List Mgmt. 2025 List Management Discussion

[blueiris]

With all the academy rorts talk i say don't match Annable this year.

Go for the best KPP i say.

We are chasing KPP though we need Annable

 

[Nathan Barley]

With all the academy rorts talk i say don't match Annable this year.

Go for the best KPP i say.

I think it's why we're trading for a couple of KPPs

Supplement the academy and father son mids

 

[M Malice]

With all the academy rorts talk i say don't match Annable this year.

Go for the best KPP i say.

We wont have a choice but to match Daniel Annable, we will be going into the draft with selection in the teens at the very earliest, if Annable is bid on in the top 5 which is highly likely what KPP are we going to get with a selection in the late teens/20s and will we have the nerve to pass on the bid and cross our fingers the KPP we fancy is still on the board a dozen or more choices later?

Plus also let our academy boy and one of the best mids in the draft class go elsewhere.

 

[blueiris]

I think it's why we're trading for a couple of KPPs

Supplement the academy and father son mids

Especially if this is the last year we can match with later picks Annable is too good to pass on

 

[Section 5]

We are chasing KPP though we need Annable

I am half joking, only half though. Long term do we need Annable or a KPP player.

We probably get Allen but most likely lose Hippy (204cm).
That puts us in the same or worse position as we are this year.
KPF of Allen (196cm) and Morris (191cm) then?. And that's with Allen maybe ruck relief.
Gallop (194cm) should improve but he gives the impression of needing a couple of more years to get consistency.
Morris's development could be hindered without good support.
I think if Draper comes, he will state he wants to be the Lions number 1 ruck not forward ruck.

In Defense who knows how long Payne will be out early next year.
Payne gets better each year, but he also has proven to be injury prone missing important finals games over the years.

I would argue in addition to Allen we need a KPP more than another smallish midfielder in Annable

Have a look at our tallest players list and games played.

Oscar: May retire but if not, we best hope his back recovers for 2026 (162 games). Oscar over Fort no difference now.
Hippy: Could be out for 12 months. (199)
Fort: Playing well enough but 32 years old.
Smith: Looks a few years away in my opinion when he has made that jump to AFL level. Needs to build more bulk too.
Ryan: OOC. Should be delisted but maybe we have to keep him (4)
Day: OOC. Age 33 years. Should be delisted but maybe we have to keep him (168)
Zane Z: He should improve so that may be a positive. But unproven at this stage.
Payne: Great player. Return date ??. Injury prone and has missed important finals games over the years (81)
Joyce: OOC. May have to keep on for another 12 months (24). Usually replaced Payne when injured but not this year
Gallop: Shows promise. But i think he needs more development time.
Berry: A winger

Next on the height list in order:
Lloyd 193cm, Gardiner 192cm, Dunkley 191cm, Morris 191cm, Doedee 190cm, Lester 190 cm. Rest under 190cm

I don't envy the recruitment staffs challenge this year with all our injury woes early in season 2026.





Midfielders
Robertson: OOC Delist/Trade. We have to move on from him. Worst case we get another player that plays VFL
Tunstill: OOC. I would give him one more year, but would not surprise me if he is delisted/traded
Torrent: Untried at AFL level. Looks okay but we won't know until he is tried at AFL level.

So, we likely have a couple of midfield spots to fill.
If we get Annable. The next midfield choice will be very late in the draft. Same if we want a KPP.

The other choice is we get another player from another club that costs a late draft pick.

 

[Bucking Beads]

Draper will be our number 1 ruck. It's not even a question imo.

 

[Sproj]

Why not just back in Gallop? Most KPPs take a while to develop. Morris is very much the exception to the norm. We do need to look at a KPD though to simmer away to eventually replace Andrews.

 

[Nathan Barley]

I am half joking, only half though. Long term do we need Annable or a KPP player.

We probably get Allen but most likely lose Hippy (204cm).
That puts us in the same or worse position as we are this year.
KPF of Allen (196cm) and Morris (191cm) then?. And that's with Allen maybe ruck relief.
Gallop (194cm) should improve but he gives the impression of needing a couple of more years to get consistency.
Morris's development could be hindered without good support.
I think if Draper comes, he will state he wants to be the Lions number 1 ruck not forward ruck.

