Rumour GFC 2025 Player Trading, Drafting FA, Rumours and Wish lists Pt 3

[cats_09]

2025 AFL Draft and Trade Dates:​

Fri Oct 3 - Fri Oct 10: 2025 Free Agency Period
Mon Oct 6 - Wed Oct 15: 2025 Continental Tyres AFL Trade Period
Wed Nov 19 - Thu Nov 20: 2025 Telstra AFL Draft

 

[Footy Smarts]

If clark is being trained as a defender then i think his ticket has been officially stamped as a midfielder and they are trying to help him with a second chance at a career

Nah he's just turned 21. Plenty of guys don't move into midfield until 23-24. We're just trying to develop some versatility in him while his body develops and he takes over from Atkins.

 

[geelong_crazy26]

Nah he's just turned 21. Plenty of guys don't move into midfield until 23-24. We're just trying to develop some versatility in him while his body develops and he takes over from Atkins.

Just?? He turned 21 in july.

If he is still not able to crack a midfield spot in his fourth year as an inside mid playing for a team who has mediocre inside mids, then his prospects arent great

 

[geelong_crazy26]

How we are not hot into pursuit as well is beyond me.

He is an elite player and brisbane will not have anywhere close to the money to match

 

[geelong_crazy26]

With his limitations, his only pathway to being an above average mid is being a tremendous first possession player like Tom Green.

The problem is he's just not that good at it. He's okay, but he's more of an around the ground receiver who lacks pace, and has zero defensive game.

He reminds me a lot of early days Cameron Ling before he was a tagger, in that he looks like an undersized key forward with solid skills trying to play through the midfield.

When you're that style of player in the modern transition game, you literally have to have the ball in hand or you're just a traffic cone out there.

It's similar to Stevens and why he's highly unlikely to make it, and George at least attempts to play defensively whereas Greeves doesn't.

All that to say, he's just not a Chris Scott player. We've got a huge sample size now that he just won't play that archetype, so it would be waste of a pick IMO.

Nobody wants to drafr those types anymore. They are fast becoming dinosauric prototypes of the past. The game is trending towards athletic traits as opposed to traditional footballers.

God given traits are more a thing than ever before.

You can get 30 touches a week as a slow big bodied mid, but unfortuantely recruiters would rather take the skinny explosive quick kid who can run a 2.9 sec 20m, has a high vertical jump, but only gets 15 touches a game.

Athletic traits are valued above natural footy traits

 

[year of the cat]

How we are not hot into pursuit as well is beyond me.

He is an elite player and brisbane will not have anywhere close to the money to match

I’d say because all our eggs are in the Butters basket.

 

[geelong_crazy26]

I’d say because all our eggs are in the Butters basket.

Seems to be between us and dogs. Why anyone would want to go to dogs is unknown. Toxic place

 

[year of the cat]

Seems to be between us and dogs. Why anyone would want to go to dogs is unknown. Toxic place

Evidently he and his whole family were/are rabid Dogs fans. Maybe that’s enough for him to choose them?

 

[Pure_Ownage]

If clark is being trained as a defender then i think his ticket has been officially stamped as a midfielder and they are trying to help him with a second chance at a career

It's more he doesnt have the endurance to play midfield yet. Defence is a way to get afl games into him until he build his fitness.

 

[Pure_Ownage]

Evidently he and his whole family were/are rabid Dogs fans. Maybe that’s enough for him to choose them?

It would be that and location although we aren't that far from baccus marsh/darley either.

 

[Hamingja]

How we are not hot into pursuit as well is beyond me.

He is an elite player and brisbane will not have anywhere close to the money to match

It was a name that intrigued me when Warhorse brought it up mid season.

The market hasn't missed him though. Essendon were offering $1.3 million a season.

 

[Gee Class Loco]

How we are not hot into pursuit as well is beyond me.

He is an elite player and brisbane will not have anywhere close to the money to match

The 1.2m - 1.3m per year TAG sorta tells the story why we aren't asking i'd reckon.

 

[Footy Smarts]

Just?? He turned 21 in july.

If he is still not able to crack a midfield spot in his fourth year as an inside mid playing for a team who has mediocre inside mids, then his prospects arent great

On grand final day he was 21y 66d old. Ie very early in his 22nd year.

Atkins wasn't moved into midfield until midway through his 4th season when he was 26. Holmes was moved to half back at the start of his 4th season and didn't go into midfield until very late that year and he seems to go ok.

I don't know how good he'll be. His finals especially the prelim was a massive improvement on his prior form. I'd be disappointed if he doesn't become a solid mid like Atkins but that's going to take a few years still as he develops his body. Getting him exposure elsewhere is absolutely fine.

 

[Warhorse]

On grand final day he was 21y 66d old. Ie very early in his 22nd year.

Atkins wasn't moved into midfield until midway through his 4th season when he was 26. Holmes was moved to half back at the start of his 4th season and didn't go into midfield until very late that year and he seems to go ok.

