List Mgmt. 2025 Draft/Trade/FA Thread – everything must go!

[Scythe]

Just pinning this, as per previous years. Thanks as always to Lore.

Final trade/FA period results
Out:

• Charlie Spargo
• Judd McVee
• Christian Petracca
• Clayton Oliver
• Picks 28, 42 and 61
• Melbourne Second-Rounder (2026)
• Melbourne Third-Rounder (2026)
• Melbourne Fourth-Rounder (2026)
• Melbourne Fourth-Rounder (2027)

In:

• Jack Steele
• Changkuoth Jiath
• Brody Mihocek
• Max Heath
• Oscar Berry (Rookie)
• Picks 7, 8, 37 and 71 (2025)
• GC First-Rounder (2026)
• GWS Third-Rounder (2026)
• GC Third-Rounder (2027)

 

[I Love Lamb]

I think what gets a little bit lost is the academies in NSW and QLD are a strategic play. That’s why the AFL will keep them there until such time (if ever) that Australian football is the natural first choice football code for locals - which is the case in the other states already.

The AFL are trying to grow the code and the pool of available players. To grow the code they need to have at least one of each of the QLD and NSW teams being good at any time so they stay in the local news. So kids want to watch their local team and choose Australian footy over League.

The AFL don’t give a stuff if in 2023 St Kilda or North have missed out on some talent as a result. That’s short term thinking and the AFL isn’t and shouldn’t be concerned with the impacts on one club in one year.

So I think what many see as a negative the AFL see as a massive positive.

Over time the idea would be Gold Coast, for example, due to salary cap won’t be able to retain all their talent anyway. So those players, who without the academy probably never existed, will flow to other clubs. It also should solve the go home factor that Brisbane, Gold Coast and GWS (but strangely not Sydney so much) have suffered from as the core of their lists should be locals.

I actually think it’s the right strategic call and they are calls of at least a quarter of a century type timeframes to see the payoff.

I would argue soccer is starting to give AFL a run for its money in Vic with the A league and a lot of migrant families moving to Victoria knowing soccer better from regions they have come from. Supposedly this years Vic talent is one of the worst the league has ever seen before. Vic Metro and Country both stand winless.

‘Hope they go winless’: Big fears over draft giants as shock claims send damning message to AFL

‘No accident’: Victoria is set for its biggest draft dud in decades. So where did all the talent go?

www.foxsports.com.au

 

[Lord Nev]

Seeing the "why don't we use all the late picks?!" and "trade everyone for draft picks!" guy starting to realize in real time...

 

[I Love Lamb]

Seeing the "why don't we use all the late picks?!" and "trade everyone for draft picks!" guy starting to realize in real time...

there’s still talent out there…we don’t pay Taylor to watch just 2 teams lol. If you go back a dozen pages or so anyway you will find me advocating to trade out players to stock up on 2026 either way.

 

[Topkent]

Yeah, there's never been a time when soccer crazy migrants have moved to Victoria until now.

 

[Lord Nev]

 

[I Love Lamb]

Yeah, there's never been a time when soccer crazy migrants have moved to Victoria until now.

Compounding effect over time.

 

[I Love Lamb]

I am really keen on Prasad, he is exactly what we need. Obviously has talent as a bottom ager but also plays that HF/Forward link up speedy player who can apply pressure, win ground ball contests and boot goals like Rankine/Pickett type.

 

[Lampers]

I would argue soccer is starting to give AFL a run for its money in Vic with the A league and a lot of migrant families moving to Victoria knowing soccer better from regions they have come from. Supposedly this years Vic talent is one of the worst the league has ever seen before. Vic Metro and Country both stand winless.

‘Hope they go winless’: Big fears over draft giants as shock claims send damning message to AFL

‘No accident’: Victoria is set for its biggest draft dud in decades. So where did all the talent go?

www.foxsports.com.au

It’s always cyclical.

A couple of years ago it was panic stations because WA u18 were terrible.

Then before that SA was not producing top talent.

Now it’s Victoria’s turn. And they have to split Victoria into two teams so they don’t dominate every year.

The biggest problem IMO with junior footy in Victoria - and this is coming from someone who was the Secretary for a junior club for several years - is junior clubs take a hell of a lot of effort from very few volunteers to run.

In general the community is becoming more self focussed and less giving back to the community through volunteering. Parents are also more and more demanding, expecting gold plated service for $300 membership fees.

Add onto that the increasing compliance burden of requiring safety officers, policies for head injuries etc. etc.

Then there are so many entertainment options, and many of them sedentary, for kids these days.

Most of the factors for loss of strength in Victoria junior footy won’t be solved by more AFL funding IMO. There are more broader community culture, structural and demographic factors at play.

 

[I Love Lamb]

It’s always cyclical.

A couple of years ago it was panic stations because WA u18 were terrible.

