News St Kilda to field standalone VFL team in 2026

[Saintscomemarchingin]

I don’t think our VFL team exists to develop average state league players like Campigli and Maginess, our VFL team exists to develop the AFL level players on our list.
Having a strong VFL side benefits their development, see box hill and hawthorn. It isn’t just the dees and the two players I mentioned, Carlton picked up Ethan Phillips and Grainger-Barrass last year fresh off AFL lists just for an example. A few senior bodies to guide the 18-22 year olds is important. I would hate to be a developing forward like in our reserves side, how frustrating it must be.

We will have enough experience in our vfl team e.g possibly Hill, Howard & Wood. Good opportunity to find a kid who could become gold.
And Goddard has obviously seen something to work with in the five Sandy kids that we have recruited.

 

[snails13]

I don’t think our VFL team exists to develop average state league players like Campigli and Maginess, our VFL team exists to develop the AFL level players on our list.
Having a strong VFL side benefits their development, see box hill and hawthorn. It isn’t just the dees and the two players I mentioned, Carlton picked up Ethan Phillips and Grainger-Barrass last year fresh off AFL lists just for an example. A few senior bodies to guide the 18-22 year olds is important. I would hate to be a developing forward like in our reserves side, how frustrating it must be.

How do you know they wont pick up some experienced delist AFL players

 

[stavro#4]

We will have enough experience in our vfl team e.g possibly Hill, Howard & Wood. Good opportunity to find a kid who could become gold.
And Goddard has obviously seen something to work with in the five Sandy kids that we have recruited.

Campigli is apparently the one they rate among the 5 as a potential listed player.

Came third in the BnF for Sandy and conveniently missed the last month of the season when he went back to play ammo’s.

That is absolutely a weird move unless the rumours of rookie listing him are true.

 

[SaintJunior]

Campigli is apparently the one they rate among the 5 as a potential listed player.

Came third in the BnF for Sandy and conveniently missed the last month of the season when he went back to play ammo’s.

That is absolutely a weird move unless the rumours of rookie listing him are true.

Asked Sandringham to return to ammo’s as their season was shot but he had the chance to qualify and play for a premiership with his brother.

Which he ultimately managed to achieve .

 

[PoppedCorn]

Yeah saints vfl interested in a few kids ones not bad

Who that??

Ahhh you'll figure itnout

 

[stavro#4]

Asked Sandringham to return to ammo’s as their season was shot but he had the chance to qualify and play for a premiership with his brother.

Which he ultimately managed to achieve .

The week before he dropped back.

This broke.

Paul has run with our interest very publicly ever since.



He is one I’m watching for that rookie spot.

 

[SaintJunior]

The week before he dropped back.

This broke.

Paul has run with our interest very publicly ever since.



He is one I’m watching for that rookie spot.

Not disagreeing but the two things are not mutually exclusive.

What I posted is what he told Sandringham and the players .

No doubt we have a level of interest has been common knowledge as you have posted and he played 16 games at VFL level so has had plenty of exposure for all teams to get a read on him.

So yes it may have been convenient but it certainly was not the major factor in his decision .

Totally agree re him being the one to watch for our rookie list.

 

[saintmike65]

Not disagreeing but the two things are not mutually exclusive.

What I posted is what he told Sandringham and the players .

No doubt we have a level of interest has been common knowledge as you have posted and he played 16 games at VFL level so has had plenty of exposure for all teams to get a read on him.

So yes it may have been convenient but it certainly was not the major factor in his decision .

Totally agree re him being the one to watch for our rookie list.

He trained quite a lot with the saints this year..impressed me with his movement and ball use.
Didn't look out of place!

 

[SaintJunior]

He trained quite a lot with the saints this year..impressed me with his movement and ball use.
Didn't look out of place!

Out of the Sandy boys that have signed for Saints VFL he would be the only one I would target

A good athlete, and as BJ states in article he has multiple ways of winning the football which translates well to AFL.

Given he doesn’t appear to have been in any of the elite junior programs there is a huge untapped potential.

 

[SG34]

C'mon, Riley Bonner 28y.o was a nuisance for us. Could get plenty of the footy, but was a turnover Harry.
With Campigli & Maguiness etc. we are inviting them to develope in an elite system.
They are younger than a Bonner or Hardie.
So, more room for improvement.

Bonner is a mystery man. (He was 26/27 when we had him btw) Played 19 games. He must have done something in that last Brisbane game that caused the circuit breaker to go ‘bang’. (37% TOG that game only, dragged?) . Never picked again. Out the door. It is a strange pattern, to be picked consistently like that right up to the end and just before the final bell to get the chop. Me thinks he pissed someone Ross?, off.

I got the same vibe from Hayes except he hardly played.

 

[Saintscomemarchingin]

Bonner is a mystery man. (He was 26/27 when we had him btw) Played 19 games. He must have done something in that last Brisbane game that caused the circuit breaker to go ‘bang’. (37% TOG that game only, dragged?) . Never picked again. Out the door. It is a strange pattern, to be picked consistently like that right up to the end and just before the final bell to get the chop. Me thinks he pissed someone Ross?, off.

I got the same vibe from Hayes except he hardly played.

Bonner turned the footy over way too much, & the coaches finally got tired of it.
Fans actually realised this earlier.

