List Mgmt. List management discussion 2026

[ReturningHawk]

Tom Blamires sounds like a smokie for a rookie spot or SSP ? His versatility and mature body are big pluses.

I’d do it simply because I think we lack experience in the middle. Just need players who can put together 24 weeks of consistent footy. Ward has only just established himself as a best 22 player but we’d be in trouble if he got an LTI. Same goes for Nash, and without Newcombe it’d just be dire.

 

[The Jet From Poowong]

I’d do it simply because I think we lack experience in the middle. Just need players who can put together 24 weeks of consistent footy. Ward has only just established himself as a best 22 player but we’d be in trouble if he got an LTI. Same goes for Nash, and without Newcombe it’d just be dire.

I don’t follow. You say we lack experience in the middle but you want to do something that means we add more inexperience and then you expect 24 weeks of consistency?

 

[ReturningHawk]

I don’t follow. You say we lack experience in the middle but you want to do something that means we add more inexperience and then you expect 24 weeks of consistency?

Experience in this instance meaning ability to play consistent football. VFL best and fairest winner could be considered.

 

[HedgeFund]

I’d do it simply because I think we lack experience in the middle. Just need players who can put together 24 weeks of consistent footy. Ward has only just established himself as a best 22 player but we’d be in trouble if he got an LTI. Same goes for Nash, and without Newcombe it’d just be dire.

So we put faith in a player who was overlooked in 4 straight drafts and has had a really solid VFL year to provide “experience in the middle”.

I’m not suggesting we don’t look at Tom, but he’s played 0 AFL games compared to Ward (67) and MacKenzie (46).

He didn’t win the Liston Trophy (VFL B&F)

He won the VFL Rising Star.

Ethan Phillips won it in 2022 and we cut him from our list after 1.5 seasons. Charlie Dean won in 2021 and just got cut from Collingwood.

He’s unlikely to be the solution.

Worth adding to the list though

 

[ReturningHawk]

So we put faith in a player who was overlooked in 4 straight drafts and has had a really solid VFL year to provide “experience in the middle”.

I’m not suggesting we don’t look at Tom, but he’s played 0 AFL games compared to Ward (67) and MacKenzie (46).

He didn’t win the Liston Trophy (VFL B&F)

He won the VFL Rising Star.

Ethan Phillips won it in 2022 and we cut him from our list after 1.5 seasons. Charlie Dean won in 2021 and just got cut from Collingwood.

He’s unlikely to be the solution.

Worth adding to the list though

Yes

 

[HedgeFund]

Yes

Odd.

FWIW - he polled 8 votes from 21 games played in the competition B&F….finishing 35th.

How does that result in someone bringing “experience in the middle” to the level above?

 

[ReturningHawk]

Odd.

FWIW - he polled 8 votes from 21 games played in the competition B&F….finishing 35th.

How does that result in someone bringing “experience in the middle” to the level above?

Wait and find out.

 

[HedgeFund]

Wait and find out.

So, it appears you can't explain how his selection in the draft could fill the need you've identified.

Righto

 

[lethalselbow09]

Surely we should be in George Steven’s ear. Offer him more money and opportunity. He is a contested beast, exactly what we need

 

[Dewnior]

Surely we should be in George Steven’s ear. Offer him more money and opportunity. He is a contested beast, exactly what we need

Why? Hasn't he been delisted and be available to us before Geelol's 1st pick?

 

[AlwaysHawks15]

So, it appears you can't explain how his selection in the draft could fill the need you've identified.

Righto

Your the king of pessimism mate, if hes on list management's radar you back them in don't you? You could mount a case for the negative for alot of players that clubs end up picking up. But you do you.

 

[Leather Poisoning]

I don't think list management at this point in time won't be with a short term goal.

The trade period is for that.

Draft is for setting us up for the future and I think it would be a mistake to try and draft a guy who wll play 22 games in his first year at pick 10.

DFA is good for getting a surprise role player like we did with Mass, but they have to be someone who's been coached poorly and probably played in the wrong posiiton.

