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
​

 

[SaintsSeptember]

I was just thinking last night after reading in here about the Watters and Cho years. We were badly missing players with swagger. Maybe had one or two. Hanners brought a lot of swagger with him which actually made the rest look even lamer.
These days though we’re building swagger.
Windy and Mitch
Naz
Higgo Butts and Ro
Hammer
Wilks
Boxhead Tauru
Willy getting there.
We’re building something and we’re gonna be unbearable

This will be the year of ....The Pou.

 

[austinnn]

We've had this argument too many times but I'll indulge you once more.

Cox was left field appointment from outside of the AFL boys club... highly respected in cricket (despite the contract tampering issue) which continues to this day. His appointment was indicative of the club not having the money to spend on a big name within the industry so being forced to look outside.

To be honest, he was thrown to the wolves... imagine being in charge of high performance at a club that couldn't afford much above local level off field talent. We had much bigger issues than Cox or Peta Searle (who is an absolute gun BTW & a better coach than a lot of ex-AFL players who get handed cushy gigs.) A dud coach, a dud recruiter and bargain basement appointees across a range of critical roles.

You really are making a dill of yourself with your Moorabbin view too.

Neither Kingston Council nor the State Govt could do a thing with Moorabbin other than potentially buy STKFC out of the 99 year lease that we had on the oval & surrounds. Govts can't just break legal arrangements like a long term lease. Finnis knew it was our most valuable asset & relinquishing the lease would have been a dumber move than moving to Seaford was. Instead he knew that we had to get back closer to the city so looked at the Junction, Port & Linton St. Cricket Vic had just taken over the Junction & were getting support to redevelop (as the MCC were pricks to deal with). Port was too small & dealing with the City of Port Phillip would have been a nightmare.

That left Moorabbin & a council now free from any anti-pokers crusaders who kyboshed any plans to redevelop in 2009/10.

Finnis' also had rebuild the club's image after all the scandals made us corporate poison. Some look at that as wasting time & money of woke causes. They're blind to how corporate Australia works... there's a very tiny percentage of the market that chase the bogan dollar.

Football was terrible under Finnis for a lot of reasons, many of which the anti-Finnis mob ignore willfully. Rebuilding when two franchises were pilfering drafts having a massive impact, closely followed by making major drafting mistakes when we did have early picks.

Fact is, without Matt Finnis we might be in the situation where there is no football club to run... or at best a club being run out of Hobart with a tiny STKFC printed on the back of a green & yellow jumper.

Bloody well said. There were lots of people doing a terrible job at our club back then, Finns was one of the few stars we had.

 

[bakes10]

This will be the year of ....The Pou.

Any thoughts on whether we should pickup Duyrea to bring out the best Pou.

 

[Nutsngum]

That was Kosi's last game and I remember him praising Watters for not putting him in the "Kermit suit" (green sub's vest) for his last game. It was a beaut of a game!

Kosi was sub that day and he and the other players were filthy about it.

 

[austinnn]

Kosi was sub that day and he and the other players were filthy about it.

Ah? I must have misremembered that. My first child was born in 2012, its been an intense few years

 

[dudeintheswamp]

Ah? I must have misremembered that. My first child was born in 2012, its been an intense few years

Sooo...

is your 13 year old a Saints tragic too?

 

[StCicatriz]

We've had this argument too many times but I'll indulge you once more.

Cox was left field appointment from outside of the AFL boys club... highly respected in cricket (despite the contract tampering issue) which continues to this day. His appointment was indicative of the club not having the money to spend on a big name within the industry so being forced to look outside.

To be honest, he was thrown to the wolves... imagine being in charge of high performance at a club that couldn't afford much above local level off field talent. We had much bigger issues than Cox or Peta Searle (who is an absolute gun BTW & a better coach than a lot of ex-AFL players who get handed cushy gigs.) A dud coach, a dud recruiter and bargain basement appointees across a range of critical roles.

You really are making a dill of yourself with your Moorabbin view too.

Neither Kingston Council nor the State Govt could do a thing with Moorabbin other than potentially buy STKFC out of the 99 year lease that we had on the oval & surrounds. Govts can't just break legal arrangements like a long term lease. Finnis knew it was our most valuable asset & relinquishing the lease would have been a dumber move than moving to Seaford was. Instead he knew that we had to get back closer to the city so looked at the Junction, Port & Linton St. Cricket Vic had just taken over the Junction & were getting support to redevelop (as the MCC were pricks to deal with). Port was too small & dealing with the City of Port Phillip would have been a nightmare.

That left Moorabbin & a council now free from any anti-pokers crusaders who kyboshed any plans to redevelop in 2009/10.

Finnis' also had rebuild the club's image after all the scandals made us corporate poison. Some look at that as wasting time & money of woke causes. They're blind to how corporate Australia works... there's a very tiny percentage of the market that chase the bogan dollar.

Football was terrible under Finnis for a lot of reasons, many of which the anti-Finnis mob ignore willfully. Rebuilding when two franchises were pilfering drafts having a massive impact, closely followed by making major drafting mistakes when we did have early picks.

Fact is, without Matt Finnis we might be in the situation where there is no football club to run... or at best a club being run out of Hobart with a tiny STKFC printed on the back of a green & yellow jumper.

"Neither Kingston Council nor the State Govt could do a thing with Moorabbin other than potentially buy STKFC out of the 99 year lease that we had on the oval & surrounds. Govts can't just break legal arrangements like a long term lease."

correct... so what was going to happen to the site? were they going to leave it there in it's current state? were they going to clean it up? right that costs money... so now you're down the path of actually allocating funding to do something to the site.

again do you think nothing was going to be done there? and it was just going to be left there? at a time when mass amounts of money were being poured into the area to redevelop it. worth noting it was seen as an electorate labor could take back in the 2014 state election. hence we had the libs sell us the junction oval only for labor to then get in on the act and start promising funding towards the project. from there it was a seat they wanted to hold and not have swing back to the libs.

the call on cox is some serious rose colored glasses spin. the guy was a terrible appointment. you can try and excuse it anyway you want. richos early extension, just as poor.

