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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[phantom13]

Wilkie shouldn't surprise anyone. He wont go, he also shouldn't get a revised contract for his existing years. I am however comfortable for the club to give him the C and add 2 years on for good coin.

Its what happens when you throw money at new players, its impossible not to have existing guys wanting their cut.

Its been raised alot that the FA cash splash was gonna cause some internal unrest, whilst i think the media angle of it is a bit overblown the general sentiment isnt suprising, with that in mind i just hope the club considered it when they started down this path.

 

[TheJackal]

When will it end? Sinclair, Higgins, King could do the same next

King can't based on the years of his contract, its the perfect example and why we shouldn't be adjusting current contracts previously agreed to.

 

[SaintSteele9]

Be funny if this whole thing of players renegotiating contracts for more money for good performance was offset by clubs being able to renegotiate for poor performance.

 

[Winmar2Lockett]

There's no way they offer up Colonel Sanders but if they did, it would be Wilkie + Our 1st for the Colonel. He's a young midfield gun, better than Flanders and Cmac.

Jesus Bakes get off the Herbalife

 

[Mystifly]

They are just throwing darts at the board and “creating content”. Remember, there is nothing that says content has to be factual or even any good. It’s just content. Bull sh it creators, is an interchangeable term.

"Feed the pigeons"

 

[bakes10]

Jesus Bakes get off the Herbalife

Haha, nope! Sanders is JHF Mk2 and is going to be a champion once the bulldogs allow him fulltime midfield minutes. I love Wilkie and he's done exceptional coming from the rookie list but if we take off our red-white-black rose coloured glasses off, and if Sanders were available (which he's not - the Dogs would never give him up), I'd give up a lot to get him.

 

[Saintscomemarchingin]

Tbh, the young player award (Fothergill-Round-Mitchell Medal) means more than the JJ Liston.

The last 18 Fothergill-Round-Mitchell Medal winners have been drafted into the AFL at some stage.

It's an extraordinary stat.

Wouldn't mind Blamires on the rookie list, can play a few roles

 

[St Steady]

Wilkie a 30 year old undersized back for Sanders a future A-grade mid that we've been crying out for. A no brainer. Would easily give up our 1st for him.

what have you been smoking

 

[austinnn]

It's the old sheedy manoeuvre. Offer massive cash to stars, then pick up any talent that is squeezed out the other end. Dogs are pretty slow if they have just started recently.

If I was Ross, I'd ring every single player on the dogs list, just for shits'n'giggles

​

To be fair, we've been doing the same thing for the last few years.

Offering the world to the most valuable players on other teams, knowing that even if they say no, their clubs will have to increase that player's sakarytoo keep him, and other players on the same team will eventually start looking around.
It's been a good strategy too! No one's bothered doing it to us until now, because no one gave a monkey's about anyone on our list.

 

[Bob Butter]

King can't based on the years of his contract, its the perfect example and why we shouldn't be adjusting current contracts previously agreed to.

Exactly right. The whole point of longer term contracts are that the players get security, and the clubs offset the risk of injuries and poor form with the fact that generally speaking, the players contract should be fairly team friendly as wages increase and they can manipulate the money (front/back end etc). This doesn't work if the contracted players keep demanding more money.

 

[longtimesaint]

what have you been smoking

I’m glad the posters on here aren’t in our list management team.
We would be looking at bottom 4!
We would want Darcy or Richard’s to entertain trading Wilkie

 

[phantom13]

This Wilkie stuff is still pretty funny TBH.

All well and good for Bevo to call him and make an offer, youve still gotta satisfy a trade boys and im quite sure Ross and SOS would be going into that room ready to make a man bleed badly.

 

[phantom13]

I’m glad the posters on here aren’t in our list management team.
We would be looking at bottom 4!
We would want Darcy or Richard’s to entertain trading Wilkie

As a starting point, minimum

 

[austinnn]

Wilkie a 30 year old undersized back for Sanders a future A-grade mid that we've been crying out for. A no brainer. Would easily give up our 1st for him.

Jesus, you're not joking.. scary stuff

 

[CaptainRisky]

When will it end? Sinclair, Higgins, King could do the same next

I thought you had to play to warrant asking for more money

 

[BucketsandBanger]

I stand by my original thoughts, despite being called a bedwetter , the fact this is still a story is not a good sign for what we are trying to achieve. We have set ourselves a two year timeframe to get moving up the ladder and in to contention. Whatever people think, Cal Wilkie will be an absolutely integral part of that if it is to be successful.

This still being a story, and being played out in the media doesn't bode well for the culture that Lyon and co are trying to build. Just doesn't happen at good, serious football clubs. We are gonna need a team with a lot of new pieces to gel very quickly and it will need everyone on board. Not I'm on board contingent on a bigger contract. Someone fully committed would be ecstatic that we are bringing in multiple good players to improve us not shitty thinking they deserve the money more, despite having zero on field success.

