List Mgmt. 2025 List Management Discussion - Part V

[Hubnester]

2025 List Management Discussion - Part 5

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
​

 

[Sully111]

Any news on the head of footy role..?

I think after some lengthy discussions with Ross, Ross decided to appoint Ross.

 

[SG34]

Speaking of list Managment and fandom.. I was a stick in the mud about Dean Kent

25

Dean Kent

Age

31

Ht

181cm

Wt

83kg

Pos.

Fwd

Career

Season

Last 5

D

12.7

3star

K

8.3

3star

HB

4.5

3star

M

3.4

3star

T

2.3

4star

G

1.0

4star

D

10.4

3star

K

7.8

3star

HB

2.6

2star

M

3.6

4star

T

3.0

4star

G

1.2

5star

D

7.6

2star

K

5.4

2star

HB

2.2

2star

M

2.0

3star

T

3.0

5star

G

0.6

3star

and Mathew Parker. I had just come back to fandom land and didn’t appreciate how starved everyone was for success and that these guys represented such hope.

Just thought I would note. Matty Parker won a flag at South Fremantle in 2025 and represented WA vs the SANFL in their interstate match. Dean Kent

25

Dean Kent

Age

31

Ht

181cm

Wt

83kg

Pos.

Fwd

Career

Season

Last 5

D

12.7

3star

K

8.3

3star

HB

4.5

3star

M

3.4

3star

T

2.3

4star

G

1.0

4star

D

10.4

3star

K

7.8

3star

HB

2.6

2star

M

3.6

4star

T

3.0

4star

G

1.2

5star

D

7.6

2star

K

5.4

2star

HB

2.2

2star

M

2.0

3star

T

3.0

5star

G

0.6

3star

was captain-coach of Devon Meadows on the peninsula and also won a flag in 2025.

 

[Diehard Saint]

There is a morbid curiosity inside me that wants me to watch the video again, but I just cannot hear that guy's voice anymore.

I would love to know what Demons fans think of Richardson, how he's lasted so long in the role he has there. demondavey Toump Ass Topkent

We had him for SIX years as a head coach. How on earth didn't he get rumbled before then?

For a bloke with no apparent wile, he's certainly a survivor!

I can’t even watch it.
Too sad for Jack.
At the very least, he won’t have Goodwin
coaching him. Didn’t strike me an an inspirational coach at all. Hopefully King will be better.

 

[dudeintheswamp]

I think after some lengthy discussions with Ross, Ross decided to appoint Ross.

Works for me

 

[phantom13]

Depends how much we are paying, if it’s 150 to 200k then it IS a salary dump and has the same effect.

Going from a stars wage to a first year draftees wage does the same job as if he was clean coming off the books.

Do you really think we are paying him 500k to play for Melbourne the next 2 years? Very doubtful.

No one knows do they? I maintain we shouldn’t be paying any.

Nup
The payoff with Steele was longer term than a pick next year
Of course if he’s on 900 and we’re paying 800 that’s a shit deal in any definition
But if we are paying 200 to shift an ex captain to allow youth to come through and grow a new sustainable younger midfield core that’s smart business
Looking at it and saying we don’t like that pick plus we are prepared to pay nothing ….meaning we’re stuck with an 8-900k player running round VFL would be a disaster
The PR from pole smokers like Damo on “saints disrespect ex captain “ would be bad enough
Sone short term pain for longer payoff is the go …play the long game to get multi year success.

Except we’re getting the pr of disrespect anyway.

That’s what you seem to be missing.

We didn’t get a good pick.
We didn’t get all his salary off the books.
We still copped the bad PR.

We managed to tick absolutely zero boxes of a salary dump trade.

Again, I cgaf what damo thinks and it seems clear we didn’t give a shit about bad PR either but we’ve somehow still managed to land in the middle of being ruthless pricks AND being soft and cuddly pussies.

Anyway I’ve made my point and position I’m not gonna keep repeating the same shit.

 

[saintmike65]

Yeh I can’t recall what I said I thought he get us (I probably said a late first) but I always assumed we’d trade him (and Roma to be fair) I just can’t understand the logic of a salary dump trade for a shit pick where you don’t dump the salary.

I’d rather have taken a swap of fourths and had none of his salary OR held out for a better pick and kept some of his salary.

What we ended up doing was neither thing.

It's pretty simple really why Steely was traded.
Banged up, imput no longer equating to high salary, one paced, potentially not allowing Boxshall, Garcia, Hall, Phillipou, Windhager and Wilson more midfield time.
Hawthorn moved on Hodge, both Mitchell's, O'Meara..takes a strong club to do it!

 

[SG34]

I can’t even watch it.
Too sad for Jack.
At the very least, he won’t have Goodwin
coaching him. Didn’t strike me an an inspirational coach at all. Hopefully King will be better.

Ya wonder what is in Jack’s mind. Four coaches.

1) Leon Cameron 15-20 games
2) Richo 35-40 games
3) Ratts 75-ish games
4) Ross 65 or so games

Quite a journey plus Mr Simpson

 

[Sully111]

No one knows do they? I maintain we shouldn’t be paying any.

