List Mgmt. 2025 List Management 📃

[Coona Blues]

Its definately not ideal but the reality these days if you want to re-sign these big name free agents. The exrra couple of years probably helps keep the $ amount a bit lower.

Absolutely! If they were doing three year deals $1.5m would become the norm for any half way decent free agent or out of contract player.

There remains an element of risk with these top end contracts on “massive” years and a couple have come unstuck with career defining injuries or issues, but the positives outweigh the negatives.

People are still not appreciating the quality of our list management and indeed the list. We just need a half decent run with injury and Vossy to tweak the game plan a bit, to have a dynasty. We have kids coming through to maintain the rage for over a decade with some judicious additions (which have already begun)

 

[FitzroyBlueBagger]

I understand people who believe that you don’t need a gun ruckman to win a premiership, there’s certainly cases that have backed up this opinion, some of the premiership teams that have won a flag without a gun or dominant ruckman have had a reliable solid ruckman but have had a superior spread of talent throughout the team…

But there’s been ruckman across all eras that have been integral players and influences for all teams…

When you’re club has a ruckman who can impact by their ability to influence and dominate the game like the greats of the past, and a few still, without Gawn the Dee’s are a completely different team, could they have won a flag with out him, how many finals, finals series?

WCE was an incredible team, virtually a state team but without Cox would they have been so consistently successful, won a flag, best ruckman along with Simon Madden of my time, late 70’s throughout to now there has been some incredible ruckman who have had a massive influence on how well their club has performed…

Todays ruckman are a little different, ruck craft can still be somewhat of a dominant weapon, they also need a few other flexible factors that they require in the modern game, it’s becoming a balance of ruck craft and flexibility around the ground, players impacting in a second position particularly forward…

I liked the look and development of some of O’Keefee’s performances in his first year, for such a young but underdeveloped ruckman, it was his his competitiveness that stood out, good athleticism and speed, like TDK had an appetite for chasing and tackling, he needs to improve his marking in general particularly in contested situations, also handy when playing up forward…

This is my too many Eggnog’s it’s been a long day opinion, all good

 

[FitzroyBlueBagger]

Crippa signed a 6 year deal around the same age and I don't reckon a single person is unhappy with it these days.

Not that we want to retrieve back into the archives a few years back but there was some serious concerns about the amount of people who like Leigh Mathew’s who said he was looking stuffed, many wanted to trade him out for whatever we could get a few seasons ago…

Happy Gilmore “ Harness the good, Block the bad”

 

[Cripptonite]

6+ years is the going rate for stars hitting free agency. It is risky for any player but no club is getting away for less tenure these days.

Good result as TDK remains loyal and along with our other core players left money on the table in line with our pay structure. He was genuinely tearing games apart when healthy this year.



My only concern is the longevity of ruckmen but if he ends up the next Gawn then we are super lucky.
Worse case scenario is Grundy who dropped off massively and still got flipped for a 2nd rounder.

 

[WalshistheGOAT]

Not that we want to retrieve back into the archives a few years back but there was some serious concerns about the amount of people who like Leigh Mathew’s who said he was looking stuffed, many wanted to trade him out for whatever we could get a few seasons ago…

Happy Gilmore “ Harness the good, Block the bad”

Pretty sure I was one of them we're an emotional lot when things aren't going our way

Anyway, TDK loos a star for years to come, won't be displeased signing him up for 7 years. Probably increases the likelihood of getting his brother in a years time.

 

[OnceWeWereKings]

Needs to bring the attitude he had when rucking against his brother earlier this year to every game going forward.
When you’re paid the big bucks you have to be a killer.

 

[GoBlues!]

In the context of having signed Harry on a 7 contract, Weitering 7, and Charlie a 6 yr extension - securing TDK for 7 years would be a great outcome.

He’s not just a ruckman, he averaged 5 clearances a game this year the second highest for the team behind Cripps.

 

[HereComesJuddy]

Open market TDK could fetch upwards of 1.5 from some irrelevant clubs.

Just over a million a year is a lot but probably works in our favour knowing what he can produce. Needs to find consistency fast imo and be ruthless. I don’t want him playing nice and he needs to up his aggression.

That being said, I like the kid and he adds so much value and versatility. Definitely a point of difference player

 

[bradfisher14]

That's a lovely Christmas present.

 

[marcmurphy3]

I'm interested to see how we handle the Cerra contract. If he has a good pre-season, do we try lock him in early? We'd get him cheaper. Or do we see how his body goes and take the risk that we may need to pay him substantially more if he gets back to 2023 form? A chance we could be priced out if that happens. Also, comes down to him. Does he want to secure his future early at a discount, knowing that another year ruined by injury could see his value plummet? Or does he back himself to have a big year and get maximum $?