I don't know how good he'll be. His finals especially the prelim was a massive improvement on his prior form. I'd be disappointed if he doesn't become a solid mid like Atkins but that's going to take a few years still as he develops his body. Getting him exposure elsewhere is absolutely fine.

His finals were very average

 

[Tony Barber]

Nobody wants to drafr those types anymore. They are fast becoming dinosauric prototypes of the past. The game is trending towards athletic traits as opposed to traditional footballers.

God given traits are more a thing than ever before.

You can get 30 touches a week as a slow big bodied mid, but unfortuantely recruiters would rather take the skinny explosive quick kid who can run a 2.9 sec 20m, has a high vertical jump, but only gets 15 touches a game.

Athletic traits are valued above natural footy traits

'Trending towards athletic traits'?

I remember back in 89' talking to a 'friend' at the time.
He'd just trained with the cats as a try out.

The guy was quick.
"How did you go?"

'No good I'd say. They just want athletes'.

It's not a new trait. The team also needs footballers. Or Bartel would never have been drafted.

 

[Lana]

'Trending towards athletic traits'?

I remember back in 89' talking to a 'friend' at the time.
He'd just trained with the cats as a try out.

The guy was quick.
"How did you go?"

'No good I'd say. They just want athletes'.

It's not a new trait. The team also needs footballers. Or Bartel would never have been drafted.

When you are getting to that peak level even the guys with the "unathletic" attribute aren't scrubs in that department.

There are footballers and then there are footballers.

The guys getting 25 touches in the VFL in their mid 20s while working full time jobs are guns.
Every year there a kids getting 25 touches in the TAC(or what ever it is called these days) and don't get looked at, they're guns.

These vanillia guys are stilll quite athletic but the performance floor to be playable at AFL level is that high. If you can't reach a certain athletic level you just can't compete. You don't get to contests, you don't get into space on transition, you can't close down space on defense. You struggle to create space to create advantage with ball.

Towards the end of the draft the recruiter's job it look at 50 guys are the bubble and pick the guy who creeps into level.

 

[year of the cat]

When you are getting to that peak level even the guys with the "unathletic" attribute aren't scrubs in that department.

There are footballers and then there are footballers.

The guys getting 25 touches in the VFL in their mid 20s while working full time jobs are guns.
Every year there a kids getting 25 touches in the TAC(or what ever it is called these days) and don't get looked at, they're guns.

These vanillia guys are stilll quite athletic but the performance floor to be playable at AFL level is that high. If you can't reach a certain athletic level you just can't compete. You don't get to contests, you don't get into space on transition, you can't close down space on defense. You struggle to create space to create advantage with ball.

Towards the end of the draft the recruiter's job it look at 50 guys are the bubble and pick the guy who creeps into level.

Who do you like in this draft with the 2 picks we have?

 

[Lana]

Who do you like in this draft with the 2 picks we have?

I haven't see the full depth of players available, but from what I have seen I'd be happy with

1st pick Noah Hibbins-Hargreaves or Louis Emmet
2nd pick Fred Rodriguez

 

[iameviljez]

The team also needs footballers. Or Bartel would never have been drafted.

I suspect that Bartel is a vastly better athlete than what we may give him credit for.

 

[Larry Donohue]

I think Burke's no chance after trying to give all up for Curnow.

 

[goyoucatters]

I think Burke's no chance after trying to give all up for Curnow.

 

[year of the cat]

I think Burke's no chance after trying to give all up for Curnow.

Wills likewise.

 

[BennyGan]

How we are not hot into pursuit as well is beyond me.

He is an elite player and brisbane will not have anywhere close to the money to match

How do you know we aren’t? This stuff doesn’t usually come out unless the club wants it to be known. I imagine every vic club is wanting Bailey

 

[geelong_crazy26]

I suspect that Bartel is a vastly better athlete than what we may give him credit for.

He had a very good vertical leap on him. Took a few hangers in his day.

He did get phased out of the midfield quite early on thought. Wonder if it was due to concerns around his speed and the direction of the game

 

[Gee Class Loco]

His finals were very average

Average in a September is a giant step forward from what we'd seen so far.
baby steps it may be.... But steps in the right direction IMO.
Being as positive as i can be TBH.
Here's to a giant leap in 2026 for all of us to eat some humble pie.
Coz that would be great for all... even those of us who have been doubting Thomas's in the young fella.

 

[CoolCat75]

Barring a bad injury run, I think we are looking good for 2026 in terms of being a competitive top 4 team. Of course we could do with another gun midfielder (hi Zak) but we have good depth across all lines except for the ruck.

FB: ZGuthrie SDK O’Connor
HB: Stewart Henry Humphries
C: Blicavs Smith Dempsey
R: Stanley Holmes Atkins
HF: Mannagh Cameron Miers
FF: Stengle Neal Danger

Int: Bowes Worpel Close O’Sullivan Mullin

Depth:
B: Kolo, Bews
Mid: Bruin Clark Knevitt Stevens
R : Edwards Conway
F: OHenry Martin Wiltshire