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
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[saintmike65]

The Darley bogan is off to the Bulldogs or Geelong. Probably Footscray as Geelobg will try to lowball Port.

 

[saintmike65]

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.

More likely Sam Walsh we target

 

[akaifu]

Billy McGee Galimberti

View attachment 2462259

Wait this bloke is actually decent

 

[Stan_Darsh72]

Those three three brownlow vote games in a row were legendary.

A fully fit kozi is one of our clubs great "what if's"

An 18 year old Kozi is a top 3 pick in any AFL draft since 2000.

 

[ScrappyDo]

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

Not just that.
Imagine a spine of:
King
Marshall
TDK
Jsos
Doogs

Leaving Wilkie and Tauru intercepting and Coops to run around at will up forward. The ball may never actually touch the ground.
If we can just get our best on the park it could be a thing of beauty. Will take half a season to settle in though.

 

[Anythings_sipposible]

Not just that.
Imagine a spine of:
King
Marshall
TDK
Jsos
Doogs

Leaving Wilkie and Tauru intercepting and Coops to run around at will up forward. The ball may never actually touch the ground.
If we can just get our best on the park it could be a thing of beauty. Will take half a season to settle in though.

Splooge

 

[Half Back Pocket]

is there a list of OOC and free agents for 2026? surely we are gonna make a play there hence pulling out on aleer

Here’s what I heard tonight from a prominent player agent… Saints tried a play this year, quickly realising that they didn’t have collateral, list space or salary cap…ditched Aleer to have all 3 for next year with 2 targets in mind: De Goey and Butters

 

[Diehard Saint]

Great post!

I always wanted Bassat to put his money into the club but it was actually his time that was needed.

Not sure AB was going to put his money into the club unless he knew it was going to be used wisely.

Probably why some of our big supporters are apparently forking out now to assist the VFL team etc - got faith in the guys running the club now.

No one wants to throw good money after bad no after how much you have.

 

[Diehard Saint]

Here’s what I heard tonight from a prominent player agent… Saints tried a play this year, quickly realising that they didn’t have collateral, list space or salary cap…ditched Aleer to have all 3 for next year with 2 targets in mind: De Goey and Butters

Surely not De Goey?

 

[gringo2011]

This will be an unpopular opinion but 18 year old Kozi had more potential than Roo.

Kozi should have been this clubs goat

Champion mindset is pretty interesting. Rooey had flaws but his ability to keep presenting and running at the next contest set him apart. There are a shit load more JUHs than there are Riewoldts in footy.

Guys like Danger and Nat Fyfe are only average skilled but the drive and motivation is what sets them apart. Why a lot of the absolute stars aren't pick 1 in most seasons.

I'm really interested to see how Phillipou ends up. He talks the talk and seems to have the ridiculous self belief but that might dissipate when the lactic acid is pumping through his legs.

I reckon Nas had question marks about motivation despite ridiculous skill but he has genuine killer instinct and wants to win. The absolute elite of elite would be the guys that have champion mindset and elite skills.

 

[The_Steadier]

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

We're coming from a long way back.

But yeah- hopefully we can do what the crows, hawks and pies have done in recent years- and shoot right up from circa bottom 4 into top 4.

 

[gringo2011]

In March 2014 we appointed ex-AFLPA CEO Finnis.

Greg Swann got the gig at Brisbane 4 months later after serving at Carlton from 2007 and before that Collingwood from 1999.

Who knows if he'd have got us out of Seaford at but his results at the Lions, Blues and Pies dwarf Finnis's with us.

Yes, he would have been a great appointment and it seemed that he was gettable at the time, I wonder if we had a go at him?

Anyone got a paywall free version of this article?

Greg Swann appointed Brisbane CEO

The Brisbane Lions have appointed former Carlton and Collingwood chief executive Greg Swann as the club's new chief executive.

www.theage.com.au

The AFL was trying to set up vic teams with professional training environments. We might have been stuck out at Seaford for longer but I think we'd realised we stuffed up that facility the day we got the keys. It was embarrassingly humble.

Swann would have been a much better idea. Getting a football department and then moving facilities later still would have been a better model. Plenty of clubs have won flags with horrible facilities. None with horrible football systems.

Having on field success turns into operating capital and attendance pays the bills. I'm glad he got us back but he still wasn't a great operator.

 

[gringo2011]

Finnis is the reason we actually have genuine good facilities and an ability now to actually spend on a football department.

The AFL is the reason, they rather spend on bricks and mortar than throw cash to hopeless administrators. Also don't underestimate the councillors changing and wanting a facility back in Moorabin. Plenty of state government money to spend on community sports facilities too. So many suburban sports grounds got cash thrown at them when money was everywhere.

 

[gringo2011]

When Finnis arrived, we couldn't afford to pay the full football soft cap. By the time he left, we could.

All the 'outside of the footy department' stuff that he focused on was what brought in the money so that we can now afford to have a strong football department. They cant operate seperate to one another. And at that time, we needed to focus on the off field things because the club couldn't afford to compete on field without it.

That was the competitive balance fund allotment more than anything.

 

[gringo2011]

what did we really pay for that was progressive tho? like I know we did a little media for the pride match, but if anything that's just promoting a marquee game, idk if it was fiscally profitable or not, but I've heard this take a few times and im not sure it holds water. Posting a progressive slogan or two on twitter is a far cry from funding progressive appointments over high performance staff.. I think we were just shit. Shit list, shit coaches, shit management

I was spending a bit of time down at the club at the time. I'm a SJW but I was absolutely shocked how many staff we had that didn't seem to make sense. We had more indigenous support staff than indigenous players.