Except we’re getting the pr of disrespect anyway.

That’s what you seem to be missing.

We didn’t get a good pick.
We didn’t get all his salary off the books.
We still copped the bad PR.

We managed to tick absolutely zero boxes of a salary dump trade.

Again, I cgaf what damo thinks and it seems clear we didn’t give a shit about bad PR either but we’ve somehow still managed to land in the middle of being ruthless pricks AND being soft and cuddly pussies.

Anyway I’ve made my point and position I’m not gonna keep repeating the same shit.

The one piece of the puzzle that you aren't addressing is the how not asking for a great pic, and paying a portion of his salary has helped Jack.

The flow on of that is our current players know that we helped look after him, even though we decided he wasn't in our plans going forward.

And maybe we're paying 200k of 900k. That's still 700k off our books. It's not nothing. Yeah you're right, I don't know the amount, but either do you.

Such a strange hill to die on.

The club is making strong decisions, but like they've shown with Paddy Dow, player welfare is an important part of the picture.

How you can't get your head around that we'd want to help Jack get a better deal baffles me.

And aside from all that... if we'd dug our heels in, no deal would have been done.

 

[Saints4ever]

I think we had a great trade period and we executed every deal we wanted to get done.

I am sad to see Steele leave but if it fast tracks our improvement and gives us some extra room in the cap next year to go fishing I can learn to accept it.

Thanks for Your service Jack you was a real warrior and it will be interesting to see how you go roving to Gawn.

No room for sentiment it’s the new age saints and we’re ready to roll.

 

[saintmike65]

Yep for sure - I imagine he'll split time between midfield and half back along with Nas. From the side I named, onball rotations would be

Nas
Pou
Macrae
Flanders
Garcia
Boxshall
Windhager
Hall

Perhaps add Wilson & Ryan to the mix..

 

[Half Back Pocket]

No one knows do they? I maintain we shouldn’t be paying any.

Except we’re getting the pr of disrespect anyway.

That’s what you seem to be missing.

We didn’t get a good pick.
We didn’t get all his salary off the books.
We still copped the bad PR.

We managed to tick absolutely zero boxes of a salary dump trade.

Again, I cgaf what damo thinks and it seems clear we didn’t give a shit about bad PR either but we’ve somehow still managed to land in the middle of being ruthless pricks AND being soft and cuddly pussies.

Anyway I’ve made my point and position I’m not gonna keep repeating the same shit.

Actually, you are.

I think your point is clear and understood.

 

[stavro#4]

No one knows do they? I maintain we shouldn’t be paying any.

Except we’re getting the pr of disrespect anyway.

That’s what you seem to be missing.

We didn’t get a good pick.
We didn’t get all his salary off the books.
We still copped the bad PR.

We managed to tick absolutely zero boxes of a salary dump trade.

Again, I cgaf what damo thinks and it seems clear we didn’t give a shit about bad PR either but we’ve somehow still managed to land in the middle of being ruthless pricks AND being soft and cuddly pussies.

Anyway I’ve made my point and position I’m not gonna keep repeating the same shit.

Looking at Our Recent List Decisions Through a Broader Lens

When we talk about our recent PR and list management moves, I think it’s important to view them through the lens of how the broader footy community perceives St Kilda — particularly because they’re not used to seeing us act this decisively or strategically.

Take the Leek Aleer situation, for example. It’s not that people necessarily disagree with the call; it’s more that they’re shocked. For years, St Kilda has often been seen as a club trying hard to attract players, not one that walks away from deals. So for us to pull the plug on a potential acquisition like that — and at the same time, make it clear to a club captain like Steele that his options are limited to either reinventing himself or likely playing VFL in 2026 — it signals a giant shift in approach.

The salary aspect in Steele’s case doesn’t seem significant — likely around $200k, which is second-year draftee territory. And given our capacity to quickly allocate funds to players like Nas, Wilkie, or any incoming talent, it’s clear the cap isn’t the main issue here.

Instead, what we’re seeing is a clear pattern: Billings and Steele — two players who’ve given a lot to the club — have been moved on with minimal fuss. Membrey was allowed to leave as a DFA. Coffield’s departure wasn’t made into a big story - for a player we had high hopes on. Crouch was given full autonomy to decide his own future, even if that meant staying on the list without being able to play games.

This has all happened under RTB.

The repeated themes of “culture,” “environment,” and “high performance” — they’re being put into action by moving on from players we’ve outgrown, even if they’ve been meaningful figures at the club.

And then there is Gresham, Battle, and Marshall — where we’ve been willing to test the waters if it helps us reach the outcome we want. That shows a level of ruthlessness and clarity we haven’t seen from St Kilda in a long time.

It’s a new era, and while it might be jarring to some, it seems deliberate and strategic.

 

[stavro#4]

Generally speaking aswell.

You don’t have to love every move, but it’s hard to ignore that we’re clearly trying to raise the standards since Ross came back.

2026 might be our best list since 2010.
Off- field the club is in the best shape since that period.

 

[SainterinSydney]

Generally speaking aswell.

You don’t have to love every move, but it’s hard to ignore that we’re clearly trying to raise the standards since Ross came back.

