List Mgmt. 2026 List management - pt.1

[Saintscomemarchingin]

Getting the sinking feeling this recent trade period was a bad one for us.

Ryan probably the best of our recruits so far. Might not get alot of the ball, but when he does is all class.
DeKoning & Silvagni are serviceable & have filled list holes.
Flanders accumulates, but his distribution is disappointing & iffy atm.

 

[hayes]

Getting the sinking feeling this recent trade period was a bad one for us.

The only question mark for me so far is Flanders for pick 7. I could’ve lived with him if he didn’t come for that price. I know it drifted out a bit but we were too quick to give that up and he’s looking nowhere near like a top 10 type of player.

 

[westernsainter]

Ryan probably the best of our recruits so far. Might not get alot of the ball, but when he does is all class.
DeKoning & Silvagni are serviceable & have filled list holes.
Flanders accumulates, but his distribution is disappointing & iffy atm.

TdK needs to be a lot more than serviceable for his price tag. I'm less concerned about what picks have gone out and more about how our salary cap is tied up. Trading Steele and keeping Macrae just seems like poor list management. Hasn't done much since the bye last year.

 

[ScrappyDo]

The only question mark for me so far is Flanders for pick 7. I could’ve lived with him if he didn’t come for that price. I know it drifted out a bit but we were too quick to give that up and he’s looking nowhere near like a top 10 type of player.

I agree but it was an absolute stinker of a draft and l believe the situations with both SOS and Aleer drove us to a punch and run strategy. We also overpaid for Ryan but at best we're talking about losing future 3rd and 4th between them so its not like we lost a huge amount of value.

 

[beside the seaside]

TdK needs to be a lot more than serviceable for his price tag. I'm less concerned about what picks have gone out and more about how our salary cap is tied up. Trading Steele and keeping Macrae just seems like poor list management. Hasn't done much since the bye last year.

Look at our CBAs for the year. It looks like they're shifting the dynamic of the midfield and trading Steele was more of a strategic move with an eye to the future.

 

[Captain Paddy]

The only question mark for me so far is Flanders for pick 7. I could’ve lived with him if he didn’t come for that price. I know it drifted out a bit but we were too quick to give that up and he’s looking nowhere near like a top 10 type of player.

all the players around that mark aren’t doing much about from Pickett

 

[Sainter93]

How good was that Easter Monday game. We are so far off these 2 sides it’s not funny

 

[botts]

How good was that Easter Monday game. We are so far off these 2 sides it’s not funny

Thought the same. I don’t know if our player suck or just out of form. Seems like apart from nas all our development has just stagnated

 

[akaifu]

How good was that Easter Monday game. We are so far off these 2 sides it’s not funny

One clear difference is the game plan. They run and gun by hand through the corridor. We play chippy to the wings and let the oppo defence set up with ease

Weirdest thing is that we're such a good running team. It's just that Ross uses that run to defend and not to attack. Not sure how viable that strategy is

Imagine if Wilson or Hall played for either of Geelong or Hawthorn...

 

[Captain Paddy]

One clear difference is the game plan. They run and gun by hand through the corridor. We play chippy to the wings and let the oppo defence set up with ease

Weirdest thing is that we're such a good running team. It's just that Ross uses that run to defend and not to attack. Not sure how viable that strategy is

Imagine if Wilson or Hall played for either of Geelong or Hawthorn...

I don’t know what game people watch sometimes.

We run and gun on the counter the same as other teams… the issue is well stuff up a kick/handball and put people under pressure which stuffs it up.

Or spoil each other in the goal square

 

[stavro#4]

Thought the same. I don’t know if our player suck or just out of form. Seems like apart from nas all our development has just stagnated

They are last years prelim side and runner up.

 

[Sainter93]

One clear difference is the game plan. They run and gun by hand through the corridor. We play chippy to the wings and let the oppo defence set up with ease

Weirdest thing is that we're such a good running team. It's just that Ross uses that run to defend and not to attack. Not sure how viable that strategy is

Imagine if Wilson or Hall played for either of Geelong or Hawthorn...

That was my exact thinking. Hawthorn in particular automatically look towards the middle and set up extremely well on the fat side.

