2025 List Management Thread

[lemmon]

I think they will throw massive money at Sanders that we can't and shouldn't come close to matching. Possibly up to $1.5 million per season to be the main man in their midfield.

He will likely extend for 1 year or to whenever Tassie come in if it's pushed back with the stadium issues. I will be surprised if he is at the club after that.

That's my read on it too. He seems like a great young man, and I get the Launnie v Hobart thing, but I think there's every chance they offer both Sanders and McKercher well over 1 million each and the chance to be co-captains.

I just don't see how anyone says no to that.

[Axe Man]

Depends on when/if Tassie do come in, but there are plenty of others around the league with Tas connections.

If I was looking at their recruiting I would be in the ear of a few older guys as well.

Alex Pearce at Freo and Jack Buckley at GWS have good family ties.

Pearce is 30 and injury prone, doubt he will still be playing and on his last legs if he is.

Buckley has a family connection and would be a great get for them, but may have no desire to move somewhere he has never lived before.

Of course they will go after any suitable players regardless of Tassie connections that may be swayed by bucket loads of cash. However I would be surprised if Sanders and McKercher aren't near the top of their list.

[Bulldog Joe]

Depends on when/if Tassie do come in, but there are plenty of others around the league with Tas connections.

If I was looking at their recruiting I would be in the ear of a few older guys as well.

Alex Pearce at Freo and Jack Buckley at GWS have good family ties.

[GVGjr]

I think they will throw massive money at Sanders that we can't and shouldn't come close to matching. Possibly up to $1.5 million per season to be the main man in their midfield.

He will likely extend for 1 year or to whenever Tassie come in if it's pushed back with the stadium issues. I will be surprised if he is at the club after that.

That would be a massive deal. There is no way we could get close to that.

[Axe Man]

I think they will throw massive money at Sanders that we can't and shouldn't come close to matching. Possibly up to $1.5 million per season to be the main man in their midfield.

He will likely extend for 1 year or to whenever Tassie come in if it's pushed back with the stadium issues. I will be surprised if he is at the club after that.

[GVGjr]

He's also been in Melbourne since before his draft year right? So he's more adapted to the city than a guy from rural WA

From memory he boarded for 2 years in Melbourne before we drafted him and has been with us for 18 months.
I'd imagine he has some strong ties here.

[hujsh]

Smads and I talked to his father a while back at one of the training sessions. At the time his father didn't think the lure of Hobart was that strong for players from the Launceston region
Hobart is more than a 2 hour drive from Launceston and the old Old North South divide in Tasmania is a real consideration.

A godfather offer could change everything but I would suggest he's pretty happy here and we are in a great position to retain his services.
We would also be well compensated if he did leave.

He's also been in Melbourne since before his draft year right? So he's more adapted to the city than a guy from rural WA

[GVGjr]

Reading that, I don't think he will leave. Might leverage his salary a bit with the possibility, but think he will stay.

Smads and I talked to his father a while back at one of the training sessions. At the time his father didn't think the lure of Hobart was that strong for players from the Launceston region
Hobart is more than a 2 hour drive from Launceston and the old Old North South divide in Tasmania is a real consideration.

A godfather offer could change everything but I would suggest he's pretty happy here and we are in a great position to retain his services.
We would also be well compensated if he did leave.

[Uninformed]

Reading that, I don't think he will leave. Might leverage his salary a bit with the possibility, but think he will stay.

[Axe Man]

SANDERS WILL NEED TO MAKE TASSIE CALL

Western Bulldogs youngster Ryley Sanders admits he will “have to make a decision” if his home state Tasmania enters the AFL in 2028 as he shrugs off impending speculation about his future.

The former No. 6 pick will be right up near the top of the wishlist when the Tasmania Devils begin recruiting, having begun his footy career with North Launceston.

As an early draft pick, Sanders holds the customary three-year contract, which will end in 2026.

He said he doesn’t read much media, so Dogs CEO Ameet Bains was keeping him in the loop on the crisis in his home state that threatened the future of the Devils in recent weeks.

But if the Devils do get off the ground, Sanders is aware he will be a target.

“I don’t think about it too much because you don’t know how you are going to feel at the time,” he told this masthead.

“It is still ages away. If it goes ahead then I am going to have to make a decision. I love the Dogs, obviously I live with Ads Treloar and love him and his family to death.

