List Mgmt. Contract, Trade and Draft Discussions - 2024 Edition

[Keys]

Quick links:
Player contract status
Draft prospect video highlights (thanks to noobermensch)
AFL retirements and delistings

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Latest news and rumours:

• Tom Barrass officially requests trade to Hawthorn
  • Duffield: Eagles want two first round picks - "It may have to be in this year’s draft rather than a future pick."
  • Morris: Josh Battle is set to join Barrass at Hawthorn in 2025 - Ralph: Unclear if Hawks will pay enough for Band 1

• Kysaiah Pickett interested in a trade
  • "Club and management are confident they can work through his concerns"
  • Daniels: Pickett’s preference is Fremantle. Fremantle are keen, but Bolton the priority. Getting both “not impossible”. West Coast “an option if things get complicated.”

• Jai Culley, Coen Livingstone, Loch Rawlinson in line for one-year deals (The West)
  
  
• Liam Baker and Shai Bolton
  15

  Shai Bolton

  Age

  26

  Ht

  176cm

  Wt

  77kg

  Pos.

  M/F

  Career

  Season

  Last 5

  D

  12.3

  3star

  K

  6.9

  3star

  HB

  5.4

  4star

  M

  2.8

  3star

  T

  2.9

  4star

  CL

  1.4

  4star

  D

  12.7

  3star

  K

  9.2

  4star

  HB

  3.5

  2star

  M

  3.0

  3star

  T

  2.7

  4star

  CL

  1.8

  4star

  D

  9.2

  3star

  K

  4.6

  2star

  HB

  4.6

  4star

  M

  2.0

  3star

  T

  2.6

  4star

  CL

  0.0

  1star

  officially request trades to WA
  • Daniels: Bolton is Fremantle’s priority

 

[Obeanie1]

Stuff Williams he would be hitchhiking home without a plane ticket …

Flynn rucks and English plays chf… can run and present all day and take contested marks. Something we don’t have.


Sent from my iPhone using BigFooty.com

The ever injured Flynn saves the day?

Bailey is going to become a very good 2nd ruck and tall IMO. Write him off at you own risk. He just needs a decent #1 ruck to join him and stay fit.

 

[Cuzz09]

The talk is about becoming competitive not finals.

If that doesnt happen wave goodbye to Ried and any other interstate top draftees. And then we will start going in circles losing players just as they hit their peak years like Freo, GWS, Gold Coast and North all did for 10 years.

I was replying to someone who said if we get busy, Baker and co finals are in the picture for 2025 that's all

On SM-S908E using BigFooty.com mobile app

 

[Goroyals22]

The ever injured Flynn saves the day?

Bailey is going to become a very good 2nd ruck and tall IMO. Write him off at you own risk. He just needs a decent #1 ruck to join him and stay fit.

The bloke who has taken 3 marks for the year is going to become a very good tall? Playing where? Not forward that’s for sure…




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[Obeanie1]

Nowhere have I suggested English is worth $1m. I would never suggest that. Any club paying Tim English more than $7-800k is getting fleeced, and if we have a spare mil I’d rather get better and deeper than blow it all on a quirky ruckman who can run harder than his opponent but doesn’t actually feed his star studded midfield s**t.

Spend a mil on a premium mid. Spend a mil on someone to take the burden away from Oscar Allen (a glue factor Jack Darling/works harder than he is talented Jake Waterman/infant Jack Williams trio is not a finalists forwardline).

Spend a mil on Tim English and watch the “why have they allocated resources like that” discussion cripple us for years (led by me, because Tim English is a ‘nice to have’ not a program changer).

Dean Cox was Dean Cox because he was also the best at rucking. Tim English is a better mid than every other ruckman in footy, but a worse mid than most mids in footy. So just pay a proper mid.

Spend a million on a mid or someone to help Oscar is ok then?

English would improve our midfield transition play and assist Oscar instantly. Without question.
English is an extra midfielder in the mould of Dean Cox who provides overlap run and carry and a tall target as an outlet in general play. Instead of a long kick to an undersized Darling it goes to a hard running 200cm tall.