 

[bergholt]

It wasn’t touched on the line.

The goal was paid, everyone celebrated and the ball went back to the middle.

Hamish says “Who says there is no romance in football?” The guy in the arc says “Hold my beer” and in the most pointless review of all time, 20 minutes into the last quarter with us leading by 10 goals he decides the ball has brushed the post.

Ah right! I did not remember that.

 

[Anythings_sipposible]

Imagine if Pou could have a Nas like breakout? And King? We'd be freaking unstoppable

 

[austinnn]

Sooo...

is your 13 year old a Saints tragic too?

Hahaha...

I tried. Got him a membership for a few years. Played kick to kick in the local park. Put posters on his wall. He is about as interested as you might be in the intricacies of regional French politics.

Put it this way, if he or his little brother ever started giving a shit about Aussie Rules, I'm sure they'd gravitate to St Kilda.

 

[NextYearPlease]

I might be mistaken, but isn't there talk of a documentary being made about the Saints off/pre season?
Should make for good viewing.

 

[SainterinSydney]

I might be mistaken, but isn't there talk of a documentary being made about the Saints off/pre season?
Should make for good viewing.

It will be titled, "Aleer: we hardly knew thee"

 

[austinnn]

I might be mistaken, but isn't there talk of a documentary being made about the Saints off/pre season?
Should make for good viewing.

Im sure it will be interesting to a certain extent, certainly for Saints tragics.

 

[Ads734]

Genuinely don't think we are close to the position we are now if we took Sinn. Nas is a generational talent has singlehandedly attracted recruits to the club this offseason. We probably don't get them if he decides to go back home.

Also, this is something I have been noticing heaps at U18 level leading into the draft. Many of the draft prospects from this have listed Nas as their favourite player. Can't remember the last time we had someone that was universally admired.

If we are able to show promise next season, which could very well result in finals, I dare say more players look at us and go "that looks like fun". I really think we are building a team full of exciting players capable of "moments of brilliance".

Where did you see this?

 

[NAS THE GOAT]

I might be mistaken, but isn't there talk of a documentary being made about the Saints off/pre season?
Should make for good viewing.

Yeah it starts from when NAS re-signed doesn’t it?

 

[Dr Spaceman]

Refuse to trade him last year where he would’ve got more years on a deal then delist

I thought the giants were all about compassion

GWS dudded this lad.

Left him high and dry.

Where’s the mEdiA outrage?

 

[austinnn]

Imagine if Pou could have a Nas like breakout? And King? We'd be freaking unstoppable

And no good reason why not either. If you would bank on anyone finding their absolute ceiling it would be Mattaes, he won't ever stop trying to get better. He's a year behind Nas, maybe a bit more due to injuries so we should see him explode late 2026.

Wouldn't it be a laugh if was against the Demons?

 

[Banger9798]

Yeah, its a bit like when people say, we should just get Butters like we make an offer and he turns up.
Look how difficult it was even just getting a good but not elite ( yet) player in Flanders. We courted him for a year, and still had to wait as he weighed up offers from 3 other clubs, one offering substantially more $$$$.
Greg Swan was going to a club with AFL backing, never the 2014 Saints basket case. Same as high quality performers in football departments, they wouldn't touch that club with a barge pole.
Very easy to say ' just get so and so' when you aren't the one responsible for getting them.

A big year next year, and we could attract Butters. We could offer a fair bit, just need room in the cap. Would put us in a premiership window. Plus the fact that he is a dead ringer for Ramsay Bolton inspires fear in the opposition.

 

[Banger9798]

7 minute abs

 

[Goddardwetrust]

Time to bring back the retro ‘Ride of your Life’ slogan for 2026.

How about 'They know we are coming

 

[Anythings_sipposible]

And no good reason why not either. If you would bank on anyone finding their absolute ceiling it would be Mattaes, he won't ever stop trying to get better. He's a year behind Nas, maybe a bit more due to injuries so we should see him explode late 2026.

Wouldn't it be a laugh if was against the Demons?

Mate I'm so bullish on the ceiling of some of our guys. It's been a while since we've had real, proper high end talent potential guys on our list. But all of Phillipou, King, Tauru, and Wilson have top end, best in their position type potential. Not to say they all get there, but the hope is strong.

 

[phantom13]

Where did you see this?

Insta had a post about it I saw. Prospects holding up a whiteboard with details (name, nickname, club) and then fave player.

 

[Stan_Darsh72]

Remember when people were livid we took NWM before Josh Sinn or Hobbs?

I was wondering why we got a skinny half back flanker when we had a good amount of them.

I am very happy to have been proven very wrong.

 

[Xxxx66]

Mate I'm so bullish on the ceiling of some of our guys. It's been a while since we've had real, proper high end talent potential guys on our list. But all of Phillipou, King, Tauru, and Wilson have top end, best in their position type potential. Not to say they all get there, but the hope is strong.

Ya left out Box...very bullish on him

 

[austinnn]

Mate I'm so bullish on the ceiling of some of our guys. It's been a while since we've had real, proper high end talent potential guys on our list. But all of Phillipou, King, Tauru, and Wilson have top end, best in their position type potential. Not to say they all get there, but the hope is strong.

The only thing that gives me pause is the memory of me and plenty of others being as bullish about such stars of the game as McCartin, Billings, Gresham, Clark and Coffield.

Don't want to go back into the reasons why none of them worked out but just to say that I've been totally convinced before...