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List Mgmt. List Management 2025-26

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List Changes:

IN: Jacob Wehr (GWS Unrestricted Free Agent), Corey Durdin (Carlton), Will Brodie (Fremantle), Jack Watkins (Port Adelaide SANFL)
Rumoured ins: Jaidyn Stephenson (North Melbourne DFA)

OUT:
Delisted: Ryan Burton, Lachie Charleson, Hugh Jackson, Dylan Williams, Jeremy Finlayson, Jed McEntee
Retired: Travis Boak, Rory Atkins, Willie Rioli

List spots available: 2 (Due to having 3 mid-season draftees)
 
Last edited:
philthy05 said:
Small forward is one position where players usually show what they’ve got early and impact early. They rarely have to wait on sidelines and develop as the role doesn’t require the same physical ability nor fitness. Just about every small forward in the game right now was pretty much that player from the start give or take.

I just don’t see that there’s much more than ~10% upside from where he’s at. I’m not saying don’t take him if he’s more or less free, but I certainly don’t have my hopes up. He’s the kind of player I would expect we could find with a late pick in any draft.
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That’s a generalization that’s not as true as it appears at first blush. Willie Rioli, Liam Ryan, Stengle (I think) weren’t even drafted until their 20s. Dylan Moore, Lincoln McCarhy, Jo Richards, Shaun Mannagh also late bloomers. Jamie Elliott hadn’t scored more than 35 goals until his 12th season (56 and counting), AhChee no more than 12 until his 8th season, Bobby Hill no more than 14 until his 5th season, Charlie Cameron didn’t crack 30 in his first 5 years but has cracked 50 four times since.

When you look into it, there’s plenty of time for Motlop to become a 30-40 goal forward. This year he kicked 17.18 in a pretty shit Carlton and ranked 16th in the AFL for tackles inside 50. He had career high stats in almost every area including score involvements- 90.

Id love another player like Willie but they’re hard to find. Motlop may just be the best available.
 
Jesse Motlop has kicked the same amount of goals Willie Rioli had kicked when he arrived at port and will be 6 years younger.
 
philthy05 said:
I disagree strongly.

They didn’t improve because of those players.

They improved because their elite high end players (Dawson , thilthorpe , rankine ) had career best years as they come into their prime.
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Given it was the biggest improvement in AFL history (15th to 1st) theres plenty of room for us both to be right.
 

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The crows improvement happened because they spent 7 seasons out of finals. It was bound to turn for them eventually. It didn’t exactly happen overnight, they were much better than 15th last year, 2023 they were an umpiring error away from finals, and 1st probably flattered them this year so whilst it was a massive jump it wasn’t completely out of the blue.

Getting some solid players to complement their stars helped.
 
Willsy10 said:
Jesse Motlop has kicked the same amount of goals Willie Rioli had kicked when he arrived at port and will be 6 years younger.
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yeah but Willie started later and had a 2 year suspension.

Willie 60 goals in 51 games over 3 seasons
Jesse 59 goals in 63 games over 4 seasons

Plus Willie's output slightly increased with us - he was getting more continuity though
 
philthy05 said:
I disagree strongly.

They didn’t improve because of those players.

They improved because their elite high end players (Dawson , thilthorpe , rankine ) had career best years as they come into their prime.
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Yeah until they didn't i.e. last week in TT's case, and Rankine ... well ...

Let's see what happens on Friday.
 

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longdonkey said:
yeah but Willie started later and had a 2 year suspension.
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I think that's kind of the point. People are writing Motlop off based on him not being a star small forward yet, but he's only 21. Star small forwards like Willie Rioli and Liam Ryan weren't even in the league at 21. He's well ahead of their schedule.
 
shewho said:
That’s a generalization that’s not as true as it appears at first blush. Willie Rioli, Liam Ryan, Stengle (I think) weren’t even drafted until their 20s. Dylan Moore, Lincoln McCarhy, Jo Richards, Shaun Mannagh also late bloomers. Jamie Elliott hadn’t scored more than 35 goals until his 12th season (56 and counting), AhChee no more than 12 until his 8th season, Bobby Hill no more than 14 until his 5th season, Charlie Cameron didn’t crack 30 in his first 5 years but has cracked 50 four times since.

