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
​

 

[St Neil]

Marshall & F2nd to Geelong

Pick 18 which could be 25
F1 to Saints

Does that work

Not my idea

Seems enticing

I just wanted straight swap for F1

Yes it does work. It’s what should be happening considering how late their picks will be.

Watch Geelong resist on the second pick though, they’ll try and be cute and offer a third or a swap of later picks.

Saints shouldn’t humour them. They want our player, contracted, and have tried to get him for 2 years now.

Just pay up. Get it done.

Saints are doing that with Flanders now - pick 7.

 

[stavro#4]

He's done the hard yards for long enough..reckon he'll take his chances and stay

Maybe and fair enough if he does.

But simultaneously if they have told him that VFL is also on the cards he can’t be having a dummy spit if he runs around there.

 

[Banger9798]

View attachment 2447276

God-like. He warped space-time that quarter, and his team mates were pulled along with him....and by the look of the players nominating us, the rest of the competition have entered the Vortex too.

 

[beside the seaside]

It's a bit of a catch 22 for Steele hey. He doesn't suit the needs of a club chasing a flag but that's ideally where he wants to be at this stage of his career.

 

[Banger9798]

Get your body right Jack and back yourself in to be a best 23 player

This. Do what Pies did with DeGoey and let him properly rehab his knee. Come back after the bye round if necessary. But playing at 80% is not working for him or the team. At 95% he's a big asset.

 

[austinnn]

What's the best we could expect?

They wouldn't give any of their current 2025 picks

F1 works for me

 

[Vacuous Space]

Classic trope of thinking multiple average players will equal one good player.

crap plus crap equals gold

 

[XhazzafootyX]

Gonna be a looooong 10 days bickering with cat fans

 

[SG34]

Losing those three will be a bit sadder than usual for me. Jonesy pulls out quite a few good ones and puts his jam tart into it every time but time has probably caught up with him.
Monty tries his ring out and if he’s pushed out I hope he finds another club.
Ari could be an absolute weapon if used correctly.
However having said that if getting rid of them improves us I’m sure I’ll be over it after the first three wins.
Ari who???

Has time caught up with Jones. He would be unlucky to get the chop based on capability. Easily the best player at Sandy. Class above. His age is against him, but I'd be inclined to think he offers more than Dow, Butler, Carrol and possibly even Byrnesy on match day. He is prone to calf injuries but he had a good 2025 on that score.

 

[MrFoster]

Maybe and fair enough if he does.

But simultaneously if they have told him that VFL is also on the cards he can’t be having a dummy spit if he runs around there.

Basically Steele will need to choose between VFL or playing as a senior mid for another Melbourne team.

With Flanders coming in, Macrae and young players jostling for midfield minutes, Steele is unlikely to play in the seniors. Still think Collingwood will be his best bet (replacing 1 of Pendlebury, Sidebottom or Mitchell)

 

[L_W_P]

It's a bit of a catch 22 for Steele hey. He doesn't suit the needs of a club chasing a flag but that's ideally where he wants to be at this stage of his career.

We say this but he's still a great contest player and lays a mountain of tackles.

I can't believe that the likes of Collingwood, GWS, Sydney or the Dogs wouldn't be asking very serious questions of his manager.

I understand that he doesn't quite fit the gameplan that Ross wants to run with every week, but Steele still has value for sure.

If our aim is to be pushing for finals then Jack Steele sitting as the 20-25th player picked each week is a great spot to be in IMO.

 

[ThomasR]

Marshall & F2nd to Geelong

Pick 18 which could be 25
F1 to Saints

Does that work

Not my idea

Seems enticing

I just wanted straight swap for F1

Marshall + 50 for 19 + 40 (or wherever those picks end up after compo) seems to be the most likely trade at this stage

If that happens I'd try to do 8 + 19 + Butler to GC for Flanders + their F1. Might be enough to get them the picks/points for Petracca and all of their academy kids this year, and a nepo death ride for us next year

Probably prefer Suns F1 to Cats at this point

 

[Tommy Wigs]

I think most of us really don't know much about Ainsworth. I actually watch quite a bit of Gold Coast because I tend to watch most of my footy on Sundays. Despite having seen heaps of them, just have never noticed Ainsworth at all. I'm not a great judge though so that doesn't mean he's bad.