English and Bailey resting forward also helps Oscar.

You argument actually supports getting English.

 

[Obeanie1]

The bloke who has taken 3 marks for the year is going to become a very good tall? Playing where? Not forward that’s for sure…




Sent from my iPhone using BigFooty.com

Not shouldering the entire ruck load would provide more opportunity to take marks.

 

[Obeanie1]

The way to early and not very educated on this years crop top 10 draft this year let me know if I’m close or way off!

1. FOS
2. J Smillie
3. C Moraes
4. L Ashcroft
5. L Lombard
6. S Draper
7. J Smith
8. P Hargrave
9. T Welsh
10. B Allen

Had to get a west Aussie in there and and I think Bo Allen is our best bet if he plays league for peel all year. Had to do something that will make me feel better about finishing last again this year.


On iPhone using BigFooty.com mobile app

Have not seen Bo Allen rated in the first round.

More like around 30. Early days though.

 

[Jumpoff Joey]

Spend a million on a mid or someone to help Oscar is ok then?

English would improve our midfield transition play and assist Oscar instantly. Without question.
English is an extra midfielder in the mould of Dean Cox who provides overlap run and carry and a tall target as an outlet in general play. Instead of a long kick to an undersized Darling it goes to a hard running 200cm tall.

English and Bailey resting forward also helps Oscar.

You argument actually supports getting English.

Personally I feel we were unlucky with Flynn and would have helped our contest around the ground but shit happens and Bailey was our only option. 2nd half of the season I think we would improve in this area.

Also, it would be interesting to see who we go after English vs ?, if phil's rumour is true I'd prefer Hugh Mcluggage.

Over the 5/6/7 years I think he would support our midfield group. Yeo / Kelly / Mcluggage with Reid / Hewitt / Ginbey being interchangeable would work quite nicely.

 

[Godfather32]

Martin trained with the forwards and injured himself(unsurprisingly) during his stint, so club didn't get a good look at him.

Whatever happened it was a giant miss, not like we hadn't seen him in the WAFL and Essendon saw enough to get him over and give him a shot.
Our list management team is a large part of why we are where we are now.

 

[ziad]

Whatever happened it was a giant miss, not like we hadn't seen him in the WAFL and Essendon saw enough to get him over and give him a shot.
Our list management team is a large part of why we are where we are now.

Absolutely.

 

[Obeanie1]

Personally I feel we were unlucky with Flynn and would have helped our contest around the ground but s**t happens and Bailey was our only option. 2nd half of the season I think we would improve in this area.

Also, it would be interesting to see who we go after English vs ?, if phil's rumour is true I'd prefer Hugh Mcluggage.

Over the 5/6/7 years I think he would support our midfield group. Yeo / Kelly / Mcluggage with Reid / Hewitt / Ginbey being interchangeable would work quite nicely.

Wonder if McLuggage went on the Vegas trip?

I find it difficult to see why he would come here other than for money. Is that a good thing?

 

[Jumpoff Joey]

Wonder if McLuggage went on the Vegas trip?

I find it difficult to see why he would come here other than for money. Is that a good thing?

Depends on what happens with Brisbane i guess?

At what point does a player say, I am still good enough to play, I want to play but I am closer to finishing my career and I need to look after myself post footy.

Chase a premiership or make sure I am and family is well set up for the next 40/50 years of my life.

 

[new breed]

2018 has been our only really good year at the new set-up, Laithlain and our shiny new stadium , ever since we've been shockingly bad ....!!
Reading too much into it but change is needed , Don Pyke has a big job on his hands .
Might be the coaching or drafting , training facilities , might be the curse .