When you look into it, there’s plenty of time for Motlop to become a 30-40 goal forward. This year he kicked 17.18 in a pretty shit Carlton and ranked 16th in the AFL for tackles inside 50. He had career high stats in almost every area including score involvements- 90.

Id love another player like Willie but they’re hard to find. Motlop may just be the best available.
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Really you’re proving my point. Most of those guys showed their ability from the start once in the afl. How many of them were vastly different players post 60 afl games? Elliott is the same player , it was his ability to stay on the park and for that is helping. Stengle is the one who went up a level with a change of teams , but that’s Geelong and most of us expect the if he left we would see something closer to crows Stengle anyway. Rioli and Ryan were always pretty similar to the players in the first cpl of seasons at west coast.





Schulzenfest said:
I think that's kind of the point. People are writing Motlop off based on him not being a star small forward yet, but he's only 21. Star small forwards like Willie Rioli and Liam Ryan weren't even in the league at 21. He's well ahead of their schedule.
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Talent wasn’t the reason those players weren’t in the league yet.

Also depends what you mean by writing him off.

Am I writing him off as someone we shouldn’t trade in ? No. Am I writing him off as a small forward option where we have a need? No.

Am I arguing why it’s unlikely we will unearth a star small forward 150+ game stalwart?

Yes. With good reason.
 
I believe Motlop is definitely worth picking up, I suspect he wouldn't cost much and a forward line containing Georgiadis, Lukosius and a hopefully healthy Marshall should provide plenty of opportunities for an opportunist small forward.

If Marshall can stay healthy he could be the key to the Power forward line functioning at its best, (unfortunately with his concussion history though that is obviously a Big IF) but IMO a fit and healthy Marshall is a much better option than Lord whose AFL career for different reasons would also have to be at the cross roads.
 

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Despite Hawthorn securing their second finals series in as many years under Sam Mitchell, a pair of young Hawks are reportedly ready for a fresh start in 2026. Small forward Sam Butler and out-of-favour midfielder Henry Hustwaite have each been linked to rival clubs in recent days, having only played four games at AFL level apiece this season.

“West Coast are very keen on Hawthorn small forward Sam Butler ... they feel he can fill forward need, or even a midfield need,” Ralph revealed on Midweek Tackle. “Henry Hustwaite is desperate to get out of Hawthorn. He wants a chance (elsewhere), he’s ready. Carlton has been mentioned in dispatches; they’re a no. But Essendon is the club that’s potentially considering that.”
 
Sam Butler is the one port should be chasing hard. If he hadn't broken his tib / fib he would be much higher rated. That is a horrendous injury to recover from. He is the one with a lot of potential upside.
 
I've always been of the opinion that Hinkley has had many problems with his coaching but one of them was always putting in his favourite players in the back of the end rotation of the 23. Guys like McEntee, Burton, Fevans, Narkle and recently Mead, Lord and Finlayson to some extent, injured blokes, oldies like Boak chewing up a spot on the team.

Some of these players were detrimental to the team and did not a lot and sometimes were net negatives and good coaches exploited the heck out of those players.

With Josh doing his best to pick up some depth, he has already shown an area that we can improve upon and he has done the right thing and gotten a few blokes on the cheap to challenge those last places on the team.

A guy like Mead will not be gifted 20 games next year. He will have to earn them.
 
Holden Hillbilly said:
Despite Hawthorn securing their second finals series in as many years under Sam Mitchell, a pair of young Hawks are reportedly ready for a fresh start in 2026. Small forward Sam Butler and out-of-favour midfielder Henry Hustwaite have each been linked to rival clubs in recent days, having only played four games at AFL level apiece this season.

“West Coast are very keen on Hawthorn small forward Sam Butler ... they feel he can fill forward need, or even a midfield need,” Ralph revealed on Midweek Tackle. “Henry Hustwaite is desperate to get out of Hawthorn. He wants a chance (elsewhere), he’s ready. Carlton has been mentioned in dispatches; they’re a no. But Essendon is the club that’s potentially considering that.”
Click to expand...

Would be majorly in to both of these players.

Hustwaite is a gun who should be in their starting midfield.
 

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