 

[Rogue Warrior]

Steele has been solid for the dees but the bar/expectations for him have dropped drastically. A few weeks back He got praised for a game he had 21 touches and 3 clearances. The same performance he would have been criticised in a st kilda jumper.
Nothing against Jack but Purple and his other loser mates are using it as fodder for their anti- st Kilda recruitment narrative.
Jack McCrae had a significant better first half of last year vs Steele’s current output but got much less praise.

As good a servant as Jack was, he was not taking us anywhere on his trajectory at the saints.

 

[g_TRAIN]

Steele has been solid for the dees but the bar/expectations for him have dropped drastically. A few weeks back He got praised for a game he had 21 touches and 3 clearances. The same performance he would have been criticised in a st kilda jumper.
Nothing against Jack but Purple and his other loser mates are using it as fodder for their anti- st Kilda recruitment narrative.
Jack McCrae had a significant better first half of last year vs Steele’s current output but got much less praise.

As good a servant as Jack was, he was not taking us anywhere on his trajectory at the saints.

He's had 2 good games out of 4.

Which is about what he was doing with us.

 

[westernsainter]

Look at our CBAs for the year. It looks like they're shifting the dynamic of the midfield and trading Steele was more of a strategic move with an eye to the future.View attachment 2574204

I just can't shake the similarities in this current conversation to the ones we were having in 2016, 2020 and 2024. Unconvinced that Windhager, Phillipou or Garcia are ever going to take the next step. At this point the same goes for Owens whatever his role might be. Flanders is decent but not AA. Sinclair and Marshall both the wrong side of 30. TdK has moments but he's a ruckman and doesn't seem like he's worth what we're paying him.

Just feels like we are stuck in the middle of the road again.

 

[westernsainter]

Steele has been solid for the dees but the bar/expectations for him have dropped drastically. A few weeks back He got praised for a game he had 21 touches and 3 clearances. The same performance he would have been criticised in a st kilda jumper.
Nothing against Jack but Purple and his other loser mates are using it as fodder for their anti- st Kilda recruitment narrative.
Jack McCrae had a significant better first half of last year vs Steele’s current output but got much less praise.

As good a servant as Jack was, he was not taking us anywhere on his trajectory at the saints.

Macrae was talked about as potential AA early last year and then fell off a cliff. Steele is the #11th highest rated player in the comp so far this year. Don't bury your head in the sand to justify bad list management.

 

[botts]

I just can't shake the similarities in this current conversation to the ones we were having in 2016, 2020 and 2024. Unconvinced that Windhager, Phillipou or Garcia are ever going to take the next step. At this point the same goes for Owens whatever his role might be. Flanders is decent but not AA. Sinclair and Marshall both the wrong side of 30. TdK has moments but he's a ruckman and doesn't seem like he's worth what we're paying him.

Just feels like we are stuck in the middle of the road again.

Had the same thought. I hope I’m wrong but if this doesn’t work out and we need to re adjust during the tassy drafts. We are screwed

 

[beside the seaside]

I just can't shake the similarities in this current conversation to the ones we were having in 2016, 2020 and 2024. Unconvinced that Windhager, Phillipou or Garcia are ever going to take the next step. At this point the same goes for Owens whatever his role might be. Flanders is decent but not AA. Sinclair and Marshall both the wrong side of 30. TdK has moments but he's a ruckman and doesn't seem like he's worth what we're paying him.

Just feels like we are stuck in the middle of the road again.

Windy and Owens are already good players. I know what you're talking about, we need elite guys, but Flanders is 4 games into his career with us. Being an AA level player is exceptional, I'm not sure we thought we were getting that with him but he looks good at least.

As Ross has said we need guys to take the step up like Nas did last year, but it's interesting that he really did that in the second half of the season. It might take some time - all is not lost.

 

[seesalswigs44]

we are a couple high end talents short. Would love us to try and wrangle a top 3 pick. The only way we are going to get an elite player is by hitting at the pointy end of the draft.

 

[_Maximus_12]

remember what the media were saying about Jack Macrae 12 months ago?

If Steele and Melbourne keep it up for a full season then they deserve their flowers, but no one with half a brain is getting carried about the form guide at the Easter break

 

[Hayes4PM]

Reality is none of us will ever REALLY know the detailed ins and outs of Jack Steele

9

Jack Steele

Age

30

Ht

187cm

Wt

90kg

Pos.