 

[dinnaz]

What would you guys do this off season with our out of contract players? This is what I’d do

Witherden - no contract
Gaff - no contract
Burgiel - 2 year deal
Yeo - 1/2 year deal depending on how many games he plays this season
Barnett - 2 year deal
H.Edwards - 1 year deal (his last chance), wouldn’t be opposed to not offering him a contact though
J.Williams - 1 year deal
Culley - 2 year deal
Jones - no contract
Baker - 1 year deal
Rotham - no contract
Duggan - honestly, I hope he leaves but that won’t happen, fine with him staying
Rawlinson - 1 year deal
L.Edwards - no contract
Dewar - 2 year deal
Trew - no contract

Pretty much spot on. I don't get the Duggan hate though I could even see 3 years for Burgiel & Barnett keeping in mind that the extra year is good for both parties but we could get a lower $ rate per year too.

Dewar for 2? I think we can pop 1 extra year of rookie status onto his existing contract rather than main list him.
Baker the same, though I would only keep them both if we plan to use a bunch of picks already.

We are crying out for experienced players on the cheap. Witherden pretty much fits exactly what we would get on the market and he's honestly not that bad of a player.

 

[eaglevision]

We are crying out for experienced players on the cheap. Witherden pretty much fits exactly what we would get on the market and he's honestly not that bad of a player.

I agree he’s not bad. He’s s**t.

 

[dinnaz]

So English excels at 5 out if 6 or these areas you rate as important. And Bailey excels in the one area English is average, centre bounce taps.

Sounds like a bloody good ruck duo to me. You've just described why English and Baikey would work very well in tandum.

The only ruck better than English atm is a 32 yr old Gawn.

I would say English rates as great in 2 of the less important areas.

However 100% that combo wouldn't work out at all. It's the Gawn + Grundy combo again but with worse versions.

When you play 2 rucks it just doesn't work. Williams should go ok as a forward but some of his kicks are shocking and has only ever played decent games as a ruck.

English is the Priddis type who is elite when compared to the rest of the AFL over a full game accumulating the ball.
Once you reduce their time in the chosen position then they are dead set average and even a burden. (See the Cox/Naitanui/Lycett experiment)

Its all a moot discussion as a ruck is the last position on the ground you really want to spend up on.

 

[dinnaz]

How?

We have up to $7 m in free cap space available over the next 2-3 years.

$3m being the CBA increase not allocated. And 5 guys on $800k who likely wont be playing in 2026 27. Gaff will be gone this year. Darling next year. Gov, Yeo and Barrass likely wont be around in 2027.

How is getting English even on $1.5m for 3 years then dropping down to $1m going to stop us getting any other players? We front end contracts for three years and then that backs off when Ried and the other kids start deserving pay rises.

You might be right, I don't really follow the $ too closely but I guarantee doing a Carlton and throwing massive contracts around is never a good idea
We should have dollars this year and next but you would think any deal struck would be a long term one pushed by the managers.

 

[dinnaz]

I agree he’s not bad. He’s s**t.

He's better than Bonner who just took out the World Record for turnovers!
Last year though Witho stopped being a squib, stood in the hole and got cleaned up a bunch of times. I respect that more than his fiddly kicks, and I hear that he's got a bit of leadership out on the field. There's definitely a use for him in the right now even if he's not good enough for next time that we make finals.

 

[Tugga27]

He's better than Bonner who just took out the World Record for turnovers!
Last year though Witho stopped being a squib, stood in the hole and got cleaned up a bunch of times. I respect that more than his fiddly kicks, and I hear that he's got a bit of leadership out on the field. There's definitely a use for him in the right now even if he's not good enough for next time that we make finals.

The trouble is, with our current injuries, you're just replacing one poor player with another.
Rinse and repeat.

 

[dinnaz]

The way to early and not very educated on this years crop top 10 draft this year let me know if I’m close or way off!

1. FOS
2. J Smillie
3. C Moraes
4. L Ashcroft
5. L Lombard
6. S Draper
7. J Smith
8. P Hargrave
9. T Welsh
10. B Allen

Had to get a west Aussie in there and and I think Bo Allen is our best bet if he plays league for peel all year. Had to do something that will make me feel better about finishing last again this year.