Then before that SA was not producing top talent.

Now it’s Victoria’s turn. And they have to split Victoria into two teams so they don’t dominate every year.

The biggest problem IMO with junior footy in Victoria - and this is coming from someone who was the Secretary for a junior club for several years - is junior clubs take a hell of a lot of effort from very few volunteers to run.

In general the community is becoming more self focussed and less giving back to the community through volunteering. Parents are also more and more demanding, expecting gold plated service for $300 membership fees.

Add onto that the increasing compliance burden of requiring safety officers, policies for head injuries etc. etc.

Then there are so many entertainment options, and many of them sedentary, for kids these days.

Most of the factors for loss of strength in Victoria junior footy won’t be solved by more AFL funding IMO. There are more broader community culture, structural and demographic factors at play.

You can’t blame lack of funding/membership fees and then say more funding won’t help in the same post.

More funding will absolutely help, as is evident in northern states right now.

While I have no issue with AFL siphoning heaps of cash to certain regions, I think it should also not give priority access in parallel. Should be one or the other in my opinion.

 

[omit]

The biggest problem IMO with junior footy in Victoria - and this is coming from someone who was the Secretary for a junior club for several years - is junior clubs take a hell of a lot of effort from very few volunteers to run.

In general the community is becoming more self focussed and less giving back to the community through volunteering. Parents are also more and more demanding, expecting gold plated service for $300 membership fees.

Add onto that the increasing compliance burden of requiring safety officers, policies for head injuries etc. etc.

Then there are so many entertainment options, and many of them sedentary, for kids these days.

Most of the factors for loss of strength in Victoria junior footy won’t be solved by more AFL funding IMO. There are more broader community culture, structural and demographic factors at play.

All of those factors are not exclusive to Victoria or to junior footy. All states and sporting codes have the exact same issues.

Maybe additional funding to reduce fees and make junior footy more accessible could help. But as you said, it is mostly outside influences that the AFL can't control.

I suspect that the lack of talent coming through Victorian pathways is a hangover from COVID-19 restrictions. Both the 2020 and 2021 footy seasons were heavily affected by lockdowns. All of the talk in the AFL media has been about how COVID impacted the recent draft classes and their development, but kids who were in the U13's, U14's and U15's comps in Melbourne also missed a huge amount of football over those years.

I wouldn't be surprised if Victoria, and Vic Metro specifically, under produces AFL talent for the next few years.

 

[Lampers]

You can’t blame lack of funding/membership fees and then say more funding won’t help in the same post.

More funding will absolutely help, as is evident in northern states right now.

While I have no issue with AFL siphoning heaps of cash to certain regions, I think it should also not give priority access in parallel. Should be one or the other in my opinion.

What did I blame lack of membership fees or funding on?

My point was that more and more parents are unwilling to do the volunteer work required to make their child’s team run smoothly PLUS they expect a high level of service for what is a pretty paltry membership fee in the scheme of things. Many treat it like a form of childcare.

Those high expectations from some parents puts more pressure on the people who do volunteer their time and they get burnt out and stop volunteering.

This is not a dynamic that more funding fixes. Who are the people sitting around doing nothing who are willing and capable of doing all that work if it was paid work?

They don’t exist.

Do you think the AFL is funding grass roots footy clubs in NSW and QLD?

Or are they funding coaches and facilities/equipment for elite development squads that creates a realistic pathway and better attracts already talented kids to Australian football?

Those pathways largely already exist in Victoria via the various junior footy leagues and those leagues do get AFL funding.

 

[danster168]

seems like Prasad/Sinnema did nothing but Kalani White had 11 touches and 6 grabs. I didn't watch it though.

 

[wingersclub]

seems like Prasad/Sinnema did nothing but Kalani White had 11 touches and 6 grabs. I didn't watch it though.

Yeah can’t say any of them really stood out to me in this game

 

[danster168]

Yep, Tauru looking absolutely elite. AA in 2 years. Epic fail by the MFC.

 

[I Love Lamb]

Yep, Tauru looking absolutely elite. AA in 2 years. Epic fail by the MFC.

I love you bro but still think Langford right call. Maybe not doing our bullshit trading up approach to snare Tauru was a mistake though.

That said he hasn’t resigned, why not offer him 900k a season to move?

 

[danster168]

I love you bro but still think Langford right call. Maybe not doing our bullshit trading up approach to snare Tauru was a mistake though.

That said he hasn’t resigned, why not offer him 900k a season to move?

saints wouldn't do it. saints wouldn't take Langford and a future F1 such has been the promise of his first 3 games.

At this point, its too late. its a real shame as he's exactly what we needed. A home grown key position player with elite athleticism and Glenn Archer aggression. Unbelievable. Anyway, it's no slight on Langford, he's been decent enough. I guess we weren't the only club to pass over him but it's going to really hurt for years to come.

