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List Mgmt. 2025 List Management Discussion

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I was very surprised to see Dev walking to the MCG on his own on Saturday. Felt quite sad for him.
I saw Noah walking to the ground with what looked like his family (and still with a limp unfortunately) so I think our non-playing players may have had a choice about how they spent the pre-game.
 
History is repeating.

As legend has it sometime in 2002 Leigh Matthews presented to the Lions Board - Choose history or choose longevity. He gave them the option to keep the team together but that would mean loosing some up and coming players that would get better offers else where. It would mean 3, 4 or even 5 premierships retaining just the top players.It would mean the club would fall in a hole the following years, )I guess a bit like collingwood now). The alternative was to let some go, turn the list over but continue to be in the finals. The rest they say is history, the board chose glory and the Lions fell into the compromised drafts and were down for a long time.

It's a bit like that again. Next year it will be Bailey, to keep or to keep the younger ones. Zorko, Froggy retiring if they like it or not, etc. Who else might get huge offers? an so on. Interesting times ahead for us.

Every decision now is a 3 or 4 year decision, nothing is really about next year. I suspect the board will choose a GLORY type approach, as some have suggested a big mid-level player clean out so we can retain the top and keep the draftee's on the lowest wages.
 
Just realised we haven't even signed Will Ashcroft yet. Ummm.. why hasn't this happened yet?

Yeah hopefully we get on the front foot on that one - not getting any cheaper year on year. Maybe seeing how much cap we clear this year and still trying to balance everything. Also he and his management probably also realise his value is only increasing so no need to rush things negotiate at your peak.

For this year Ah Chee wouldn't be on a major contract but you would expect at least 300k surely maybe even 400k, I remember it being said somewhere that Dev was on 500k - not sure how reliable that is, Starce if he goes was in our top 25% so also some cap cleared there - maybe 700k? Those outs sort of balance out the money being reported for Allen and Draper in hopefully a bit more left over in this exchange but may just be a levelling out of contracts out and in.

Then trying to balance the rest with the cap increase could be interesting. Hopefully we have carefully used Daniher's expected wage to front load a few or build a % under max to use for future years to re-sign Wash, Lash, Morris, Lohmann, Marshall, Gallop, Annable - will be a new challenge balancing the cap with the free agents being brought in.

Doedee will probably get a reduced contract if he continues after his current one so that should be at least 800k that can be redistributed given he triggered band 1 compo for Adelaide and Lachie, Zorko, Froggy, Big O will come out as well as they retire so hopefully it all works but will be a balancing act - let's hope list management is as good with contract negotiations as the trade and draft period - I am sure they will be but will be a major challenge in the next 3 years especially.
 

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I think we could afford to give some players a small raise. Say McLuggage is on 900,000, ok give him 1m. Little increases. The last thing we should be doing is a St Kilda and suddenly giving McLuggage 1.8m. If everyone takes a small increase, and factor in the players that are leaving also, don’t see a problem.
 
Easy to throw statements around like this, but Dunkley is almost as important to our chances as Harris Andrews. I do wonder if any of our current players could play his role? Berry at a pinch (shoulders biggest issue)? Maybe Anabelle could be encouraged/ developed into that kind of player?
 
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History is repeating.

As legend has it sometime in 2002 Leigh Matthews presented to the Lions Board - Choose history or choose longevity. He gave them the option to keep the team together but that would mean loosing some up and coming players that would get better offers else where. It would mean 3, 4 or even 5 premierships retaining just the top players.It would mean the club would fall in a hole the following years, )I guess a bit like collingwood now). The alternative was to let some go, turn the list over but continue to be in the finals. The rest they say is history, the board chose glory and the Lions fell into the compromised drafts and were down for a long time.

It's a bit like that again. Next year it will be Bailey, to keep or to keep the younger ones. Zorko, Froggy retiring if they like it or not, etc. Who else might get huge offers? an so on. Interesting times ahead for us.

Every decision now is a 3 or 4 year decision, nothing is really about next year. I suspect the board will choose a GLORY type approach, as some have suggested a big mid-level player clean out so we can retain the top and keep the draftee's on the lowest wages.

Third option: stack rorts, be good forever.
 
Tassie Cash bonanza is coming like a freight train!!! Has it been confirmed anywhere if there will be a cap per club on players that can be signed initially?
You would bloody hope so, Devils could come for Fletcher, Morris and the Ashcroft brothers with massive wads of cash via signing on bonuses.

It is the AFL though they don't have a good record of due diligence re possible down the road outcomes from hasty not thought through decisions.
 
Oscar won't be in our best 22 every game next year should he not retire this year, because his body is shot. Fort can't shoulder the load on his own and Day is a dud. Smith is raw and probably wont ever be a full time ruck as it should have clicked for him by now.

No other ruckman are available. In the window. The club know Draper is a walk up start next year and securing him accordingly.
Very harsh on Smith. Everytime there's been a ruck opening in the senior side he's copped an untimely injury or three. If he can get a clean run at it in the off-season I reckon the ruck spot is his to take until Draper is fully recovered from his achilles.
 
I'd have thought H. Smith is probably just not fit enough to be a full time ruck just yet. He wouldn't be any less athletic than Darcy Fort would he?
 
Easy to throw statements around like this, but Dunkley is almost as important to our chances as Harris Andrews. I do wonder if any of our current players could play his role? Berry at a pinch (shoulders biggest issue)? Maybe Anabelle could be encouraged/ developed into that kind of player?

Dev?

I'll see myself out...
 
You would bloody hope so, Devils could come for Fletcher, Morris and the Ashcroft brothers with massive wads of cash via signing on bonuses.

It is the AFL though they don't have a good record of due diligence re possible down the road outcomes from hasty not thought through decisions.
Looks as though there is a limit of 1 per club in Terms for signing uncontracted players as ‘Free Agents’.
 

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Easy to throw statements around like this, but Dunkley is almost as important to our chances as Harris Andrews. I do wonder if any of our current players could play his role? Berry at a pinch (shoulders biggest issue)? Maybe Anabelle could be encouraged/ developed into that kind of player?
I think Jaspa could grow into that role in time, though currently probably not strong enough.
 

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Do we have a Cotton On-type business we can use to fort the salary cap and keep all our players?

The club was an early bitcoin adopter and has billions in cold storage crypto.

We just give the players a thumb drive to top them up.
 
History is repeating.

As legend has it sometime in 2002 Leigh Matthews presented to the Lions Board - Choose history or choose longevity. He gave them the option to keep the team together but that would mean loosing some up and coming players that would get better offers else where. It would mean 3, 4 or even 5 premierships retaining just the top players.It would mean the club would fall in a hole the following years, )I guess a bit like collingwood now). The alternative was to let some go, turn the list over but continue to be in the finals. The rest they say is history, the board chose glory and the Lions fell into the compromised drafts and were down for a long time.

It's a bit like that again. Next year it will be Bailey, to keep or to keep the younger ones. Zorko, Froggy retiring if they like it or not, etc. Who else might get huge offers? an so on. Interesting times ahead for us.

Every decision now is a 3 or 4 year decision, nothing is really about next year. I suspect the board will choose a GLORY type approach, as some have suggested a big mid-level player clean out so we can retain the top and keep the draftee's on the lowest wages.

We have more levers to pull now. For example we could get Annable this year, draft the bare minimum - offload the 2026 picks to 2027 if we feel the top academy prospects are just mids.

We can space out our next big draft intake and line it up to a 2-3 year window when we feel there'll be a good draft. In the mean time invest in the ones already in books and see if we can compete at the pointy end.
 

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List Mgmt. 2025 List Management Discussion

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