But I think most of us feel that we are at the stage where we should only be bringing in players who improve our starting 18. It is a waste of capital to add another player into our fringe, especially on in his late 20s.

Ainsworth doesn't get many possessions, tackle much or score many goals. You've compared him to Butler, a player I would personally like to see traded. But even Butler has averaged an elite 18 pressure acts per game over his career compared to a below average 13.6 from Ainsworth.

So if Ainsworths contributions aren't coming from the things you notice like disposals and goals and they're not coming from the less visible stuff like pressure acts. What could he possibly add?

I'll back the club if they want to go after him, theyre better judges than me. But from what I can see, I'd be surprised if we had any interest whatsoever.

Quite a handy player in my view, but they have loads of depth and so he’s just not going to get time in the midfield. He’s not someone you’d rush out and pay big money or draft picks for, but I’m not sure Flyin is any different. It will be interesting to see who has taken their interest.

 

[Mindtraveller]

Has time caught up with Jones. He would be unlucky to get the chop based on capability. Easily the best player at Sandy. Class above. His age is against him, but I'd be inclined to think he offers more than Dow, Butler, Carrol and possibly even Byrnesy on match day. He is prone to calf injuries but he had a good 2025 on that score.

Jones was probably the best player we had for the sub. I don't know if he's needed with the extended bench next year. Was wasted when we had younger players as sub

 

[Teflon]

This may be obvious to some but just putting it out here

Friend got into conversation with Hammer last night, Caminiti said the plan is for him to go back forward next year.

I just don’t see it with him forward I’d love to be wrong but he’s clumsy at best

 

[austinnn]

Has time caught up with Jones. He would be unlucky to get the chop based on capability. Easily the best player at Sandy. Class above. His age is against him, but I'd be inclined to think he offers more than Dow, Butler, Carrol and possibly even Byrnesy on match day. He is prone to calf injuries but he had a good 2025 on that score.

I really rate Zac Jones. I think he's been great for the club, and while nobody could say he's been a star, he gives his absolute all every time, and is a Saints man through-and-through.

Time hasn't really caught up with him, but a rising level lifts all boats, and effort is not going to be enough at this stage. I would have him comfortably outside the best 22, unless we have a massive injury issue.

I think at the this stage of the clubs progression, we must now roll the dice and move past players who are good enough without being really good. The same is probably true with Byrnes. Both players have attributes that until now were in short supply at the club - that burst of speed, that tenacity and desperation that really is their trademark - but we need to get that out of our better players, take off the band-aid and allow us to live or die on their actions than thin out the squad with (with the utmost respect) GOPs. Our youth progression demands it and the club isn't doing its job properly if it continues to make up the numbers in the squad.
I absolutely believe Zac Jones's best opportunity - if he still wants to play professional footy - is a leadership position in our inaugural VFL side, and I would love to see that frankly.

He'd be perfect for the job. The only issue might be his wage, so I guess the ball is in his court what he wants to do, if he wants to move on to a more lucrative profession or not.

 

[Saint Watto]

I remember that game, he only had to touch the ball to be paid a mark or free kick.

Absolutely right there Yawkey way.......his last goal or 2 were literally that.

It was the most farcical series of events that you could wish to see.

After his final mark.....the coach and hundreds of Footscray fans ran on the ground to mob Templeton.....and the siren hadn't even sounded.....farcical.....and very mind bending...lol.

After 5 or so minutes.....all spectators and the Dogs coach were cleared from the ground and he kicked his 15th goal.