At least if we get TDK signed early, we will know how much we have to play with.

 

[WalshistheGOAT]

I'm interested to see how we handle the Cerra contract. If he has a good pre-season, do we try lock him in early? We'd get him cheaper. Or do we see how his body goes and take the risk that we may need to pay him substantially more if he gets back to 2023 form? A chance we could be priced out if that happens. Also, comes down to him. Does he want to secure his future early at a discount, knowing that another year ruined by injury could see his value plummet? Or does he back himself to have a big year and get maximum $?

At least if we get TDK signed early, we will know how much we have to play with.

I'd imagine Cerra will want to hold off talks until after the bye. 1 part being he'd want to prove he's still up to being a top line player for the club after a tough 2024 but also because he's a bit of a different operator in terms of how he views footy as a profession rather than a hobby he gets paid for. Seems much more of a logical thinker than an emotional one and objectively holding out is better for him.

With our recent departures in Kennedy and Carroll I think he's our next most important signing behind TDK this year. Walsh and Cerra will be our senior midfielders when Jagga, Cody and the Campo twins start coming into their own.

 

[JustOneTime]

I'm interested to see how we handle the Cerra contract. If he has a good pre-season, do we try lock him in early? We'd get him cheaper. Or do we see how his body goes and take the risk that we may need to pay him substantially more if he gets back to 2023 form? A chance we could be priced out if that happens. Also, comes down to him. Does he want to secure his future early at a discount, knowing that another year ruined by injury could see his value plummet? Or does he back himself to have a big year and get maximum $?

At least if we get TDK signed early, we will know how much we have to play with.

It is a good point. Given the club's recent history and change in mindset (get rid of injury prone players), due diligence says no early contract sign-off from the clubs perspective. I'm not sure of Cerra's personal perspective (Safety vs dollars).

Feel the club has to at least wait until mid season to see more on his soft tissue injuries. If our salary cap total was a bottom four profile it wouldn't matter so much but our cap is a top 4 profile.

 

[Benaly28]

There are certain players in our side which should NOT be referred to by their surname,it bugs me I know it shouldn’t but it does.

There’s the obvious:

Charlie
Harry
Tom
Elijah
Ollie
Jsos

And there’s the newbies:
Ben
Lucas

And Jagga should never be referred to as Smith just sounds wrong.

Feel better now.


On iPhone using BigFooty.com mobile app

 

[branedotorg]

Not that we want to retrieve back into the archives a few years back but there was some serious concerns about the amount of people who like Leigh Mathew’s who said he was looking stuffed, many wanted to trade him out for whatever we could get a few seasons ago…

Happy Gilmore “ Harness the good, Block the bad”

perfectly happy to admit i was talking about trades, not because he was crocked but because it took so long for him to sign a new contract i thought he was heading back west.

 

[DangerousD]

Crippa signed a 6 year deal around the same age and I don't reckon a single person is unhappy with it these days.

Of course, because it’s worked out, we signed Williams to a large 6 year deal and I think that has been really detrimental to the club.

You can look to deals across the comp, Shiel, Cognilio signed on to big deals and have spent most of the time injured and never maintained their output.

 

[DangerousD]

As player salaries aren’t public and no one here knows how existing contracts are tied to the new TPP increases, $8M over 7 years is way overs for a player who to date hasn’t achieved anything.

Assuming that Cripps, Weits, Walsh, Harry, Charlie and to a degree Williams will all be in similar, that’s a hell of a lot of $$$$ tied to a small group of players.

 

[SkyhorseTamer]

As player salaries aren’t public and no one here knows how existing contracts are tied to the new TPP increases, $8M over 7 years is way overs for a player who to date hasn’t achieved anything.

Assuming that Cripps, Weits, Walsh, Harry, Charlie and to a degree Williams will all be in similar, that’s a hell of a lot of $$$$ tied to a small group of players.

You said yourself we don't know. Which therefore means you can't conclude what you have. You can't see what clubs dedicate to their stars or their salary spread across lists. It just is what it is. Who cares.

 

[WalshistheGOAT]

Of course, because it’s worked out, we signed Williams to a large 6 year deal and I think that has been really detrimental to the club.

You can look to deals across the comp, Shiel, Cognilio signed on to big deals and have spent most of the time injured and never maintained their output.

I've got a lot more faith in TDK than the names you've listed. He could be the best ruck in the game next year and he gives our midfield a POD.

 

[CJMB]

You said yourself we don't know. Which therefore means you can't conclude what you have. You can't see what clubs dedicate to their stars or their salary spread across lists. It just is what it is. Who cares.

Not to mention guaranteed dollars vs potential dollars via kpis, awards, or other metrics

 

[marcmurphy3]

As player salaries aren’t public and no one here knows how existing contracts are tied to the new TPP increases, $8M over 7 years is way overs for a player who to date hasn’t achieved anything.

