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List Mgmt. 2025 Premiership(s) List Making and Trading

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I think it should be open slather TBH, players hold a lot of power in the AFL that they don't in other sports.

I've linked the article published yesterday this came from below

Probably one of the main reasons an open slather will never work if the AFL wants to maintain 18-20 team competition with degrees of equalisation

The lack of blockbusters has clearly been a factor on player movement in the past.

“The major difference for players when you are recruiting is just the difference in crowds and games at the MCG,” one ex-player said.

“You can draw a pretty clear distinction between the bigger clubs getting prime time games as opposed to your Sunday twilight (timeslot).”

One player manager said: “if you lined everybody up and said, ‘Where do you want to play?’, nine of out of 10 would say the MCG in front of 80,000”.

 
Another interesting article around some of the AFL spend published today - talks about some grass root spend, through to clubs AFL & AFLW departments

The last time it was made public was in 2016, when Gillon McLachlan’s wage was listed as $1.74m, although that is believed to have almost doubled in his time in the job.

That was McLachlan’s third year in the job, much like Dillon, and industry figures point to Dillon’s wage in the range of $1.8-2 million.

The AFL executive team was paid $10.8m last year across nine positions.

 
I've linked the article published yesterday this came from below

Probably one of the main reasons an open slather will never work if the AFL wants to maintain 18-20 team competition with degrees of equalisation



Rankine cited this as one of his reasons for leaving Gold Coast, when he joined Adelaide.
 
I think it should be open slather TBH, players hold a lot of power in the AFL that they don't in other sports.
I’m don’t players nominating a state - if NWM has genuine homesickness issues and wants to be around family etc that’s fine, but St Kilda should be absolutely able to get the best possible deal by playing off both SA teams against one another.

I’d also have clubs having more control of trading players in contract even if the player hasn’t requested a trade but again under the proviso that the player hasn’t some control over which state they’re being traded to.
 

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I just keep thinking if NWM says he want to go to Port, how could we get in on the deal to improve our list and draft hand? Rowan Marshall would be a good get for ruck if we are looking at a ROB replacement. A possible 3 way deal involving our 1st this year but getting later picks back to then work into a trade with a club needing points for academy bids?
 
I just keep thinking if NWM says he want to go to Port, how could we get in on the deal to improve our list and draft hand? Rowan Marshall would be a good get for ruck if we are looking at a ROB replacement. A possible 3 way deal involving our 1st this year but getting later picks back to then work into a trade with a club needing points for academy bids?
You do realise both Rowan Marshall and ROB will both be 30 well before season 2026 starts?

No argument Marshall is the better all round package but IMO ROB is the better tap ruck and has unequalled endurance among AFL rucks and also unequalled durability.

Sure Marshall has more versatility in the roles he can play but we'd be recruiting him as our No.1 Ruck not for his versatility.

Unless we intend to draft/recruit a young development ruck behind Marshall for the long term I'm not so sure it's the way to go. Either way we're putting a lot of faith in McAndrew measuring up to AFL standard with the age of both Marshall and ROB if we continue to not develop a young ruck for the future.
 
I dont really follow this closely enough, but I thought Port couldn't trade out another future first pick (like, they are prevented by AFL rules from doing it?). In which case, and absent some deal for Butters, if you are St Kilda why would you agree to pick 26 (which is what they have currently right) in a very shallow draft...you might as well throw him to the open draft because you arent getting anything worthwhile back. It also helps a rival at the same level as you (at least this year anyway)...
 
You do realise both Rowan Marshall and ROB will both be 30 well before season 2026 starts?

No argument Marshall is the better all round package but IMO ROB is the better tap ruck and has unequalled endurance among AFL rucks and also unequalled durability.

Sure Marshall has more versatility in the roles he can play but we'd be recruiting him as our No.1 Ruck not for his versatility.

Unless we intend to draft/recruit a young development ruck behind Marshall for the long term I'm not so sure it's the way to go. Either way we're putting a lot of faith in McAndrew measuring up to AFL standard with the age of both Marshall and ROB if we continue to not develop a young ruck for the future.
Maybe extending on from what I was hinting at, if we got a 2nd rounder back on any deal for Marshall, we could use that on a developing ruck.