Anyway I've got no doubt Cal will be playing for us next year but let's see if Lyon can get everyone on the same page quickly.

 

[The Punter]

I stand by my original thoughts, despite being called a bedwetter , the fact this is still a story is not a good sign for what we are trying to achieve. We have set ourselves a two year timeframe to get moving up the ladder and in to contention. Whatever people think, Cal Wilkie will be an absolutely integral part of that if it is to be successful.

This still being a story, and being played out in the media doesn't bode well for the culture that Lyon and co are trying to build. Just doesn't happen at good, serious football clubs. We are gonna need a team with a lot of new pieces to gel very quickly and it will need everyone on board. Not I'm on board contingent on a bigger contract. Someone fully committed would be ecstatic that we are bringing in multiple good players to improve us not shitty thinking they deserve the money more, despite having zero on field success.

Anyway I've got no doubt Cal will be playing for us next year but let's see if Lyon can get everyone on the same page quickly.

Plenty of chat about key players at three of the clubs still in it. I don't buy into this story being a reflection of anything else other than an inflationary environment for player salaries and managers trying to do the best by their clients.

 

[stavro#4]

This Wilkie stuff is still pretty funny TBH.

All well and good for Bevo to call him and make an offer, youve still gotta satisfy a trade boys and im quite sure Ross and SOS would be going into that room ready to make a man bleed badly.

A little part of me, thinks it would be pretty fun to watch this play out for 2 weeks.

 

[Yawkey way]

The worry is the precedent. What happens if we roll over and give Wilkie a nice pay rise and then King kicks 70 goals next year (on a modest long term contract).

Can you imagine planning the list and salary cap with every second contracted player putting their hand out.

 

[gringo2011]

Haha, nope! Sanders is JHF Mk2 and is going to be a champion once the bulldogs allow him fulltime midfield minutes. I love Wilkie and he's done exceptional coming from the rookie list but if we take off our red-white-black rose coloured glasses off, and if Sanders were available (which he's not - the Dogs would never give him up), I'd give up a lot to get him.

And he probably goes straight back to Tassie when they get a side.

 

[austinnn]

Inevitably someone will pay whatever it takes for top talent, so we'll have to get used to players continuing to ask for more.

I wonder if this will force clubs to convince the AFL to increase the salary cap again soon, and in this case where will the buck stop?

Will the average footy fan be priced out? What will happen if the AFL becomes an overpriced product?

 

[Yawkey way]

Bulldogs just wanted to trade for Wilkie and pay him more, nothing wrong with that. What’s wrong is Wilkie’s head is obviously turned by the large sums, it’s understandable and will continue to happen for clubs. AFL is now becoming the American sports, where money is all that matters.

Yes their is you can’t approach a contracted player and encourage them to break a contract.

The afl, nfl and other have rules against exactly this type of behaviour. The afl are simply a weak conflicted organisation, but yeah let’s go with draft tampering as well just cut loose do as you please.

 

[Joffaboy]

To be fair, we've been doing the same thing for the last few years.

Offering the world to the most valuable players on other teams, knowing that even if they say no, their clubs will have to increase that player's sakarytoo keep him, and other players on the same team will eventually start looking around.
It's been a good strategy too! No one's bothered doing it to us until now, because no one gave a monkey's about anyone on our list.

Weren't most of the ones we did it to were OOC or FA?
I mean we can't whinge when another club does it yo us, but it has to be realistic, not to the second best player in the team with 2 years to go on their contract, all because the Bulldogs got their panties in a twist because we cucked them on JSOS. It had been embarrassingly bad by them.

However the point stands, the AFL created this, they compromise the draft by handouts for years for the fake northern clubs, cause Saints to get creative and save up to 32 % SC ( 23 and 24 5%, Caro says we saved 17% in 2025 by front loading, and and extra 5 % allowed to spend in 25 because 5% saved in 24). That's 5.8 million over the cap to spend. We over paid to get players, now everyone is overpaying.

We started the arms race, now everyone is scrambling to catch up.

 

[AFaiL]

The more I think about it, the more I am against trading Marshall, especially to Geelong. Their main (and potentially only) weakness is ruck. IF we are genuine about having a crack over the next two years, why would we give the Cats what they need? They have nothing to give back that they would be willing to part with -- and, their players are great in their system but buggered if they can give the same output elsewhere. Would be a genuinely terrible move

 

[Yawkey way]

You need to get out more , think of the footy trips you could do to Tassie instead of being on here 24/7 , The only ones who bag the joint have never been there

I love Tassie, I hope they get their team and on their own terms.