List Mgmt. 2025 List Management Discussion - Part 3

[Hubnester]

2025 List Management Discussion - Part 3

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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[Dr Spaceman]

Flanders looks the most proportionate there, everyone else's heads look huge

Small head version just for you

 

[austinnn]

I wonder if Purple wasn't so biased against us, I wonder whether he'd have written an article comparing us to Adelaide?

Adelaide jumped up the ladder after they;

• Brought in Neil-Bullen (Trade)
• Added James Peatling and Isaac Cumming (FA)
• Thilthorpe comes on after a few years of underwhelming form
• Natural improvement of Soligo, Worrell, Keane etc

To compare;

• Saints trade in one (or several) of Aleer, Ryan, Flanders, CMac.
• Gain TDK and SOS through FA.
• Max King returns from injury and hopefully to his potential and;
• Natural improvement of Hall, Owens, Windy, Garcia, Boxshall, Wilson, Keeler, Caminiti, Dodson, Pou etc.

Exactly the kind of rise which we should expect.

 

[Saintscomemarchingin]

No it’s not, we’re only half done.

Keeping Windhager on 4 years is very good but again we’ve retained our own player. Every chance Marshal and Steele leave, what we get and what we do with it will be huge for us moving forward. Then there’s pick seven do we retain it, split it etc.

Why? is there every chance that Marshall & Steele leave?
They are both contracted
I believe this trade period for us is all about trading in players, not trading out.

 

[SainterinSydney]

Marshall leaving may also be a blessing for us retaining Dodzilla.

 

[Saintscomemarchingin]

Small head version just for you

Marshall leaving may also be a blessing for us retaining Dodzilla.

Nah, gives 'the dod' time to take over from Marshall
He looks like he could do it, sooner rather than later though

 

[austinnn]

Re Steele, people seem to forget that he had the third highest tackles per game across the AFL in 2025. Only Atkinson and Rowel ahead of him this year, then a huge gap to Dawson in 4th. Handy company.

He’s always been a tackle machine (I think has or had the record for most tackles in first 100 games) and still is. Need more than just tackles from a midfielder but he adds a lot of grunt that can’t be discounted.

Relatedly, there’s talk of Steele maybe spending a bit more time as a forward, which I personally think could be a great move at this point. Adds pressure and much needed leadership to the forward line (and is a decent shot at goal when he has opportunities).

Maybe unlikely but could we trade Butler and keep Steele with more time up forward? Very different players, but could be a good move. Keeps our player-voted captain which think is super important for morale (although I’d still give the captaincy to Wilkie) and still brings in some draft capital.

Maybe because he has needed to tackle because he's always second to the ball.

I rate strong tackles don't get me wrong, but I would hope as we get better, we'll have more need for players who can break tackles or dish off effectively while being tackled.

 

[Saintscomemarchingin]

Love Steele but I do feel like those tackle numbers were inflated by our stoppage strategy of bringing half forwards and wings in and creating repeat stoppages.

He also had no offensive dominance away from stoppage which we desperately need. I think keeping him in midfield rotation would stagnate the growth of Pou and Boxshall.

Steele is a beautiful set shot and can take a grab. There's a role for him to play as a 50/50 fwd-mid rotating with Pou. But if he stays he has to add another string to his bow.

Like what string to his bow?
It feels like you also just mentioned what he could offer of difference e.g rotating forward more.

 

[Diehard Saint]

We have TDK & Dodson
Heath may be going to the Des

Heath may not go if Roma leaves.

 

[BigPowerForward]

If Aleer plays for us as the deepest defender, would he be described as Leek in goals. Asking for a friend

 

[Diehard Saint]

Anybody but Lame Turd.

Like him or not, he has talked sense over this issue.

 

[Captain Paddy]

One player who shouldn't be discounted is Liam Henry. Give him a full pre-season and I think he will return to his best. He was a POD in 2024 when we beat Pies etc.

Would love to see him go to half back and take over the Nas role

 

[Armoooo]

Would love to see him go to half back and take over the Nas role

Nas was such a unique player, I dont think he will be replaced back there. If Nas goes full time mid,.it means we lose the nas role in defence all together.

Henry might do OK our new back flanker, but won't play remotely similar.

 

[Yawkey way]

Why? is there every chance that Marshall & Steele leave?
They are both contracted
I believe this trade period for us is all about trading in players, not trading out.

We’ll see how this plays out.

It’s worth remembering that if we keep them their value next year is half what it is now.

