Re: List Building - More than one way to skin a cat
Reply #227 –
There's also the availability of three nominally best 23 players in Smith, Newman and Kemp who were sadly missed last season.
We had three players choose to leave for whatever reasons. You can debate the impact of their departures or their worth but only one of the three was rated in the top 50 players coming in the 2025 season (Jamarra Ugle-Hagan was included!). None made the end of season top 50. Two of them are currently unable to train because of recurring injuries and the third has a dicky knee.
Of the other departures, one decided that he was cooked, another was told that he was cooked, one was traded for a packet of chips and the other five were delisted after managing a total of 104 games between them (and two of them accounted for 81 of those games). It's pretty clear to me that our list managers, with their comprehensive knowledge of player analytics and player availability, were confident that we could bring in better players. That's really the crux of the matter, and time will tell, but it's worth noting none of our new players are delisted free agents or State league hacks. We have gone for three players with runs on the board and in the prime of their careers, two youngsters with potential, two very highly ranked draft picks, and one speculative draft pick. Then there's the natural progression of the youngsters with another pre-season under their belt.
It's true that we didn't draft a KPF who could have spent a season or two in the VFL, but so what? By any reasoned analysis, our list is better placed now than it was in 2025.