List Mgmt. 2025 List Management Discussion - Part IV

[Hubnester]

2025 List Management Discussion - Part 4

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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[stavro#4]

Pigs might fly too , just cant see it happening myself

Maybe not centre square stuff. But I’d be keen to see him roll through that half forward line. He is pretty crafty around the ball

 

[Dard Ball Get]

I’m not sure what is happening in Bobby Hill’s background, but if it’s more a case of personal mental health issues and not being a naughty boy (no idea), then I’d be all in.

Does sound like there is a drug element involved

 

[beside the seaside]

Don't know much about Ainsworth as a player but just looking at his stats and he seems a fairly decent half forward.

 

[stavro#4]

I’ll be in and out of meetings today. Work didn’t factor in that it’s the start of trade period and my saints are busy.

So team effort for updates required.

 

[Tommy Wigs]

Didn’t Ross say towards the back end of the season that he wanted to roll Higgins through the midfield next season?

Outside of king our entire front half looks mobile. Even if Caminiti plays forward with King. They both move well.

Hawthorn as you mentioned destroy sides with their ability to rotate 8-9 guys between arcs etc.

Yeah, he did re: Higgins. Not sure if it’s a throwaway type line and isn’t something that comes straight to my mind. But the little bugger is very clever.

 

[Armitage2Riewoldt]

What I'm digging is that just about all of these 'journos' are saying we're into another player or players but none of them have absolutely any idea who that might be

Yep mystery mid has been well held so far!

(or has it?)

 

[ScrappyDo]

I think Steele’s best footy is when he is a few Kgs heavier and he can play that bulk role.

The issue is that Ross is very strict about weight limits as he wants his midfielders lean to cover ground as opposed to inside beasts.

I just think a move is best for both parties.

Funnily enough the extra bulk didn't stop Jack from being the best 2 way mid in the comp at that time. It's something l think Ross has probably got wrong in that there's an over focus on weight rather than best weight. Chito the same now l think of it.

 

[Tommy Wigs]

Tom Morris opinion is that

Pick 7 is the main part of the Flanders deal. But others involved.

Marshall gets to Geelong with their first as the key part of that deal - but also other picks involved.

Good. Because we will flatten this year’s picks and some of next year’s if Marshall is a straight pick 17 and Flanders is pick 7 with nothing more than a later pick back. Hopefully it’s no worse than 7 and Marshall covering Flanders, Ryan and Aleer.

 

[Tommy Wigs]

Yep mystery mid has been well held so far!

(or has it?)

I feel like the mystery trade target pops up every year. And never emerges!

 

[CursingFijian]

I didn’t say he was shit.

I said he’s a decent player but not a mid imo. The ability to roll through there is overstated in most cases. Higgins was a tac ball magnet, would you say we roll him through the mids ?.

As always he’s a contracted GC player, personally I don’t see value there. If we can include him in the Flanders trade then well done to our team but I don’t know how realistic that is.

Also list spots are getting tight already so we’re now at a one in one out situation so I think hypotheticals should include who you’re trading out. Contracted players don’t have to just say how high, you get their noses out of joint and maybe you’re doing more harm than good now.

Butler was in the leadership group voted in by his team mates, so we’re saying goodbye potentially to how many in that group.

I’m looking for quality now not just because we can deals. Once again Aleer looks looks and more like we’re overpaying a player we don’t need but are too far down the track to pull out. If you want Ainsworth do we still need Ryan?.

It’s interesting that Brisbane who you site as the model will have a returning Hipwood and have recruited Allen, is it choice or situational. The hawks are the same you can’t play quality keys you don’t have. Teams that have quality keys play them and those that don’t are looking to acquire then, Geelong want Curnow, Collingwood, Sydney, and so on.

Great win by Brisbane but whack a mole small forwards isn’t new, it’s been done before and disappeared. Any set up is dependent on quality and several of their smalls aren’t that small and are strong overhead like lohmann. In fact most are strong overhead and are more mediums than smalls.

Anyway is there still a mystery mid ? Is Acres a chance to return ? Who’s in the crosshairs ? Will Marshall get done ? I’d be very disappointed in we lipped Marshall for Ainsworth.

Interesting times but you reach a point where sitting back and waiting even at the risk off doing nothing else is the right move imo.