You can’t get quality in with magic beans and we have pick 7 then junk.

Talk of trading Caminiti is just whack, who trades a young key for chump change.

 

[Captain Paddy]

I probably cut him a massive amount of slack cause hes a genuine third tall playing as a first.

Imagine what Mitchito and Sharman will do to 3rd and 4th defenders.

Both actually chase and put on pressure as well

 

[Yawkey way]

Would love to see him go to half back and take over the Nas role

I don’t think he’s suited to that role.

 

[stavro#4]

Annnnddddd…. Cmac is officially in play

 

[SG34]

Exactly the kind of rise which we should expect.

Yep, i did some reading on sports journalism yesterday and the tactics used by journos to get great metrics. And included in them a) politically correct at crucial social/politically sensitive topics (have the other ‘old journos’ act out to make them look better and re-position themselves, b) persistently run a a ‘reluctant haze’* campaign against a couple of emotionally charged and vulnerable supporter bases. (Bulldogs and St Kilda, and North) *by this, act as if they don’t want to be negative, but just say stuff like, ‘hate to say it, but….’, ‘people say I never give love to (x), but again, I have to point out….’, c) they really drive the suffering supporters crazy, generate their name and get more hits , re-tweets etc. Any publicity is good publicity. So their metrics are driven by their ongoing insults and grating…

Expect to see a lot of love for Josh Battle and Long this finals campaign. They left us now, and it smarts. I don’t wanna mention their names, but we know who they are. Poor Luke Darcy. I was never a huge fan, but at least he tried to call out one, but got egg on his face for it.

 

[Sheepey]

God Mason Wood has been an elite acquisition for his off field work. Nurtured NWM to what he is now and he's doing the same with Tauru. Bradley Hill the same for his work with the Indigenous boys. Regardless of their on field performances, their contribution to culture and development cannot be understated.

 

[Armoooo]

We’ll see how this plays out.

It’s worth remembering that if we keep them their value next year is half what it is now.

You can’t get quality in with magic beans and we have pick 7 then junk.

Talk of trading Caminiti is just whack, who trades a young key for chump change.

TDK and JSOS = Free
Aleer = 3rd Round Pick
Ryan = Future 2nd Round Pick

That's 4 players in without touching the 3 first round picks we have available to trade.

I think we only go for one of Flanders or CMac and our first should be enough for either.

Personally I feel we should trade Steele for his sake as much as anything. I don't have a spot for him in our best 23 and I'd rather Boxshall be emergency before him.

 

[BrutThough]

God Mason Wood has been an elite acquisition for his off field work. Nurtured NWM to what he is now and he's now doing it with Tauru. Bradley Hill the same for his work with the Indigenous boys. Regardless of their on field performances, their contribution to culture and development cannot be understated.

It's why their 3 year contacts were justified. They likely wont be contributing much at AFL by then but we've got 2 of the best people in the AFL developing the group off field.

 

[Armoooo]

God Mason Wood has been an elite acquisition for his off field work. Nurtured NWM to what he is now and he's now doing it with Tauru. Bradley Hill the same for his work with the Indigenous boys. Regardless of their on field performances, their contribution to culture and development cannot be understated.

Yep, we need to keep these guys as long as possible. Even if they fall out of the best 22 in the next couple of years there worth a list spot just to play ressies and be good role models.

 

[sauce_head]

Like him or not, he has talked sense over this issue.

I know. I just can’t stand the fact he’s back in the fold with his smug face on the idiot box.

 

[jimmytigs]

if merrett goes would steele be in play for the bombers?

surely they would need some stopgap senior bodies,rebuild is fine,but they dont want to be 2012 gws,if they were to get 5 top 10 picks,or 4 and the draper compo is band 2(surely it has to be),i would be eyeing off one of those 2nd rounders for steele,if he wants victoria

 

[gringo2011]

So Port, hungry for a mid after losing NAZ has enticed Will Brodie to nominate them from Freo.
The bloke has not had a senior game since R7 2023.
Port going all out for a flag

Super unlucky though. He looked very good when he did play. Pretty good for Port incase Butters walks out next year.

 

[gringo2011]

We could, would have the draft picks,
both might be abit too similar
I know Cmack is an inch taller though

Flanders is a ready made that can play rebound half back swapping with Nas, can play forward and inside mid. He has one absolutely elite year. CMac is a project mid with a fair bit of development sunk into him. Both good kicks, Cam probably less adaptable but looks very promising.