 

[gringo2011]

Bonner is a mystery man. (He was 26/27 when we had him btw) Played 19 games. He must have done something in that last Brisbane game that caused the circuit breaker to go ‘bang’. (37% TOG that game only, dragged?) . Never picked again. Out the door. It is a strange pattern, to be picked consistently like that right up to the end and just before the final bell to get the chop. Me thinks he pissed someone Ross?, off.

I got the same vibe from Hayes except he hardly played.

He was taken to gap fill because Sinclair started the season injured. He was pretty unlucky IMO. I know a lot hated him but he played some really solid footy early in the season. I think we saw him as a stop gap but not part of the future. He was unlucky to arrive at a club with the two best running backs in the AFL. He'd probably still be playing if he'd landed somewhere else or if Sinclair playing on-ball had been major success.

 

[ScrappyDo]

He was taken to gap fill because Sinclair started the season injured. He was pretty unlucky IMO. I know a lot hated him but he played some really solid footy early in the season. I think we saw him as a stop gap but not part of the future. He was unlucky to arrive at a club with the two best running backs in the AFL. He'd probably still be playing if he'd landed somewhere else or if Sinclair playing on-ball had been major success.

He was let go from Port for the same reason he was let go from Stkilda. Turnover merchant.

 

[PrimalConstruct]

He was let go from Port for the same reason he was let go from Stkilda. Turnover merchant.

Nobody who saw that game is under any delusion as to why he was delisted after a single season.

No point gaining a kilometer of distance if the opposition is collectively gaining two as a direct result of your actions.

As for the 30-odd% ToG game, that was Round 22, so he had plenty of chances. Wasn't just abandoned mid-season and left to rot.

 

[stavro#4]

Not disagreeing but the two things are not mutually exclusive.

What I posted is what he told Sandringham and the players .

No doubt we have a level of interest has been common knowledge as you have posted and he played 16 games at VFL level so has had plenty of exposure for all teams to get a read on him.

So yes it may have been convenient but it certainly was not the major factor in his decision .

Totally agree re him being the one to watch for our rookie list.

I understand what you are saying.

What I’m trying to explain is that it had to be mutually beneficial to do so and if other clubs were sniffing him as a potential recruit. Sending him back to the ammo’s helps to a degree.

 

[gringo2011]

View attachment 2472989


Nobody who saw that game is under any delusion as to why he was delisted after a single season.

No point gaining a kilometer of distance if the opposition is collectively gaining two as a direct result of your actions.

As for the 30-odd% ToG game, that was Round 22, so he had plenty of chances. Wasn't just abandoned mid-season and left to rot.

That was a shocker but he played some genuinely good footy early in the year.

 

[pebblesofsand]

View attachment 2472989


Nobody who saw that game is under any delusion as to why he was delisted after a single season.

No point gaining a kilometer of distance if the opposition is collectively gaining two as a direct result of your actions.

As for the 30-odd% ToG game, that was Round 22, so he had plenty of chances. Wasn't just abandoned mid-season and left to rot.

Missed the fact that he continued to be selected for virtually every game in the 2024 season.

 

[saintmike65]

Bonner is a mystery man. (He was 26/27 when we had him btw) Played 19 games. He must have done something in that last Brisbane game that caused the circuit breaker to go ‘bang’. (37% TOG that game only, dragged?) . Never picked again. Out the door. It is a strange pattern, to be picked consistently like that right up to the end and just before the final bell to get the chop. Me thinks he pissed someone Ross?, off.

I got the same vibe from Hayes except he hardly played.

Three things that went against Bonner..turnovers, can't defend and he's soft

 

[saintmike65]

Elwood Peckett, cool
Didn't get to see him much this year, may of been injured?

Knee injury...played very little footy this year.
Looked unfit to me even before his injury

 

[PrimalConstruct]

Missed the fact that he continued to be selected for virtually every game in the 2024 season.

View attachment 2473022

"that was Round 22, so he had plenty of chances"

Missed what exactly?

 

[SaintsofSteel]

Knee injury...played very little footy this year.
Looked unfit to me even before his injury

He may have been carrying the knee into the season, as he didnt look unfit in his U18 year he was covering heaps of ground. Hopefully he can get things going and show us what he did in his last Stingrays year.

 

[Mynamesinuse]

The Outer East boys look like they jump on.

 

[thekizzler]

Idk why do clubs like the Dees get players like Riley Bonner and Mitch Hardie as top up recruits who dominate at state league level, and we are struggling to sign the same below average players that had Sandy as easy beats this year. We should be aiming a lot higher than campigli and maginness

You can't just wave a magic wand and get the best state league players to your VFL team in its first season of existence.

You need to build confidence in your development program, in the ability to get players to AFL level, the facilities and the level of coaching available.

With half the budget of the standalone VFL clubs, it would obviously be a juggle with the salary cap as well.

Ideally we will be recruiting the best state league players eventually, but thinking we are going to snag quite a few of them in our first season is wishful thinking.

 

[thekizzler]

He was let go from Port for the same reason he was let go from Stkilda. Turnover merchant.

He was also not very accountable as a defender either. That would have been a huge factor.

 

[Significant]

The Outer East boys look like they jump on.

Just name names names