I’m guessing the mystery mid is elite but the wrong demographic.

 

[dudeintheswamp]

Yep mystery mid has been well held so far!

(or has it?)

Oleg Markov?

 

[Fehring]

Pigs might fly too , just cant see it happening myself

Higgins came to the Saints for midfield time. I remember him saying that when he was traded. He's got a lot fitter under Ross, and I'm guessing that Ross has thrown him the challenge - get fit enough to play mid and I'll give you a crack.

 

[Yawkey way]

I think he’s more Ollie Florent than Dan Butler. It’s a different role. I’ve come around to the idea.

I’d love florent he’s a quality small defender and very versatile but cost and need don’t match up imo.

 

[TheNewEnsign]

Firstly, I hope Flanders gets done early and easily and it seems a decent prospect of happening as you'd think GC want to move on to what could be fairly tough negotiations over Petracca.

Secondly, if we line up our existings and incomings as follows:

KPD: Howard, Wilkie (undersized but awesome), JSos, Aleer

KPF: King, Hammer, Keeler, Tauru (technically not KPD size but the leap makes up for it, and I know it's been said he'll play in defence again, hopefully not).

How good is that? It's seems like ages since we've had genuine AFL standard KPF & KPD depth like that. Also Coops being able to play more freely on 2nd or third best defender is something to look forward to.

 

[chris_h_11]

Odds on SOS and Gubby dodging this

With any luck, the club will let Ollie do the media duties this week.

 

[AFaiL]

I am a fan of all the inclusions, but I honestly think the key to any finals hopes next season is King & Pou coming back and contributing significantly - especially King. TDK obviously the exception as we wont have a ruck otherwise. These two have elite end talent levels but rarely show it

 

[Yawkey way]

Pigs might fly too , just cant see it happening myself

Higgins is slow, he’s also very good at what he does so I can’t see it.

Interestingly he was a ball pig in the tac but given he’s seen very little time as a mid to this point I’d say it was just Ross thinking out loud.

 

[MrFoster]

Firstly, I hope Flanders gets done early and easily and it seems a decent prospect of happening as you'd think GC want to move on to what could be fairly tough negotiations over Petracca.

Secondly, if we line up our existings and incomings as follows:

KPD: Howard, Wilkie (undersized but awesome), JSos, Aleer

KPF: King, Hammer, Keeler, Tauru (technically not KPD size but the leap makes up for it, and I know it's been said he'll play in defence again, hopefully not).

How good is that? It's seems like ages since we've had genuine AFL standard KPF & KPD depth like that. Also Coops being

You can also add Barrat as a 194cm key back although a little undersized.

 

[heynow85]

Odds on SOS and Gubby dodging this

I was hoping it’d be GM of Footy Ross Lyon, wouldn’t that be a good interview!

 

[Parkysp]

I feel like the mystery trade target pops up every year. And never emerges!

Just think of it being Paddy Dow (DOW) which Ross, JSOS, TDK and Tony have being alluding to for the past few weeks. A virtual recruit and so when he plays a game next year it can be claimed as a breakout game for the "mystery mid" on Saints BF.

 

[Marlo]

Port have to watch a slow car crash in Butters playing out his final year and 100% leaving at the end of next year...

Cop that dickheads

I rate Butters as a top 3 player

Enjoy dealing with Dogs fans for the next 12 months

 

[Saint Kidding]

Mine is compliment instead of complement. The world is full of footballers running around complimenting one another, apparently.

'Wrapped' instead of 'rapt'. The word is derived from 'rapture' and 'enraptured'. I cringe every time.

 

[TheNewEnsign]

'Wrapped' instead of 'rapt'. The word is derived from 'rapture' and 'enraptured'. I cringe every time.

Mine is 'referred pressure'. While maybe technically sort of ok in terms of the meaning and context, I am convinced that originally someone fairly literate (maybe Whately) said 'inferred pressure' and then a bunch of other commentators got it wrong and everyone now runs with the wrong expression.

 

[Dard Ball Get]

'Wrapped' instead of 'rapt'. The word is derived from 'rapture' and 'enraptured'. I cringe every time.

I used wrapped instead of rapt talking about Misson (Mission wraps) the other day in a group chat, over all but one of their heads

 

[Saintos The ITK]

Has Wilks actually announced he’s staging yet??