In Defense who knows how long Payne will be out early next year.
Payne gets better each year, but he also has proven to be injury prone missing important finals games over the years.

I would argue in addition to Allen we need a KPP more than another smallish midfielder in Annable

Have a look at our tallest players list and games played.

Oscar: May retire but if not, we best hope his back recovers for 2026 (162 games). Oscar over Fort no difference now.
Hippy: Could be out for 12 months. (199)
Fort: Playing well enough but 32 years old.
Smith: Looks a few years away in my opinion when he has made that jump to AFL level. Needs to build more bulk too.
Ryan: OOC. Should be delisted but maybe we have to keep him (4)
Day: OOC. Age 33 years. Should be delisted but maybe we have to keep him (168)
Zane Z: He should improve so that may be a positive. But unproven at this stage.
Payne: Great player. Return date ??. Injury prone and has missed important finals games over the years (81)
Joyce: OOC. May have to keep on for another 12 months (24). Usually replaced Payne when injured but not this year
Gallop: Shows promise. But i think he needs more development time.
Berry: A winger

Next on the height list in order:
Lloyd 193cm, Gardiner 192cm, Dunkley 191cm, Morris 191cm, Doedee 190cm, Lester 190 cm. Rest under 190cm

I don't envy the recruitment staffs challenge this year with all our injury woes early in season 2026.


View attachment 2419337


Midfielders
Robertson: OOC Delist/Trade. We have to move on from him. Worst case we get another player that plays VFL
Tunstill: OOC. I would give him one more year, but would not surprise me if he is delisted/traded
Torrent: Untried at AFL level. Looks okay but we won't know until he is tried at AFL level.

So, we likely have a couple of midfield spots to fill.
If we get Annable. The next midfield choice will be very late in the draft. Same if we want a KPP.

The other choice is we get another player from another club that costs a late draft pick.

View attachment 2419340

Robertson and Tunstill are gone. Annable will replace Neale over the next couple of years

We built a premiership squad drafting for talent and trading for needs. I don’t think that strategy will change anytime soon

 

[blueiris]

Wit

I am half joking, only half though. Long term do we need Annable or a KPP player.

We probably get Allen but most likely lose Hippy (204cm).
That puts us in the same or worse position as we are this year.
KPF of Allen (196cm) and Morris (191cm) then?. And that's with Allen maybe ruck relief.
Gallop (194cm) should improve but he gives the impression of needing a couple of more years to get consistency.
Morris's development could be hindered without good support.
I think if Draper comes, he will state he wants to be the Lions number 1 ruck not forward ruck.

In Defense who knows how long Payne will be out early next year.
Payne gets better each year, but he also has proven to be injury prone missing important finals games over the years.

I would argue in addition to Allen we need a KPP more than another smallish midfielder in Annable

Have a look at our tallest players list and games played.

Oscar: May retire but if not, we best hope his back recovers for 2026 (162 games). Oscar over Fort no difference now.
Hippy: Could be out for 12 months. (199)
Fort: Playing well enough but 32 years old.
Smith: Looks a few years away in my opinion when he has made that jump to AFL level. Needs to build more bulk too.
Ryan: OOC. Should be delisted but maybe we have to keep him (4)
Day: OOC. Age 33 years. Should be delisted but maybe we have to keep him (168)
Zane Z: He should improve so that may be a positive. But unproven at this stage.
Payne: Great player. Return date ??. Injury prone and has missed important finals games over the years (81)
Joyce: OOC. May have to keep on for another 12 months (24). Usually replaced Payne when injured but not this year
Gallop: Shows promise. But i think he needs more development time.
Berry: A winger

Next on the height list in order:
Lloyd 193cm, Gardiner 192cm, Dunkley 191cm, Morris 191cm, Doedee 190cm, Lester 190 cm. Rest under 190cm

I don't envy the recruitment staffs challenge this year with all our injury woes early in season 2026.