2026 might be our best list since 2010.
Off- field the club is in the best shape since that period.

I completely agree with your last two posts. Finally we are looking like a professional club that has a strategic vision. Nothing is guaranteed in football, and these moves may not all work out, but at least we are being proactive and trying to do something.

 

[Armitage2Riewoldt]

Looking at Our Recent List Decisions Through a Broader Lens

When we talk about our recent PR and list management moves, I think it’s important to view them through the lens of how the broader footy community perceives St Kilda — particularly because they’re not used to seeing us act this decisively or strategically.

Take the Leek Aleer situation, for example. It’s not that people necessarily disagree with the call; it’s more that they’re shocked. For years, St Kilda has often been seen as a club trying hard to attract players, not one that walks away from deals. So for us to pull the plug on a potential acquisition like that — and at the same time, make it clear to a club captain like Steele that his options are limited to either reinventing himself or likely playing VFL in 2026 — it signals a giant shift in approach.

The salary aspect in Steele’s case doesn’t seem significant — likely around $200k, which is second-year draftee territory. And given our capacity to quickly allocate funds to players like Nas, Wilkie, or any incoming talent, it’s clear the cap isn’t the main issue here.

Instead, what we’re seeing is a clear pattern: Billings and Steele — two players who’ve given a lot to the club — have been moved on with minimal fuss. Membrey was allowed to leave as a DFA. Coffield’s departure wasn’t made into a big story - for a player we had high hopes on. Crouch was given full autonomy to decide his own future, even if that meant staying on the list without being able to play games.

This has all happened under RTB.

The repeated themes of “culture,” “environment,” and “high performance” — they’re being put into action by moving on from players we’ve outgrown, even if they’ve been meaningful figures at the club.

And then there is Gresham, Battle, and Marshall — where we’ve been willing to test the waters if it helps us reach the outcome we want. That shows a level of ruthlessness and clarity we haven’t seen from St Kilda in a long time.

It’s a new era, and while it might be jarring to some, it seems deliberate and strategic.

Did you get chat gpt to summarise this lol

 

[phantom13]

The one piece of the puzzle that you aren't addressing is the how not asking for a great pic, and paying a portion of his salary has helped Jack.

The flow on of that is our current players know that we helped look after him, even though we decided he wasn't in our plans going forward.

And maybe we're paying 200k of 900k. That's still 700k off our books. It's not nothing. Yeah you're right, I don't know the amount, but either do you.

Such a strange hill to die on.

The club is making strong decisions, but like they've shown with Paddy Dow, player welfare is an important part of the picture.

How you can't get your head around that we'd want to help Jack get a better deal baffles me.

And aside from all that... if we'd dug our heels in, no deal would have been done.

I have adressed that, specifically, numerous times.

 

[phantom13]

Generally speaking aswell.

You don’t have to love every move, but it’s hard to ignore that we’re clearly trying to raise the standards since Ross came back.

2026 might be our best list since 2010.
Off- field the club is in the best shape since that period.

Yeh completely agree with this. Just think people seem to be desperate to make the Steele move into something it wasn’t.

 

[Train12]

The only thing I have empathy for is Steele himself.

He was at the club for 9 years.

He got us through a lot, it seems like the wheel is about to turn and he misses out.

Although, high chance he would have been in a Nathan Jones situation of missing out on finals etc.

Also makes it harder he is a ripper bloke who loves the saints.

 

[phantom13]

Actually, you are.

I think your point is clear and understood.

Yet I keep getting the standard “what you haven’t adressed” comments, even though I have, repeatedly.

 

[Joffaboy]

Don't care Steele has gone, I support the team not a player.
Thanks for the contribution, good luck going forward, but the only thing I want from the Steele trade is how it benefits us.
Couldn't care less about Richo, meetings with Melbourne, etc.
Like anyone else who leaves, I am not that interested in them. Their welfare is not my concern, they kick a football for 9 times the average wage. Really sucks to be them.

 

[Diehard Saint]

Did you get chat gpt to summarise this lol

Well it added more to the discussion than this post of yours…lol

 

[Diehard Saint]

The only thing I have empathy for is Steele himself.

He was at the club for 9 years.

He got us through a lot, it seems like the wheel is about to turn and he misses out.

Although, high chance he would have been in a Nathan Jones situation of missing out on finals etc.

Also makes it harder he is a ripper bloke who loves the saints.

I’d bet this entire board has empathy for Jack.
Hell, I loved him so much I made him my avatar and I can’t even think of changing it just yet.

Doesn’t change the fact that this was the correct move for the club.

 

[MordySaint]

Couldn't care less about Richo, meetings with Melbourne, etc.

Appointing Richo was probably the biggest mistake the club made since 2010.

Everytime I hear his name, I just take a big sigh.

 

[ESPN8 The Ocho]

Who’d you rather be: Merrett, Simpkin, or Steele?

 

[Teflon]

Zero Hanger suggesting that Darcy Wilson could leave for Essendon or North.Melb. in 2027.
Would seriously hope that he sees us as a better fit than those two.

Family mad Nth supporters but leaving for that basket case !!