Rumour GFC 2025 Player Trading, Drafting FA, Rumours and Wish lists Pt 3

[cats_09]

2025 AFL Draft and Trade Dates:​

Fri Oct 3 - Fri Oct 10: 2025 Free Agency Period
Mon Oct 6 - Wed Oct 15: 2025 Continental Tyres AFL Trade Period
Wed Nov 19 - Thu Nov 20: 2025 Telstra AFL Draft

 

[year of the cat]

I get it.

All year the rhetoric has been about how weak this draft will be, and trade period showed that. 2025 picks after 10 were treated like the bubonic plague. Every club was trying to flog them off, and no one would touch them without a 30ft pole.

So if this draft is so weak and clubs will be looking at taking less players at draft time then IMO Cam Guthrie sans 3 years of football is a better punt than some late draft kid in a shit year.

Is he better though than investing a further year into George Stevens? That could be the question.

 

[geelong_crazy26]

By my calcs we currently don't have any list spots free to use in the draft, and we have 4 uncontracted players (Guthrie, Bews, Stevens and Wiltshire). Our delistings of Ivisic and Retschko give us two picks in the rookie draft currently.

How many picks do we use in the draft? Is it still a rule that we need to make 3 draft selections including rookie upgrades? If so, this means at least 3 of Guthrie, Bews, Stevens and Wiltshire will be delisted/retire. Possibly all 4 if we upgrade anyone from the rookie list.

Is there anything I've missed here?

Wiltshire and George stevens def gone.

Guthrie 50/50 depending on the behind the scene chats.

Bews is imagine is more likely gone than staying.

 

[geelong_crazy26]

Is he better though than investing a further year into George Stevens? That could be the question.

He isn’t capable of playing modern footy.

He is so slow to the point he offers absolutely nothing defensively or offensively on a spread.

He is too much of a liability and no matter what you do these are things that are god given.

A lot of AFL is genetics, and George just doesn’t have it

 

[Turbocat]

The guts of the article .. wildcard option. is Mitch Edwards ...

Probably for others more than us ……. I was expecting some 23 year old 210cm Irishman or something ...

Id say most on here ..would know and have high hopes for Edwards…it just his age and stage that he may only be ready to play a game or two…. unless 5 on the bench really change things.


The other thing this sort of indicates to me is the media are almost moving past Conway.



However, the Cats have a ruck wildcard up their sleeve in 206 centimetre Mitch Edwards, a 2023 draftee with significant upside.

The athletic and mobile ruckman has also been restricted by injuries in his first two seasons, but his imposing final game of the season suggested he can push for AFL selection next year.

Up against a ruckman from his draft class in Sydney’s Will Green, Edwards dominated in just his 10th VFL game with 23 disposals, 21 hit-outs, 17 contested possessions and 11 clearances as he put his exciting attributes on show...

https://www.heraldsun.com.au/sport/afl/why-geelong-can-contend-despite-unsuccessful-trade-attempts-as-young-ruckman-shapes-as-wildcard-option/news-story/76616e77d09065d47d3765eb959e2868

 

[Hamingja]

The other thing this sort of indicates to me is the media are almost moving past Conway.

Which is in line with a lot of posters on here.

Up against a ruckman from his draft class in Sydney’s Will Green, Edwards dominated in just his 10th VFL game with 23 disposals, 21 hit-outs, 17 contested possessions and 11 clearances as he put his exciting attributes on show...

Not saying Edwards doesn't have talent, he clearly looks a good prospect, but state league ruckman stats have to be taken with a massive grain of salt.

It is a stoppage heavy game with a lot of subpar opposition rucks.

It's crazy to me that people are STILL calling to draft Crossley based off stats. You only need eyes to know the guy is 20kg overweight for a footballer and stands no chance of running out an AFL game.

 

[D BRIDGE]

Was just randomly thinking about how good Brisbane has had it of late.

They've had it so good that they can happily flush an R2 + R3 down the toilet for not dealing Ahh Chee to Adelaide.

Yeah it's unders for the player, but he's getting to the Crows for sure.

 

[Art Vandelay_]

Is he better though than investing a further year into George Stevens? That could be the question.

Yes.

Personally have my doubts any of Stevens, Clohesy, Knevitt make it. The PF and GF gave me some hope for Clark.