Mid

Career

Season

Last 5

D

20.9

5star

K

8.7

3star

HB

12.2

5star

M

3.7

4star

T

6.8

5star

CL

3.6

5star

D

21.3

5star

K

10.0

4star

HB

11.3

5star

M

4.0

4star

T

5.8

5star

CL

4.6

5star

D

16.8

4star

K

5.0

2star

HB

11.8

5star

M

2.6

3star

T

6.4

5star

CL

3.6

5star

- Ross Lyon / Coaching Group dynamic and how it all went down towards the last 2 years and last off season, but what seems obvious now (and was evident in a few media exchanges and stories over the last few years) is the opinion of Steele from Ross was not exactly glowing. Steele also in recent media exchanges has made it pretty clear he feels invigorated by a new coaching group that seemingly back him (implying a lack of from the end of his Saints tenure) and how much pressure has been released by not having the captaincy this year.

None of these factors happen in isolation from each other, so who knows how much each weighed on each party, but Jack had his exit interview last year and resigned from the captaincy, the club then called him back in the next day and told he should maybe look elsewhere because we weren't sure he'd get a starting gig. All in all, pretty messy and a bit ham-fisted from the club IMO based on the club and Steele's telling of events.

The thing that gets to me about all this is the fact Jack Steele

9

Jack Steele

Age

30

Ht

187cm

Wt

90kg

Pos.

Mid

Career

Season

Last 5

D

20.9

5star

K

8.7

3star

HB

12.2

5star

M

3.7

4star

T

6.8

5star

CL

3.6

5star

D

21.3

5star

K

10.0

4star

HB

11.3

5star

M

4.0

4star

T

5.8

5star

CL

4.6

5star

D

16.8

4star

K

5.0

2star

HB

11.8

5star

M

2.6

3star

T

6.4

5star

CL

3.6

5star

worked as hard and shouldered as much burden as anyone for this club over the last 3 or 4 years, and whether perception or reality, he didn't feel like he had that backed up by the coaches. The bloke played out a game in 2023 with a completely broken and floating collarbone, was brought back in only a 3 weeks and expected to lead our midfield group with very little support (Seb Ross, half cooked Brad Crouch

5

Brad Crouch

Age

32

Ht

186cm

Wt

86kg

Pos.

Mid

Career

Season

Last 5

D

26.1

5star

K

12.1

4star

HB

14.0

5star

M

2.7

3star

T

5.5

5star

CL

5.0

5star

D

20.3

5star

K

11.1

4star

HB

9.1

5star

M

1.5

2star

T

3.9

5star

CL

4.6

5star

D

21.6

5star

K

10.0

4star

HB

11.6

5star

M

3.4

4star

T

4.2

5star

CL

2.6

5star

and group of youngsters), then when we start to turn a corner and group of young players he supported while they developed (Windy, Nas, Owens, Pou, Garcia etc.) is told look elsewhere.

I would hope the club board/admin at least have reviewed how it was all handled and went fown, even if the outcome was right for all parties, it's been a bit of a dumpster fire from the leaked pre-season audio of coaches box up until the eventual parting ways with Steele.

 

[ScrappyDo]

Macrae was talked about as potential AA early last year and then fell off a cliff. Steele is the #11th highest rated player in the comp so far this year. Don't bury your head in the sand to justify bad list management.

Mcrae copped a punctured lung you

 

[Diehard Saint]

They are last years prelim side and runner up.

The over-reaction on here is quite comical.

 

[Sarcoidevo]

Steele hasn’t suddenly become a better player in 2026.

I wouldn’t even say his output is meaningfully higher than it was with us last year.

The difference is that he’s playing free of pressure, with confidence, and in a side that’s playing bold, exciting footy.

So both he and Melbourne are getting praised.

I said as much in another thread

Reading some of the reactionary opinions on here you would think Steele has thrown Melbourne on his back and single handedly dragged the Demons to their wins ..... nothing to do with Gawn, Pickett, Lever & open functioning forwardline ..... its all Jack Steele ...... just hilarious

 

[Dr Spaceman]

Macrae was talked about as potential AA early last year and then fell off a cliff. Steele is the #11th highest rated player in the comp so far this year. Don't bury your head in the sand to justify bad list management.

Mcrae copped a punctured lung you