So we may let ROB leave and 'may' get a compo pick for him as a UFA, bring in Marshall and a project ruck which could be where we improve our list this year in what looks to be a thin draft.
 
Going solely off ROB’s 2025 form we should definitely just extend him the three years. The issue is that historically he seems to have a tendency to coast by when there is no pressure (ie. selection or contract).

Therefore, if we are committing to ROB, we need to make sure our second ruck isn’t just a break glass option but actively pushing for team selection in his own right.
 

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To get the deal done, I'd offer our first this year and Jordan Butts.
If I'm on the other end I think I'd want more than that.

Nothing against Butts as he's been great since he's come in but a shutdown only KPD aren't exactly worth a heap and our first rounder will be in the teens.
 
We're stuck between a rock and a hard place with ROB

Playing for a contract he's been good. When he's on a cushy deal he coasts and plays rubbish.

There's a dearth of good rucks around so someone will offer him a three year deal if we don't, so we can't offer him a one year contract to keep him on edge.

Only chance moving forward is if we have a 2nd or developing ruck that we're prepared to pick ahead of ROB if his form wavers a fraction. Is that McAndrew? I get the impression that he's more a Strachan - permanent back up, only there if ROB gets injured rather than a serious 1st ruck contender.

Either way, a comfortable ROB is a bad ROB so we need to engineer this situation somehow.
 
If I'm on the other end I think I'd want more than that.

Nothing against Butts as he's been great since he's come in but a shutdown only KPD aren't exactly worth a heap and our first rounder will be in the teens.
I would have thought shutdown full backs are still a pretty valuable acquisition especially if surrounded by good tall rebounding defenders like Worrell and Keane.
 
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We're stuck between a rock and a hard place with ROB

Playing for a contract he's been good. When he's on a cushy deal he coasts and plays rubbish.

There's a dearth of good rucks around so someone will offer him a three year deal if we don't, so we can't offer him a one year contract to keep him on edge.

Only chance moving forward is if we have a 2nd or developing ruck that we're prepared to pick ahead of ROB if his form wavers a fraction. Is that McAndrew? I get the impression that he's more a Strachan - permanent back up, only there if ROB gets injured rather than a serious 1st ruck contender.

Either way, a comfortable ROB is a bad ROB so we need to engineer this situation somehow.
The big difference between McAndrew and Strachan is their height, both have pretty handy skills outside of their tap work, hopefully McAndrew has or can develop a better endurance base than Strachan.

I guess re McAndrew we need to find out though they have extended him so maybe they know more than we do.
 
If I'm on the other end I think I'd want more than that.

Nothing against Butts as he's been great since he's come in but a shutdown only KPD aren't exactly worth a heap and our first rounder will be in the teens.
I have a feeling in the unlikely even t NWM chooses us, they will be asking for a player like Worrell or Rachele and draft picks
 

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Would you be prepared to part with any of these young Vics as part of a trade for NWM?

Jake Soligo
Josh Rachele
Josh Worrell
Nick Murray
The core young group we are building seems very tight. I wouldn't be shopping them around even if it means we miss out on NWM.

I would be putting 2025 1st and 2026 1st with some Chump change thrown in though.
 
Would you be prepared to part with any of these young Vics as part of a trade for NWM?

Jake Soligo
Josh Rachele
Josh Worrell
Nick Murray
Of that list, Worrell to me is the player we could least afford to lose in that he just compliments our backline so well and is a perfect height for the player we need him to be. He is a lock for AA imo this year too A fit Murray would be a no as well as we would lose our best key defender. But after that, if it was Soligo and our 1st, or Rachele and our F1 and either were ok with the move, I'd do it for what NWM would bring to the team. Both those 2 players in Soligo and Rachele are also somewhat replaceable.
 
Mutineer and BRL121 why the thumbs down? You wouldn’t offer our first and Butts for NWM? Surely that’s not what you’re disagreeing with
That wouldn't get it done...end of story.

And personally I wouldn't be comfortable with the long term $1.5m annual hit to our overall salary cap it will quite possibly take. That's a lot of eggs to have in the one basket with Curtin and other younger players likely wanting more $$$$'s to retain in the future.
 

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