 

[Hamingja]

I like to forget a losing GF pretty quickly and have avoided reviewing the game or following too much of the narrative but I've seen a few people say since Clark was promising. Zac Bailey

33

Zac Bailey

Age

26

Ht

181cm

Wt

84kg

Pos.

M/F

Career

Season

Last 5

D

12.7

3star

K

6.9

3star

HB

5.9

4star

M

3.0

3star

T

2.2

4star

CL

0.9

3star

D

12.9

3star

K

7.3

3star

HB

5.6

3star

M

3.9

4star

T

2.4

3star

CL

0.7

3star

D

13.4

4star

K

6.6

3star

HB

6.8

5star

M

3.2

4star

T

2.8

5star

CL

0.6

3star

should have kicked 6 on him.

 

[Lana]

Was just random thinking about how good Brisbane has had it off late.

They've had it so good that they can happily flush an R2 + R3 down the toilet for not dealing Ahh Chee to Adelaide.

Yeah it's unders for the player, but he's getting to the Crows for sure.

Just looking at how they built their list makes me angry

 

[D BRIDGE]

I like to forget a losing GF pretty quickly and have avoided reviewing the game or following too much of the narrative but I've seen a few people say since Clark was promising. Zac Bailey should have kicked 6 on him.

Clark is terrible.

If he is in the team... you know someone's injured, and our depth is very iffy.

In saying that... he is hardly a small back... or inside mid... or outside mid, and def not a forward.

Still a couple of years away from maybe being an AFL player who isn't a complete liability.

Not ideal for a top-10 selection, but it is what it is.

Certainly not the first R1 Falcon Wells has tripped up on.

 

[Mr Meow]

I like to forget a losing GF pretty quickly and have avoided reviewing the game or following too much of the narrative but I've seen a few people say since Clark was promising. Zac Bailey should have kicked 6 on him.

Yeah Clark isn't going to be prolific or damaging enough as a rebounding defender to offset his complete lack of stopping power. He had some nice moments in general play in the finals series but I can't see a defensive role working.

 

[Warhorse]

Which is in line with a lot of posters on here.



Not saying Edwards doesn't have talent, he clearly looks a good prospect, but state league ruckman stats have to be taken with a massive grain of salt.

It is a stoppage heavy game with a lot of subpar opposition rucks.

It's crazy to me that people are STILL calling to draft Crossley based off stats. You only need eyes to know the guy is 20kg overweight for a footballer and stands no chance of running out an AFL game.

I think crossley game would have translated to AFL perfectly a year or 2 ago. Big and aggressive. Not this year though with the change of rules in the ruck

 

[Warhorse]

I like to forget a losing GF pretty quickly and have avoided reviewing the game or following too much of the narrative but I've seen a few people say since Clark was promising. Zac Bailey should have kicked 6 on him.

Got shit on. Don't understand why you would play him in defence against elite small forwards with Bews sitting on the stand

Is midfield or bust for Clark imo

 

[you pick one]

I get it.

All year the rhetoric has been about how weak this draft will be, and trade period showed that. 2025 picks after 10 were treated like the bubonic plague. Every club was trying to flog them off, and no one would touch them without a 30ft pole.

So if this draft is so weak and clubs will be looking at taking less players at draft time then IMO Cam Guthrie sans 3 years of football is a better punt than some late draft kid in a shit year.

I don't know about the draft being weak but if Geelong have to gives Cam another year it does show their list is very weak beyond best 23.

 

[Generalissimo]

Guth next year will be like Duncan this year. Five or six games in the seniors to cover for whoever's turn it is to be managed, a bit of unofficial coaching for the younger midfielders, and handy insurance in case of injury. He'd be unlikely to be in the midfield mix next September, all going well, but he'll have a role in enuring the chosen midfield lineup is primed and ready come finals.

 

[Pure_Ownage]

Pointless IMO.

Journeymen rucks are nothing but list cloggers.
Back in Conway and Edwards and play Stanley and Blicavs if need be.

Conway is injured and Edwards is a stick.

 

[Pure_Ownage]

Guth next year will be like Duncan this year. Five or six games in the seniors to cover for whoever's turn it is to be managed, a bit of unofficial coaching for the younger midfielders, and handy insurance in case of injury. He'd be unlikely to be in the midfield mix next September, all going well, but he'll have a role in enuring the chosen midfield lineup is primed and ready come finals.

Guthrie cant get on the park. No point.

 

[cats_09]

He isn’t capable of playing modern footy.