All Finnis's messaging was around being inclusive and chasing obscure supporter groups who traditionally have no interest in footy.

He never spoke about success or football with anything other than lip service. All the obvious footy department holes were left unfilled. Training staff stuffed around joking and half arming drills. It was more unprofessional than my son's underage suburban set up.

 

[gringo2011]

He appointed Jamie Cox for crying out loud. The guy literally had no ****ing idea and shouldn't have been let newr any club.

Peta searle another.

To be fair to Searle she was trying to prove herself and was one of the few taking it seriously. Guys like Hamill dicked around joking with the boys and watching their phones while running half arsed drills.

 

[Sully111]

He appointed Jamie Cox for crying out loud. The guy literally had no ****ing idea and shouldn't have been let newr any club.

Peta searle another.

I read that as Jamie Fox

I thought "for crying out loud" indeed.

 

[saintderby]

My family weren't effusive about his family, although they are Bacchus Marsh fans and he and his family are Darley through and through.
A Temu Crom v Port supporters.
There has to be something wrong with someone who has left Darley and voluntarily moves back there.

I heard a rumour it is more to do with his sister who has some issues as to why he wants to move back to Darley

 

[The Punter]

This will be an unpopular opinion but 18 year old Kozi had more potential than Roo.

Kozi should have been this clubs goat

Don't underestimate how the game changed during their careers. It suited Roo and did not suit Kosi.

If Kosi has debuted in 1980 he would have been Simon Madden. But the game changed during his career and it suited Riewoldt down to the ground.

I'm on the record: Kosi's 2009 is criminally underrated.

 

[CaptainRisky]

Here’s what I heard tonight from a prominent player agent… Saints tried a play this year, quickly realising that they didn’t have collateral, list space or salary cap…ditched Aleer to have all 3 for next year with 2 targets in mind: De Goey and Butters

De Goey LOL your agent or the saints needs to get off the gear , De Goey with another year will be lucky if he gets on the park the way he is headed , 13 games in 2024 , 11 in 2025

Sorry i don't believe that for one minute that we would be chasing him

 

[Half Back Pocket]

De Goey LOL your agent or the saints needs to get off the gear , De Goey with another year will be lucky if he gets on the park the way he is headed , 13 games in 2024 , 11 in 2025

Sorry i don't believe that for one minute that we would be chasing him

Just reporting back what was said big man...like all rumours, take it with a grain of salt

 

[Dr Spaceman]

I read that as Jamie Fox

I thought "for crying out loud" indeed.

Getting Motherf….. Jones down there at the time wouldn’t have been such a bad move.

 

[ScrappyDo]

Any ideas why we are stacking our draft hand for 2027

Currently:
1, 2, 3 (MELB), 3, 3 (WCE), 4 (MELB), 4

Do we have an NGA or Father Son prospect?

Probably not us at work here as clubs in general are avoiding this draft and wanting 2026 picks. Could also be that Tassie will swamp the 2027 draft so perhaps we're just building some equity on principle.

 

[The Punter]

Probably not us at work here as clubs in general are avoiding this draft and wanting 2026 picks. Could also be that Tassie will swamp the 2027 draft so perhaps we're just building some equity on principle.

A lot of Tassie's draft concessions are in the "must be traded" variety. So its an equity safety blanket.

Everything points to our current plan having two years to work.

 

[austinnn]

I was spending a bit of time down at the club at the time. I'm a SJW but I was absolutely shocked how many staff we had that didn't seem to make sense. We had more indigenous support staff than indigenous players.

All Finnis's messaging was around being inclusive and chasing obscure supporter groups who traditionally have no interest in footy.

He never spoke about success or football with anything other than lip service. All the obvious footy department holes were left unfilled. Training staff stuffed around joking and half arming drills. It was more unprofessional than my son's underage suburban set up.

I find all that weird because I didn't think we got the indigenous support crew in intelligence much later, during Lethlean's reign. Maybe I'm misremembering.

By "obscure supporter groups" do you mean gay people and their friends? I can't think who else his policies targetted. I thought the Pride match was a good initiative for a club desperate for more supporter and attendance, especially one with links to the suburbs of St Kilda. It probably didn't have much of an effect really but I'm sure the LGBT community were happy with any club actually welcoming them to games. Not convinced it had any detracting effect on our efforts to be a better footy team, I doubt the budget for the Pride match stuff was that significant, but maybe im wrong. If that's who you were talking about, it's a but weird to say "who traditionally had no interest in footy"- do you think they have no interest or they don't want the negative attention?

Maybe it didn't amount to much in the grander scheme of things but you never know the full effect something like that has until later...

The second part of your post I can absolutely get behind, the coaches and training seemed pretty half-arsed by all reports, and once again not enough rigour was applied from the top. That is an indictment not only on Finnis and Richardson and Lethlean and Ratten and Rath and all the clowns under them but also on Westaway and the board that just let it happen. A lot of us that didnt get to the club and see it first hand thought they were serious at the time, but it turns out they weren't, not really.

So i agree that we should have focused on footy, but I think we were, we just couldn't get the right coaches in. Ross might not be everything, and I believe in what hes building, but if im weong and nothing goes right and its another false dawn, at the very least he made the training environment professional. Its crazy that it took that long, but im doubtful that its not because we were holding off on the footy stuff because we cared more about being inclusive.