Let's try be rational here and not overcook blame from just 1 or 2 recent games.
In 2021, the AFL list landscape will look a lot different.
Current talk is that the main list reduces to 35.
And that the rookie list disappears completely - instead they'll get affiliated to your club as 'train-on' players, basically part-timers, and in meantime play at your VFL/state league affiliate, getting a bonus up to AFL money if they're elevated.
Thats roughly how AFLW works. So you have the depth if you need it - but, you can't just elevate whoever you want. It might be one-in, one-out based on injuries.
For Saints, we have 46 currently (Alabakis is a Cat B). So to get to 35, we have to delist 11, probably offering 5 or 6 of them to join Sandy on a VFL salary paid by the Saints.
But in reality, we have to cut more like 15 since we'll have draft picks and apparently are targeting a midfield recruit. Probably more, if someone we quite like gets delisted elsewhere.
That's going to be brutal.
Given some players are on 2yr deals (like Joyce for example) then there's a risk some actually get terminated.
There's also going to be a lot of footballers released this offseason who might otherwise have been kept.
The Cat A and B too, is likely to be entirely scrapped in its current guise, but you maybe get to put an international player in your soft cap instead of hard cap.
So let's have a look at who's at risk.
Rookie list - As things stand I can't see any of Alabakis, Mayo, Bell, Langlands or Marsh getting extended.
You'd like to think Wilkie gets upgraded.
Marsh probably one of the ones offered a VFL 2-way deal.
Langlands and Marsh might be harsh, and Bell has had zero chance. But what can we do...
In our main list, Nathan Brown retired. Then there's the harder decisions. Carlisle and Geary, both older players. The question will be asked.
Roberton?...
Then you have the depth guys who are barely seen. Austin and Clavarino will be struggling. Is Joyce kept due to him having a deal through 2021?
Webster has to be nervous - no look at all this year and when there was a slot open, it went to Savage.
Abbott as a backup ruck is something we need, but do we just put 2 on the 'train-on'/VFL list and treat them as emergency cover?
Then there's no way we keep all these small-mid forwards - probably only 5 will be kept out of Lonie, Butler, Sinclair, Parker, Hind, Kent.
No way we keep all of Phillips, Byrnes and Connolly, could be 2 of them gone.
In theory some of these players aren't really being fully released, so much as an intent to 'downgrade' to Sandy with us part-paying the contract.
But if I'm from WA like Parker, I'd be more inclined to turn that down and just go home to WA. After all, the preseason and midseason draft will exist again, I could land back on a main list, or if I'm just playing state-league, may as well do it in my home state.
So for all of the reasoning explained above, I think Parker is done. He's not terrible, he can play at AFL level just perhaps not for 4 quarters and week-to-week. And on our list, there's better ahead of him. Could see him play elsewhere in 2021.
If we recruit a top midfielder, does Dunstan then get even further down the depth chart?
And what about Hannebery? Honestly I think we need to have a word about restructuring his deal. His salary might be the difference in another coach saving their job, or a Cat A rookie (I mean if he takes a 25% cut, that's saving another 1, maybe 2 jobs). Realistically, he could even retire...
My attempt:
Out (15): Brown, Alabakis, Clavarino, Austin, Mayo, Bell, Langlands, Marsh, Parker, Connolly, Roberton, Carlisle, Abbott, McKenzie and... Webster.
Geary I think will stay on, but the question will be asked. Carlisle is in there because of his back. If Roberton plays on, then Joyce is on this list.
I then think Langlands, Marsh, Parker, Roberton, Webster and Abbott are offered VFL 2-way/train-on deals. Bell perhaps too - it's hard to judge the rookies having had no chance.
We'd need to draft/recruit a development or backup key defender as the above list includes our entire key position defence.
This is harsh on one or two players, but as I say... this is going to be brutal.
In 2021, the AFL list landscape will look a lot different.
Current talk is that the main list reduces to 35.
And that the rookie list disappears completely - instead they'll get affiliated to your club as 'train-on' players, basically part-timers, and in meantime play at your VFL/state league affiliate, getting a bonus up to AFL money if they're elevated.
Thats roughly how AFLW works. So you have the depth if you need it - but, you can't just elevate whoever you want. It might be one-in, one-out based on injuries.
For Saints, we have 46 currently (Alabakis is a Cat B). So to get to 35, we have to delist 11, probably offering 5 or 6 of them to join Sandy on a VFL salary paid by the Saints.
But in reality, we have to cut more like 15 since we'll have draft picks and apparently are targeting a midfield recruit. Probably more, if someone we quite like gets delisted elsewhere.
That's going to be brutal.
Given some players are on 2yr deals (like Joyce for example) then there's a risk some actually get terminated.
There's also going to be a lot of footballers released this offseason who might otherwise have been kept.
The Cat A and B too, is likely to be entirely scrapped in its current guise, but you maybe get to put an international player in your soft cap instead of hard cap.
So let's have a look at who's at risk.
Rookie list - As things stand I can't see any of Alabakis, Mayo, Bell, Langlands or Marsh getting extended.
You'd like to think Wilkie gets upgraded.
Marsh probably one of the ones offered a VFL 2-way deal.
Langlands and Marsh might be harsh, and Bell has had zero chance. But what can we do...
In our main list, Nathan Brown retired. Then there's the harder decisions. Carlisle and Geary, both older players. The question will be asked.
Roberton?...
Then you have the depth guys who are barely seen. Austin and Clavarino will be struggling. Is Joyce kept due to him having a deal through 2021?
Webster has to be nervous - no look at all this year and when there was a slot open, it went to Savage.
Abbott as a backup ruck is something we need, but do we just put 2 on the 'train-on'/VFL list and treat them as emergency cover?
Then there's no way we keep all these small-mid forwards - probably only 5 will be kept out of Lonie, Butler, Sinclair, Parker, Hind, Kent.
No way we keep all of Phillips, Byrnes and Connolly, could be 2 of them gone.
In theory some of these players aren't really being fully released, so much as an intent to 'downgrade' to Sandy with us part-paying the contract.
But if I'm from WA like Parker, I'd be more inclined to turn that down and just go home to WA. After all, the preseason and midseason draft will exist again, I could land back on a main list, or if I'm just playing state-league, may as well do it in my home state.
So for all of the reasoning explained above, I think Parker is done. He's not terrible, he can play at AFL level just perhaps not for 4 quarters and week-to-week. And on our list, there's better ahead of him. Could see him play elsewhere in 2021.
If we recruit a top midfielder, does Dunstan then get even further down the depth chart?
And what about Hannebery? Honestly I think we need to have a word about restructuring his deal. His salary might be the difference in another coach saving their job, or a Cat A rookie (I mean if he takes a 25% cut, that's saving another 1, maybe 2 jobs). Realistically, he could even retire...
My attempt:
Out (15): Brown, Alabakis, Clavarino, Austin, Mayo, Bell, Langlands, Marsh, Parker, Connolly, Roberton, Carlisle, Abbott, McKenzie and... Webster.
Geary I think will stay on, but the question will be asked. Carlisle is in there because of his back. If Roberton plays on, then Joyce is on this list.
I then think Langlands, Marsh, Parker, Roberton, Webster and Abbott are offered VFL 2-way/train-on deals. Bell perhaps too - it's hard to judge the rookies having had no chance.
We'd need to draft/recruit a development or backup key defender as the above list includes our entire key position defence.
This is harsh on one or two players, but as I say... this is going to be brutal.