He is so slow to the point he offers absolutely nothing defensively or offensively on a spread.

He is too much of a liability and no matter what you do these are things that are god given.

A lot of AFL is genetics, and George just doesn’t have it

Is that a description of Stevens or Guthrie from the last 18 months?

 

[cats_09]

It's crazy to me that people are STILL calling to draft Crossley based off stats. You only need eyes to know the guy is 20kg overweight for a footballer and stands no chance of running out an AFL game.

I think the Bulldogs told us everything we need to know about Crossley in Feb this year

• he trained with them late in the pre-season with the slight hope of resurrecting his career as a SSP pick
• he was their main ruck option in a scratch match against Essendon due to English being unavailable
• the only real ruck on their list at the time was English, with support to come from Darcy & Lobb; who knows what happens if English missed any significant period of the season

They still opted to pass on him and while they never officially commented on the reason, it was well reported at the time that they didn't feel he had the fitness required for AFL football and would need to undertake an intensive fitness program to improve that


I think the key question for any club looking at time should be - has Crossley spent the winter working on that side of things to give himself another chance if a team comes knocking, or is he comfortable as a VFL ruck, and if a team comes knocking then the onus is on the team to develop that fitness plan

If it's the latter, why would any team bother as you'd rightly start to question if he really has the motivation to play at the highest level again

 

[Hinkley29]

Yes, at that exact moment. It has "break glass in case of emergency vibes", I admit.

I, on the other hand, have an instinct based on the years of watching that he'll never quite be that forward. Or, more importantly, he could be a serious weapon working as a 60/40 split duties.

But I'm also in the camp that is far more forgiving of OHenry and would like to see what can happen when they're not always in the same space.

It is an interesting thought.

Let’s not forget we traded ottens in to be the solution to our key forward issues, played him mainly forward (unsuccessfully) in 2005 & 2006 then reluctantly decided he was a full time ruckman in 2007 (at age 27). The rest is history…

There is precedent here for the move you are suggesting. Because Neale has shown promise as a forward and is so athletic, it is hard not to dream on what he could be as a full time forward. But he could be exactly what we need as a ruckman.

If we did that though, we need to commit. He can’t be asked to be full time ruck one week, then play 3 weeks in the forward line. Ruck is a craft, and if he is going to be a ruck he needs reps and lots of the them.

 

[Hinkley29]

Is that a description of Stevens or Guthrie from the last 18 months?

Both

 

[Hinkley29]

Stevens = Cooper Stephens
Knevitt = Charlie Constable
Clark = Tom Ruggles

None of them are shifting the needle next season. Bruhn and Worpel have put a nail in most of those coffins.

Clark is way better than ruggles, but the other 2 are about right

 

[Generalissimo]

Clark is way better than ruggles, but the other 2 are about right

Ruggles was a defender, Clark's a midfielder.

 

[Mr Meow]

Guth next year will be like Duncan this year. Five or six games in the seniors to cover for whoever's turn it is to be managed, a bit of unofficial coaching for the younger midfielders, and handy insurance in case of injury. He'd be unlikely to be in the midfield mix next September, all going well, but he'll have a role in enuring the chosen midfield lineup is primed and ready come finals.

....if his body actually let's him do that for the first since 2022. Compare the amount of AFL games Guthrie has played 2023-2025 compared to Duncan 2022-2024. Mitch was actually available as cover in 2025 based on his recent durability (despite slowing down).

Anyway as I say before each recent season, I hope this time Guthrie's body holds up.

 

[Lana]

The AFL helped create a monster.

Breakdown of spending to build the 23 on GF day

	Brisbane Lions	Geelong Cats
List DVI	30645	18431
Total DVI of the 23 selected	24774	11376
Average Age weighted by DVI	25.89	27.30
Players traded with a DVI cost	5	4
Traded	5915	5277
Average Age Traded weighted by DVI	30.78	32.49
Drafted	18859	6099
Players drafted with a DVI cost	16	8
Average Age Drafted weighted by DVI	24.35	22.81
Players recruited with 0 DVI cost	2	11

We're fighting against both age and resources. They spend three times as much at the draft (Under the new DVI weighting it is 4 times as much), their players with a high DVI cost are closer to their peak age.

Next year they're adding two free agents that resulted in the creation of a pick 2 and pick 21 and they're also getting another top 5 pick at the draft.

We got Worpel and 19