To rub a lot of salt into the wound....me and the group of mates who went to all our away games vowed not to go to the Western oval that day as the Saints were on a horror losing run after the infamous "Animals Game" against the Bombers at Moorabbin.

So instead....we went to the nearby Flemington races.....all had done our arses by mid race program but had enough money to get into the ground and we could get there by the 2nd qtr.

Que a 107 point belting with Templeton kicking 15........the footy gods absolutely hated us that day.

 

[austinnn]

Basically Steele will need to choose between VFL or playing as a senior mid for another Melbourne team.

With Flanders coming in, Macrae and young players jostling for midfield minutes, Steele is unlikely to play in the seniors. Still think Collingwood will be his best bet (replacing 1 of Pendlebury, Sidebottom or Mitchell)

Time to take the blinkers off regarding Steele. He's been an absolute legend for our club,
but the reality is, he's not that good in the context of the entire league. Plenty of Saints fans still look at him abd see the Man of Steele of 5 or 6 years ago when he might have been our MVP, but even back in those days, he was probably the same level as the third or fourth midfielder in the better AFL teams. Now his level would be regarded externally as closer to how we view a player like Darcy Parish externally or Ryan Byrnes internally.

Edit: not sure if Parish is the right comparison. Put it this way; if Steele were to nominate a club, I'm sure that club's supporters would be pretty happy to bring him on for very little trade cost, similarly to how we are about Liam Ryan, he'd be handy steak knives, but he's not a player you'd headhunt or build your recruiting strategy around.

 

[Sainter62]

It has to be a starting 18 player that plays every week at a minimum.

He couldn't play more than every week?

 

[Saintscomemarchingin]

Time to take the blinkers off regarding Steele. He's been an absolute legend for our club,
but the reality is, he's not that good in the context of the entire league. Plenty of Saints fans still look at him abd see the Man of Steele of 5 or 6 years ago when he might have been our MVP, but even back in those days, he was probably the same level as the third or fourth midfielder in the better AFL teams. Now his level would be regarded externally as closer to how we view a player like Darcy Parish externally or Ryan Byrnes internally.

You'd probably have to ask Patrick Cripps that question, I've seen Steele go toe to toe with him on numerous occasions over the years & come out on top.
Think you are diminishing his value unfairly, same level as other teams 3rd or 4th midfielder-really?
Not sure why you are even mentioning this, to be honest

 

[austinnn]

He couldn't play more than every week?

Think he means the min you'd want is to play, but hope for Brownlow votes, inclusion in the best players lists in match reports here and there, etc

 

[Sainter62]

Could Steele do the small lockdown defender role like Nathan Burke at the end of his career giving us a bit of glue down back?

not quick enough?

 

[Ads734]

If Josh Dunkley

5

Josh Dunkley

Age

28

Ht

191cm

Wt

87kg

Pos.

Mid

Career

Season

Last 5

D

21.8

5star

K

10.4

4star

HB

11.3

5star

M

4.3

4star

T

5.8

5star

CL

3.2

5star

D

20.7

5star

K

7.0

3star

HB

13.7

5star

M

2.3

2star

T

5.3

5star

CL

2.7

4star

D

14.2

4star

K

7.2

3star

HB

7.0

5star

M

4.8

5star

T

4.0

5star

CL

1.4

4star

can be as good as he is on the Lions I see no reason as to why Steele can be the same

 

[Coconut_twirl]

Think what we have is better than Ainsworth to be honest, Humphrey on the other hand. Highly unlikely so will wait for it to be disproven this week.

Quite happy with our haul regardless of a surprise 6th.

Or maybe there was never a surprise 6th. If there was, most likely Cmac and I don’t think that one gets done.

 

[jh38]

If Josh Dunkley can be as good as he is on the Lions I see no reason as to why Steele can be the same

He needs to get his power back if he wants to play that role. Unfortunately he's getting pushed out by Windy.