It's a lot of what we are hearing but some early predictions:

Welsh and Draper in particular will drop,
Smillie won't go top 5.

Look out for Harvey Langford, Sam Marshall & Tom Gross.

Based on last year WA is looking light on

 

[Get_The_Gaff]

I wonder who of JD, Gaff, Gov, Barrass will be on our list at the start of the 2025 season, I know some might be contracted but I can imagine that each of them may consider retiring.
We definitely need to target a quality key defender, draft one or two quickly

Gaff is out of contract this year and I can't see him getting another .

Darling out of contract at the end of 2025 .
McGovern is playing good footy and is contracted till end of 2025 and I wouldn't entend him till after the 2025 season if it is justified

Barrass still has 3 more years after this one . Hopefully his back will get better and he can get some form back .

 

[Get_The_Gaff]

He's better than Bonner who just took out the World Record for turnovers!
Last year though Witho stopped being a squib, stood in the hole and got cleaned up a bunch of times. I respect that more than his fiddly kicks, and I hear that he's got a bit of leadership out on the field. There's definitely a use for him in the right now even if he's not good enough for next time that we make finals.

Witherden is too slow for afl and his kicking isn't anywhere near elite for us to carry his weakness .

We need a third tall who can be that distributor off the half back .

2 tall kpds and a 3rd tall . Rotham looks like he doesn't have it but there is another on our list who is a genuine tall with great kicking skills in Ryan Maric who is now 196cms .

This is him playing backline and designated kicker for the young guns vs Vic country

 

[Cuzz09]

lots of turnovers and floaty kicks

On SM-S908E using BigFooty.com mobile app

 

[CountryLad]

It's a lot of what we are hearing but some early predictions:

Welsh and Draper in particular will drop,
Smillie won't go top 5.

Look out for Harvey Langford, Sam Marshall & Tom Gross.

Based on last year WA is looking light on

Welsh and Draper in particular will drop,
Smillie won't go top 5.

Big call Dinnaz.

If SA perform as expected in the state champs it’s hard to see the likes of Draper and Welsh dropping. Unlucky for Draper that he’s injured atm. Hopefully it doesn’t affect his whole season.
Smillie has had a bog already and played pretty well again on the weekend. It’s hard to see him sliding too much either.


Taj Hotton has probably had the biggest start to the year outside of any of the top ranked players. If he continues on with his form he will rise rapidly. Only knock on him is his disposal by foot is just average, lots of other parts of his game are elite. His game on the weekend was very impressive.

Seen nothing from Langford and Marshall so far that suggest they rise rapidly, will more than likely be in the 15-40 range but like you said it is early.

Maybe Gross goes top 10 however he will need to play well in the Champs because Oakleigh are a bit of a basket case currently. He didn’t play on the weekend so I’m guessing he picked up an injury in week one.

 

[Dom sheed pocket]

I wonder who of JD, Gaff, Gov, Barrass will be on our list at the start of the 2025 season, I know some might be contracted but I can imagine that each of them may consider retiring.
We definitely need to target a quality key defender, draft one or two quickly

Writing is well and truly on the wall for Gaff. There is no way the club can consider retaining him beyond this year.

I wouldn’t be surprised if we give Darling a golden handshake at the end of this year and he retires. It’s unfathomable that he has 43 games left in him to get to the end of next year.

Barrass is interesting. If he gets another bad hit I think he will retire through injury. With Barrass I see a player who still really wants to compete. Maybe he is abit unsure and lost some confidence in his body. Less than 50/50 that he sees out his entire deal imo.

 

[AsterixTheGaul]

Wonder if McLuggage went on the Vegas trip?

I find it difficult to see why he would come here other than for money. Is that a good thing?

Ah. - see your link.

West Coast have the ultimate US off season travel guide in Tim Gepp. Given all the Brisbane mischief, McCluggage will feel the draw of our offer to have Gepp chaperone the last.

Nice thinking there up in Darwin