View attachment 2419337


Midfielders
Robertson: OOC Delist/Trade. We have to move on from him. Worst case we get another player that plays VFL
Tunstill: OOC. I would give him one more year, but would not surprise me if he is delisted/traded
Torrent: Untried at AFL level. Looks okay but we won't know until he is tried at AFL level.

So, we likely have a couple of midfield spots to fill.
If we get Annable. The next midfield choice will be very late in the draft. Same if we want a KPP.

The other choice is we get another player from another club that costs a late draft pick.

View attachment 2419340

We are chasing Ridley as that key defender forward Cal Twomey mentioned late draft we could look at Prinable Bridge Weller

 

[Loyal Lion]

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

and future pick for Zach Merrett and Jordan Ridley

14

Jordan Ridley

Age

27

Ht

195cm

Wt

94kg

Pos.

Def

Career

Season

Last 5

D

15.6

4star

K

11.1

4star

HB

4.5

3star

M

6.4

5star

T

1.7

4star

MG

244.8

4star

D

17.0

4star

K

11.9

5star

HB

5.1

3star

M

6.7

5star

T

1.7

3star

MG

265.4

4star

D

13.8

4star

K

9.6

4star

HB

4.2

4star

M

5.2

5star

T

1.4

4star

MG

208.2

4star

.

 

[Section 5]

Wit

We are chasing Ridley as that key defender forward Cal Twomey mentioned late draft we could look at Prinable Bridge Weller

We are linked to a lot of players being a premiership team
If we get Annable we have no draft capital to get anyone really.
I have not done the math, but we have 15,37,40,46,50,61 so around the 1710 points mark. Pick 5 is 1795 points
We can dip into the future but that does not always bear well down the track.

Of course, if we lose another 2 premiership players in Starcevich and Ah-Chee we will likely get something.
But that's just another two players to add to our already decimated starting lineup for 2026

Whatever we get for one or both of those two may have to go towards the Annable points total needed.
The club will find a way if they want to bring in Annable & Allen.
But if they also bring in Draper they will be into next year's draft capital.
Then throw in Ridley. I think Ridley might be if we are unable to get Draper but have no idea what the Club has in mind.

The club may have to change plans from what was needed early 2025 regarding recruiting.
They could not have foreseen.
Oscar deliberating back issues.
Defenders Payne, Answerth with LTI and not available till maybe June 2026.
Coleman and Doedee not available for AFL in 2025 and no guarantee they will come good in 2026.
Hippy possible out for 12 months

All this should have the club rethinking their plans. They may stick fat to Annable but that could be a mistake.

 

[briztoon]

Really trying to hold fire on my thoughts about where our list, particular player are at.

We could be carrying as many as half a dozen dud contracts next year, not including long term injured players.

 

[briztoon]

With all the academy rorts talk i say don't match Annable this year.

Go for the best KPP i say.

This is a very, very weak draft for KPP’s. The top 4 or 5 should be gone before our first pick, then there’s little depth beyond those.

 

[blueiris]

Lions have 8 under 23 in the side we can build around that ZZ looking good long term added Annable this year with Allen Rids and Draper we'll be fine even if we have a down year next year

 

[braddsey]

We are linked to a lot of players being a premiership team
If we get Annable we have no draft capital to get anyone really.
I have not done the math, but we have 15,37,40,46,50,61 so around the 1710 points mark. Pick 5 is 1795 points
We can dip into the future but that does not always bear well down the track.

Of course, if we lose another 2 premiership players in Starcevich and Ah-Chee we will likely get something.
But that's just another two players to add to our already decimated starting lineup for 2026

Whatever we get for one or both of those two may have to go towards the Annable points total needed.
The club will find a way if they want to bring in Annable & Allen.
But if they also bring in Draper they will be into next year's draft capital.
Then throw in Ridley. I think Ridley might be if we are unable to get Draper but have no idea what the Club has in mind.

The club may have to change plans from what was needed early 2025 regarding recruiting.
They could not have foreseen.
Oscar deliberating back issues.
Defenders Payne, Answerth with LTI and not available till maybe June 2026.
Coleman and Doedee not available for AFL in 2025 and no guarantee they will come good in 2026.
Hippy possible out for 12 months

All this should have the club rethinking their plans. They may stick fat to Annable but that could be a mistake.