This season Mitchell will test that group of Ward, Weddle, McDonald, McKenzie, Watson, Dear etc. The draftees will probably just incubate at Box Hill.

 

[TheFourPillars]

Guarantee u pick 10 will be best available. Could be a hbf

 

[HedgeFund]

Your the king of pessimism mate, if hes on list management's radar you back them in don't you? You could mount a case for the negative for alot of players that clubs end up picking up. But you do you.

I said he’s worth listing, but don’t do it with the expectation he’s going to add “experience to our midfield”.

He has zero experience at AFL level,
so clearly he has no experience to add.

Pretty obvious isn’t it?

 

[chopflop]

Guarantee u pick 10 will be best available. Could be a hbf

We are thin there longer term

 

[Atch]

This is as the young go hards would describe as "diabolical" work from Percy!

 

[JD1992]

I’d do it simply because I think we lack experience in the middle. Just need players who can put together 24 weeks of consistent footy. Ward has only just established himself as a best 22 player but we’d be in trouble if he got an LTI. Same goes for Nash, and without Newcombe it’d just be dire.

So at present we have Duke, Nash, Day (cross fingers), Ward, McKenzie.
We also could use Maginess and Dylan Moore would be a very consistant option in the middle and has runs on the board to play that role.
Weddle could also be another option.

 

[Dewnior]

Guarantee u pick 10 will be best available. Could be a hbf

Perhaps, although I think it's more likely we trade up or back to take players we have our eyes on.

 

[hawkinoz]

Unclear if we are going to be in the Rookie draft. Do we even have a spot.

We took 4 picks to draft which means 4 senior spots open and have filled it all. That should be 36 seniors.

Plan was for Blanck to take one of those spots which would have opened up a rookie spot.

Bit puzzled where we stand on this. Any leads.

 

[Hawks future]

Unclear if we are going to be in the Rookie draft. Do we even have a spot.

We took 4 picks to draft which means 4 senior spots open and have filled it all. That should be 36 seniors.

Plan was for Blanck to take one of those spots which would have opened up a rookie spot.

Bit puzzled where we stand on this. Any leads.

I think we had 7 list spots 4 senior 2 rookie and 1 cat b so 2 rookies left and 1 cat b I think

 

[Hawks_Footy]

We can take up to 3 rookies today

 

[MasterSamurai]

Unclear if we are going to be in the Rookie draft. Do we even have a spot.

We took 4 picks to draft which means 4 senior spots open and have filled it all. That should be 36 seniors.

Plan was for Blanck to take one of those spots which would have opened up a rookie spot.

Bit puzzled where we stand on this. Any leads.

We have three more spots we can fill .

 

[Roger Rogerson]

So Blanck stays as a rookie?

 

[TONYC3163]

So Blanck stays as a rookie?

Already upgraded.

 

[Leather Poisoning]

So list decisions are made - draft is in.

We've picked up:

• Cam Nairn - I think we'll use him as a running player/mid rather than a forward
• Shubert - project key forward
• Dalton - inside mid
• Matt DelRay - winger

This crew is unlikely to improve our midfield in 2026, but luckily we already have a bunch of first round pick midfielders coming into the 100 game range (Ward, McKenzie, MacDonald, Butler) and Day of course.

It's intersting to stress and worry over which quality mids we pick up in a weaker draft, when we've got a lot of high quality picks sitting on our list with 3-4 pre seasons of development.

I think we've had a very good draft strategy of picking guys who have shown a lot while being underage in their category, and guys who have elite endurance. Shows how we want to shape the list overall and that we are building a long term view.

While it's impossible to overtake GC and Brisbane in pure list management (odds are stacked so well in their favour) we need to overtake them in terms of development (and we've done an overhaul of our development team) and coaching.

I think our main challengers/peers in 2026 will be Freo, Crows and GC. I think Brisbane will still be a cut above and that Geelong and Collingwood will fall away.

Looking forward to another set up thrills and heartbreaks