2023 List Management

[Thunder Shaker]

After retirements, delistings and trading Stephens, Sydney will have nine vacancies on its list. Four players are known to be coming to the Swans by free agency or trades.

That leaves five list vacancies to fill. How will these be filled?

[mcs]

Does that nine Thunder Shaker include or exclude Arnold and Buller?

[Auntie.Gerald]

I suspect we go 5 trades / UFA

Just a hunch we need another specific role to be filled

[liz]

After retirements, delistings and trading Stephens, Sydney will have nine vacancies on its list. Four players are known to be coming to the Swans by free agency or trades.

That leaves five list vacancies to fill. How will these be filled?

By my calculations we have just four spots available, if Adams does come to us. And one of those is a Cat B rookie spot that can only be filled by a small group of players. The delisting of Owen points to that spot being earmarked for May.

Three retirees and one tradee out (Stephens)
Six delisted (including one Cat B rookie; see above)

Four experienced players set to join, and two who already joined us via last year's MSD.

So I make that four spots in total, with the fate of Reid yet to be clarified.

Wicks's fate hasn't been publicly announced, but I presume he's staying as he hasn't been delisted. And I think his contribution last season warranted another year on the list.

It's worth noting that Wicks (assuming he's staying) and Fox have exhausted their allowed time on the rookie list, so need to be promoted. I am not sure about McAndrew. There seems some vagueness (what! not in the AFL, surely?!!) about mid-season draftees and whether they get two and a half or three and a half years on the rookie list. Let's assume he can stay. That means that Fox and Wicks will take the only two available spots on the senior list.

Theoretically that would leave us with just three Cat A and one Cat B spot available to fill. However, we can go with a 38+4+2 structure instead of a 36+6+2 structure, so there is some flexibility there. Plus Reid, if he retains his place, could probably be delisted and put on the rookie list. I imagine we could probably do the same for one of our underwhelming draftees from last year - Vickery, say. I doubt anyone will swoop in and take him. Or delist Fox again, and put him back on the rookie list.

[Ludwig]

We are down to 3 spots left to fill if all the suspected trades go through. It could be 2 ND picks and a 5th recruit or 3 ND picks, or we might leave a last spot open for a Supplement pick. Plus Sheather will open another Cat B spot. It probably came down to cutting either Magor or HHK. Both deserve a list spot. I don't envy the youngsters on Swans' list now, as it could be a long time developing in the VFL. So maybe not so unlucky for HHK who might get a better opportunity at another club, although it will be hard for any delisted player without AFL experience to find another club to pick them up.

As I said in my previous post, I don't reproach the club for going the recruitment path this year. We probably didn't have a good enough squad to challenge for the flag next year, but with these recruits, we are will improve our chances in the short term. Lucky we hit the jackpot with the 2020 draft, which was helped so much by our Academy and NM's blunder letting McDonald slip, because otherwise, we haven't done that well in recent drafts. I think that may have forced our hand and the change in tactics on how we build our list.

One can look at this post season as a great recruitment coup, or a capitulation brought on by some poor list management in recent years. Whatever the case, one has to admire how we struck hard when we thought it was the right time to go and we weren't prepared to wallow in mediocrity.

[neilfws]

ABC News says:

The Dockers are loading up on 2024 picks. Interesting considering the reports this morning they will be heavily into Logan McDonald next year.

AFL trade period live updates

[Thunder Shaker]

Bulldogs land pick No.4 in pick swap with Suns (afl.com.au)
Bulldogs got pick 4, 46, 51 and a future third-round pick from the Suns but gave up pick 10, 17 and a future first-round pick.

[Nico]

I like the discussions on list spots etc but there may still be some more delistings. It appears to me that with the players we are bringing in, that we are looking to win the flag in the next 2 years. I expect that we will still pick up 3 players in the draft and hopefully 2 KPD's to develop quickly.

[Thunder Shaker]

Re: Adams:'Might not get done': Pies to play hardball over contracted mid's move (afl.com.au)

[BRS328]

Agree Markwebbos. Ratoglea has undoubted talent but no consistency. I watched him closely when we played the drawn game against Geelong and he just did not read the play and was constantly caught out of position.

[BRS328]

Melican just signed a new contract approximately a month ago and Edwards definitely has a contract for 2024.

Reading between the lines it would appear Sam Reid must have passed a medical review in his recovery process. With 6 delistings and 3 retirements you would think that would be it for 2023.

[cruiser]

Sydney’s persistence with Sam Reid is beyond my comprehension.

[Maltopia]

Bulldogs land pick No.4 in pick swap with Suns (afl.com.au)
Bulldogs got pick 4, 46, 51 and a future third-round pick from the Suns but gave up pick 10, 17 and a future first-round pick.

Gold Coast need a few high value picks in the teens and twenties, and to reduce the number of picks this year (they have decreased by one) as they don’t have enough vacancies on their list to take say, a dozen or more low value picks into the draft to use as points for their four academy players.

[BRS328]

I must say I find this a strange response to Maltopia and feel it would fail the fact check analysis.

Can you explain why Fremantle made an increased offer to Hamlin in a late attempt to change his mind. They must have seen some value in him.

It is well documented that Collingwood are paying a significant amount of his contract for the next four years.

The Swans have the third youngest list in the league so I can’t see how Longmire can be accused of playing over the hill players. The major criticism is we got exposed for depth when the injuries hit.

Not sure where you are getting your information from, but Grundy and Jordan have committed to 4 years, Adams is three years, and Hamlin 2 years.

I think most fair minded people think that the club have played the “money ball game” very effectively, strengthening the squad without breaking the bank, and allowing salary cap space to retain the rising young talent.

[i'm-uninformed2]

The one bit I'd still like us to think through is a buzzy small forward that represents an upgrade on Wicks, as much as I have a slightly higher view on him then most on here when he avoids the brain farts.

I've already said we should think about Spargo, if McAdam is going to the Dees and pushes him further back in the queue.

Now, I'm going to raise one more I rate even more highly and await the blowback. Lachie Schulz has just announced he wants to leave Freo to get to the Pies. He's a very good player, and will be first 22. Elliot has brownie points as long as he is fit; Hill clearly; McCreery I love, but I suspect so do the Pies so we ain't getting him.

So, who gets squeezed out - Jack Ginnivan. Yes, I know but . . . watch him, he's got superb footy IQ, had a 40-goal season last year, is only 20yo and comes from an elite system. And before you judge him for other things - like ducking (see Errol), drugs (ie: don't be naive), no dickheads (he's had a mental health challenge, he's not a dickhead) etc - forget it.

I mean, sure - Kostanty has already shown elite tackle pressure this offseason. But c'mon down, Jack Ginnivan!