Allen & Draper are both free agents. They cost nothing. We need a ruckman, and we need a key forward. That fulfils the needs.
Annable is a likely top-5 pick. We’re not going to pass on that opportunity. Can pretty much guarantee that we won’t be holding the same picks come draft time, but we’ll have what is needed to get Annable.

Anything else we do in trade period will be a bonus, but given the noise there’s a strong chance we also land Ridley who appears to be a need.
Obvious concern that these players have injury history, but for the 2 Essendon boys, there’s a lot of questions being asked about the surface at their training base.

We can count on development and growth of our young list. This is exactly what Chris Scott called out in the difference between his side that lost the prelim to us last year, and the side that beat us in the qualifying final this year.

Coleman & Doedee (and Linc) concern me on their ability to get back. Hopefully the club is exploring every avenue to help these guys in the off season (specialist training camp for example).

 

[M Malice]

Really trying to hold fire on my thoughts about where our list, particular player are at.

We could be carrying as many as half a dozen dud contracts next year, not including long term injured players.

All clubs would be carrying at least a few what could be called "dud contracts" or what could be more kindly called speculative contracts.

The number of long term injuries which will result in them having a severely impacted off season is a major concern though.

Keidean Coleman, Tom Doedee, Linc McCarthy and Lachie Neale could/should be just about ready to go by the time official pre season starts pre Christmas.

Jack Payne, Noah Answerth and Eric Hipwood unlikely to have a meaningful off season.

Fingers crossed Hugh McCluggage's knee, Jarrod Berry's shoulder issues aren't more serious than is being let on by the club.

 

[braddsey]

Really trying to hold fire on my thoughts about where our list, particular player are at.

We could be carrying as many as half a dozen dud contracts next year, not including long term injured players.

I don’t get the pessimism. We just finished 3rd on the ladder. We had the most players in the 22under22. We’ve got the best backman in the league, an all-australian midfielder, and plenty of support to go with all that.

The squad needs some downtime to recover in the off season, but we’re far from finished.

 

[On the quiet]

i know it has happened previously, and Lions have even taken a few players that still had contracts, but cannot see how we get Ridley who apparently is signed until 2029, and morally should we? IMO there is a principle at stake, but maybe I am being old fashion.

 

[BuntonRules]

I think it's why we're trading for a couple of KPPs

Supplement the academy and father son mids

Free agents. No trading required.

 

[Nathan Barley]

I don’t get the pessimism. We just finished 3rd on the ladder. We had the most players in the 22under22. We’ve got the best backman in the league, an all-australian midfielder, and plenty of support to go with all that.

The squad needs some downtime to recover in the off season, but we’re far from finished.

And many of us had similar thoughts 18 months ago which turned out to look silly

I mean we are well overdue for a down year but it seems we’re still in a good position to keep topping up our list

 

[BuntonRules]

From redblueandgold in the VFL thread

• Dev and Tunstill got a special clap from team mates and lead the team off after the game. I believe they played their last game for the Lions and will be back in WA next year where they get some decent AFL game time.

 

[Elixuh]

From redblueandgold in the VFL thread

Not surprising.

 

[Tom14]

Really trying to hold fire on my thoughts about where our list, particular player are at.

We could be carrying as many as half a dozen dud contracts next year, not including long term injured players.

Briz we won the flag last year. I don’t think we should be tanking but I appreciate your grind.

 

[wantok]

And Brandon Ryan still gets delisted

Replace him with Jacob Blight unbelievably delisted by Richmond. The guy has excellent skills and height.

 

[Tom14]

And many of us had similar thoughts 18 months ago which turned out to look silly

I mean we are well overdue for a down year but it seems we’re still in a good position to keep topping up our list

We won 16 games this year! Finished 3rd despite the hardest draw in living memory!

Had to spend all our petrol tickets to do it so we are cooked now but seriously. List is in good shape, well set up to contend for a while yet.