Assuming that Cripps, Weits, Walsh, Harry, Charlie and to a degree Williams will all be in similar, that’s a hell of a lot of $$$$ tied to a small group of players.

Cripps will only have 2 years left when TDKs contract starts. Williams 1 so you can pretty much discount those. TDKs contract will run for 2 years after McKay's finishes and 3 years after Curnow. That gives some flexibility with moving money around.

Agree TDK is the riskiest of the big-name players we have re-signed. He has achieved the least. That said, we need to at least be in the ballpark of other offers. If the contract spoken about is correct, we are getting him at a decent discount.

8M over 7 isn't as much as it sounds with the cap going up. Under the old cap it'd be roughly 900k p.a, which is in line with what our other big-name players re-signed for (reportedly). Sticks to our pay structure.

I strongly suspect most our contracts are indexed to TPP. I think most clubs are. Essendon an exception, hence the way they've been throwing money around. We would have money to burn if our contracts weren't indexed and there is no evidence of that.

Our cap is definitely top heavy, and it will cost us players at some point (as early as this year) but probably not at the top end. Could see it compromising our depth, hence going hard at the draft the last few years being important. Doubt we will have money to go after a big-name free agent for a long time. Not imperative though. You can only have so many stars and ours are already on our list.

 

[bradfisher14]

Cripps will only have 2 years left when TDKs contract starts. Williams 1 so you can pretty much discount those. TDKs contract will run for 2 years after McKay's finishes and 3 years after Curnow. That gives some flexibility with moving money around.

Agree TDK is the riskiest of the big-name players we have re-signed. He has achieved the least. That said, we need to at least be in the ballpark of other offers. If the contract spoken about is correct, we are getting him at a decent discount.

8M over 7 isn't as much as it sounds with the cap going up. Under the old cap it'd be roughly 900k p.a, which is in line with what our other big-name players re-signed for (reportedly). Sticks to our pay structure.

I strongly suspect most our contracts are indexed to TPP. I think most clubs are. Essendon an exception, hence the way they've been throwing money around. We would have money to burn if our contracts weren't indexed and there is no evidence of that.

Our cap is definitely top heavy, and it will cost us players at some point (as early as this year) but probably not at the top end. Could see it compromising our depth, hence going hard at the draft the last few years being important. Doubt we will have money to go after a big-name free agent for a long time. Not imperative though. You can only have so many stars and ours are already on our list.

Well summarised.

I think there's another element that the previous poster hasn't recognised. Yes it is indeed a risk to sign TDK to this contract. But it's also a risk not to sign him to it. There's a very large possibility that if we don't and he continues to perform at a high level, he will receive massive offers to leave. He would also be more likely to consider those offers given we haven't committed to him. Risk goes both ways in these scenarios.

 

[marcmurphy3]

Well summarised.

I think there's another element that the previous poster hasn't recognised. Yes it is indeed a risk to sign TDK to this contract. But it's also a risk not to sign him to it. There's a very large possibility that if we don't and he continues to perform at a high level, he will receive massive offers to leave. He would also be more likely to consider those offers given we haven't committed to him. Risk goes both ways in these scenarios.

There's also a flow on effect to a TDK stalemate. Not knowing whether he will re-sign or for how much, impacts negotiations with players lower down the pecking order. If we get him done early, we will know exactly how much we have to play with and can start re-signing other players. Have a lot of guys out of contract this year.

 

[bmaurizio]

We need to get a lot more out our players and coaches in 2025, the past 3/4 years demonstrated our team with some glaring deficiencies, falling away against the elite teams at the pointy end of the seasons.
Hopeful we'll move forward aggressively with a refreshed game plan.

 

[macky99]

I've got a lot more faith in TDK than the names you've listed. He could be the best ruck in the game next year and he gives our midfield a POD.

Absolutely spot on, TDK is ready to go to the next level and is a key piece of us challenging in the next few years, sure he will be offered significantly more at other clubs, but we need to back him in and have a strong offer on the table, losing him would set us back in a major way, our drop off in form last year was also partly related to him missing the last 6 weeks of the season.

 

[GoBlues!]

We need to get a lot more out our players and coaches in 2025, the past 3/4 years demonstrated our team with some glaring deficiencies, falling away against the elite teams at the pointy end of the seasons.
Hopeful we'll move forward aggressively with a refreshed game plan.

Agree, in particular we need to get more out of the forward line with Harry and Charlie as our key forwards.

The supporting forward structure needs to be overhauled in terms of consistency and hitting the scoreboard.

Hoping that Kemp and Moir are part of the changes, building on the introduction of Williams and Elijah this year.