago we were confident it'd get done.

Many here just seem to be adopting a **** you attitude towards the entire rest of the AFL and the media, which is fine, but let's not pretend this is common practice. If we still wanted Aleer, we'd still be trying to honour his nomination and our contract offer it's as simple as that.

 

[Captain Paddy]

This Western Bulldogs guy is really trying to go the moral high ground when asked about Leek and Wilkie.

“First off, just want to share a lot of empathy for what Leek is going through right now”

“We don’t want to go into who approached who or what was discussed, we huge respect for Cal and his team” - no mention of us lol

 

[The_Steadier]

First 2 days back at work and all the drama happens what the flip

Chooma has a job?

I'm shocked to be sitting here

 

[Hayes4PM]

I can’t believe opposition list management teams are jumping on this story about Aleer to pot us????

We’ve only been throwing out big contracts to lots of opposition players and Free Agents driving up their salary caps and at times poaching their personnel. Oh wait…

 

[Diehard Saint]

Youre missing a couple of bits here

• We were reported prior to trade week to be the most difficult club to deal with (by a poll of the clubs)
• Its being assumed (if not reported) that we have walked away from the Roma deal as well

You could quite easily spin the story to the narrative youve presented and you wouldnt be wrong but right now its only saints that would do that.

Hang on a minute here.
Roma is contracted. WE are not walking away from any deal.
If they want him, they are obligated to satisfy us.

By offering 3 firsts for Curnow - THEY are walking away from the deal after courting Roma and getting him to select them.

Something the media morons out there have conveniently overlooked in their haste to criticise Saints and laud everything Cats.

And regarding the most difficult club to deal with, I’d say the GCS and WCE don’t agree.

 

[mighty_sainters]

This Western Bulldogs guy is really trying to go the moral high ground when asked about Leek and Wilkie.

“First off, just want to share a lot of empathy for what Leek is going through right now”

“We don’t want to go into who approached who or what was discussed, we huge respect for Cal and his team” - no mention of us lol

I was thinking the same.

I also have real empathy for Bailey Smith and JUH who came into the Dogs as young 18 year olds with the world at their feet, unfortunately they will both leave the club as two broken men.

We can all play this game.

 

[The_Steadier]

Will we get an F grading for trade period because we made Aleer and his manager cry?

An F for

 

[70s sainter]

The 24 year old is a shattered broken man . He’s only going to be paid 4-500 k a year to play football with his mates in Sydney for the next 3 years . How dare the stKilda fc committ such a heinous crime.

 

[gringo2011]

Saints don't wanna pay him anymore. Let's not overcomplicate it.

Possibly, i think we were desperate to spend our reserves and he was one of the first to show an interest. Then we shook a lot of fruit from the tree and he looked a lot less enticing

 

[Saint Kidding]

1.5m guaranteed over 4 years. So guaranteed 375k with incentives to reach 750k i assume. Definitely worth a 3rd rounder.

I spotted the same thing. Overinflated reporting of offers confirmed.

 

[phantom13]

Hang on a minute here.
Roma is contracted. WE are not walking away from any deal.
If they want him, they are obligated to satisfy us.

By offering 3 firsts for Curnow - THEY are walking away from the deal after courting Roma and getting him to select them.

Something the media morons out there have conveniently overlooked in their haste to criticise Saints and laud everything Cats.

And regarding the most difficult club to deal with, I’d say the GCS and WCE don’t agree.

The way it’s being reported (which I’m not saying I agree with) is that because we walked away they moved on.

It’s also clearly tied to us walking away from Aleer and the media trying to present a pattern of behaviour

 

[Captain Paddy]

Does anyone have screenshots or access to the tweets about their being a mass exodus at st kilda

I want it for a meme

 

[StFly]

Who knows the genuine truth, hopefully it comes out soon. But the reporting is that we've completely pulled out our interest and will not try to trade for him. That isn't the same as our offer not being met no matter how you spin it, otherwise we'd keep the offer of a future third/fourth on the table for the rest of the period and see if GWS eventually cave and accept it, as well as trying to walk Aleer to the draft as had been previously reported. Instead, we've completely slammed the door shut (according to reports) after saying days ago we were confident it'd get done.

Many here just seem to be adopting a **** you attitude towards the entire rest of the AFL and the media, which is fine, but let's not pretend this is common practice. If we still wanted Aleer, we'd still be trying to honour his nomination and our contract offer it's as simple as that.

It's basic narrative control.

We're apparently "hard" to deal with.
We're also the "why do they exist still?" club.
We do "good things" - we over/under pay as can't do anything right as that'd be easy and not hard.
We don't get people who say "I like them", it's obviously our fault cause above, as other options are easier to digest.

Big whoop that media goes with simple narrative to move on.

also high chances we just said smiliar to "we're at this position, happy to flex within reason" GWS responded similar but less wriggle room and then with reporting and words stated afterwards we get narrative of us backing out entirely and poor poor Leek cause he's not our player and GWS is part AFL controlled so untouchable for overtly negative comms.

Cats are also entrenched, and gateway for AFL in essence, so similar situation.

I find it hilarious in a way cause we're kinda happy to chat to most and with most we have great chats, but you get to entitlement and it's like night and day. Just makes me giggle.

 

[StCicatriz]

and after being an I.T contractor for 30 years it astonishes me that people don't understand that until there are two signatures on an employment contract that there is no job. Never went out to celebrate until the paperwork was done after a verbal as was always wary of the rug being pulled because s**t happens. And not always in control of the person that gave the verbal.

This isn't normal work. Its the AFL.

Your new employer doesn't have to satisfy your current employer with a trade to acquire your services.

 

[Armitage2Riewoldt]

The 24 year old is a shattered broken man . He’s only going to be paid 4-500 k a year to play football with his mates in Sydney for the next 3 years . How dare the stKilda fc committ such a heinous crime.

We should just fold tbh.

 

[True Believer]

No word of a lie I awoke in sweats, checked my phone and see the worst. Utterly shattered.

Leave your phones out for Dard ??

 

[bwardi]

It's just a bit weird to be walking away with 6 days to go. Why couldn't we hold off until the latest point? Giants were expecting a bit of back and forth on what picks could be used. I imagine they would have eventually relented and agreed to a future 3rd or something a little less. Just seems like we lost interest after getting JSos and found an excuse to pull out. I get the club first modus operandi but it's definitely a rough time for Aleer.

 

[Parkysp]

This isn't normal work. Its the AFL.

Your new employer doesn't have to satisfy your current employer with a trade to acquire your services.

That first line is worthy of a Dr Spaceman special. Thanks for the laugh

 

[StCicatriz]

What an own goal. GWS list boss now banging on about it too.

 

[Armitage2Riewoldt]

Ainswerth to Blues so no go there.