 

[Crusty Demon]

saints wouldn't do it. saints wouldn't take Langford and a future F1 such has been the promise of his first 3 games.

At this point, its too late. its a real shame as he's exactly what we needed. A home grown key position player with elite athleticism and Glenn Archer aggression. Unbelievable. Anyway, it's no slight on Langford, he's been decent enough. I guess we weren't the only club to pass over him but it's going to really hurt for years to come.

So after 3 games you've hailed Tauru as the next Glenn Archer, but after a dozen or more of watching Langford ,you just go meh? Wowee

 

[TheBoss]

saints wouldn't do it. saints wouldn't take Langford and a future F1 such has been the promise of his first 3 games.

At this point, its too late. its a real shame as he's exactly what we needed. A home grown key position player with elite athleticism and Glenn Archer aggression. Unbelievable. Anyway, it's no slight on Langford, he's been decent enough. I guess we weren't the only club to pass over him but it's going to really hurt for years to come.

Are you not excited about our future spine featuring the Magician, JVR, Verrall, Turner and Adams?!

 

[Lord Nev]

Are you not excited about our future spine featuring the Magician, JVR, Verrall, Turner and Adams?!

No point investing in the spine while our midfield is so poorly skilled.

A spine of Jeffo, JVR, Jackson , Turner and Petty is fine when it has a midfield of Langford, Kozzy & Rivers, plus Lindsay and Windsor on the wings.

Also, this mentality of 'if anyone else other than who we drafted is any good then we failed' is really weird.

 

[TheBoss]

I get that every club has their cult favourite, but why does everyone act like Petty is untouchable?! No one would be talking about him if he played for literally any other club.

He's serviceable as a defender, but not elite. Struggles against bigger bodies. He is far from a lockdown option when isolated one-one one. Isn't quick or agile. Doesn't have the intercept instincts of peak Lever. He gets the third-string match ups which flatters him.

And people got excited about him as a forward in 2023 when he kicked 6 snags against Richmond's VFL level defence and began pencilling him in as our savior at Full Forward. Never mind that he lacks goal sense, he doesn't have real leading patterns, no presence in the air, minimal forward craft.

It is time to be honest about the type of player he is: he is a battler. He is a depth player, not a cornerstone. There is no reason to plan the spine of year team around him.

Do something Tim Lamb - put him on the trading block!

 

[Daemon]

I get that every club has their cult favourite, but why does everyone act like Petty is untouchable?! No one would be talking about him if he played for literally any other club.

He's serviceable as a defender, but not elite. Struggles against bigger bodies. He is far from a lockdown option when isolated one-one one. Isn't quick or agile. Doesn't have the intercept instincts of peak Lever. He gets the third-string match ups which flatters him.

And people got excited about him as a forward in 2023 when he kicked 6 snags against Richmond's VFL level defence and began pencilling him in as our savior at Full Forward. Never mind that he lacks goal sense, he doesn't have real leading patterns, no presence in the air, minimal forward craft.

It is time to be honest about the type of player he is: he is a battler. He is a depth player, not a cornerstone. There is no reason to plan the spine of year team around him.

Do something Tim Lamb - put him on the trading block!

He's not elite but totally serviceable as a defender and more importantly he is ready made. Won't cost us anything in cash or picks because we already have him. What are we trading him out for??

 

[danster168]

No point investing in the spine while our midfield is so poorly skilled.

A spine of Jeffo, JVR, Jackson , Turner and Petty is fine when it has a midfield of Langford, Kozzy & Rivers, plus Lindsay and Windsor on the wings.

Also, this mentality of 'if anyone else other than who we drafted is any good then we failed' is really weird.

no it's not. We overlooked a clear key position jet for a 191cm Josh Ward.

There's no point investing in the spine? The spine is the first thing that should be sorted out. Midfielders grow on trees.

 

[danster168]

So after 3 games you've hailed Tauru as the next Glenn Archer, but after a dozen or more of watching Langford ,you just go meh? Wowee

Yes correct. Just like I said Windsor wasn't elite when everyone else was frothing over him. Fast forward a year or so and he's fringe.

Anyway, I want to be on good behaviour and not keep going backwards and forwards so maybe PM me if you want to discuss further.

 

[Dancing Potato]

He's not elite but totally serviceable as a defender and more importantly he is ready made. Won't cost us anything in cash or picks because we already have him. What are we trading him out for??

Spot on.

Petty is no world beater, but trading away our only KPD option who isn't on the verge of retirement would be insanity given we haven't drafted a replacement.

 

[The Dr]

I think Petty can be a serviceable, perhaps good KPD. He and Turner might eventually be a strong 1-2 combo.

Petty has really been undermined by constantly swinging back and forwards. Can't help his progression when he's forever switching roles.