“It would be hard to leave this club, I will tell you that. But you don’t know, I would obviously have that drawcard of being with my family.”

Sanders said any impending Devils interest would leave him with “a good decision to have”.

“I know there is going to be talk about myself and Colby (McKercher of North Melbourne) and a few of the boys that went high in the draft about the Tassie team given we are local boys,” he said.

“But there is speculation all the time … I’m pretty chill man.”

Even though Sanders knows call is coming, the Dogs No. 9 said it would be near impossible to give up the chance of playing with locker mate, Sam Darcy.

“I’m pretty keen to share the locker next to him for the next while, I won’t be leaving if I get to play with him for the rest of my career,” he said.

Sanders had been frustrated playing at half-forward in his first AFL season, given he was a prolific inside midfielder as a junior, but has come to terms with biding his time waiting for a crack in the centre square.

“I obviously struggled with it last year because I want to play midfield,” he said.

“I think this year, having some really good role models, just talking with them and understanding I don’t have to be a full time midfielder in my second year.

“I understand how fortunate I am to be able to play with these great players, especially older players. A guy like Ads (Treloar), he is getting older and I would do anything to play in a premiership with him.

“Hopefully down the track when all these older boys are done, I can step in (to the midfield) for them.”

[NAUGHTY100]

The Bont is going no where apart from the clubs honour roll , as he acquires at least another 2 Charles Sutton medals .
Bontempelli would have to be one of if not the most loyal guys in the AFL .
His contracts have been no fuss , giving and getting what he deservers . He will re-sign .
He knows he could get 1.5 two 1.75 million a year if he decided to leave , but he'll settle on a figure that suits him and the club , no doubt in my mind .
Marcus Bontempelli is a bulldog through and through , and by the time he retires he will be the best of all time .

[Axe Man]

‘DON’T WASTE YOUR TIME’: PIES’ BONT PLAY KNOCKED BACK

Collingwood has been told “don’t waste your time” in response to enquiries about free-agent Western Bulldogs skipper Marcus Bontempelli, says Herald Sun journalist Jon Ralph.

More than halfway through the season, Bontempelli remains without a new contract for 2026 and beyond, and only days ago was it revealed that the club and star midfielder had begun talks on a new deal.

And while Ralph revealed on Fox Footy’s On the Couch that Bontempelli “will certainly stay at the Western Bulldogs”, he said: “But the rumours reached such fever pitch of a link to Collingwood that even the Pies had their heads turned.

“My understanding is, over the past few weeks and months, they (the Pies) have made a series of overtures just to make sure. A series of text messages — ‘are you sure he doesn’t want to come and play at Collingwood and win another premiership there?’

“You could say that the replies back (from the Dogs) have become even more and more forceful — ‘don’t waste your time, he’s staying at the Whitten Oval’.”

The 29-year-old has a history delaying contract talks with the Bulldogs, but entering the second half of the season, persistent speculation has left fans a bit edgy.

The six-time All-Australian was, in a rarity, curtailed in last Thursday’s 12-goal smashing of St Kilda, with Saints tagger Marcus Windhager holding him to just 14 disposals and three clearances.

[Axe Man]

Victorian club tipped to have vast salary cap wiggle room amid play for Power gun: AFL trade news

The Western Bulldogs are expected to have a large opening in their salary cap for next year that will place them in the window to move for a top-line star.

The Dogs' recent, and potentially incoming, departures of key players are anticipated to place the Footscray-based club in a position to aggressively chase Port Adelaide gun Zak Butters and other potential trade targets.

Premiership pair Jack Macrae and Caleb Daniel left the Dogs last year despite being on deals through to the end of the 2027 and 2026 seasons, respectively.

The Bulldogs also had money on the side for the chance Bailey Smith remained with the club, only for the midfielder to move to Geelong in the same off-season as Macrae and Daniel.

With speculation surrounding Jamarra Ugle-Hagan's future, another top Bulldog leaving would reportedly see the club equipped with significant financial flexibility.

Ugle-Hagan is said to be north of $800,000 for the final year of his contract next season, per 7 News' Mitch Cleary, who reports the Dogs could be turning their attention to Butters.

"With trust at the club still needing to be rebuilt, not even a contract can guarantee Jamarra will be at the Dogs next year," Cleary said on Monday.

"Should he depart, he would add to the pool of cash for the pursuit of Port star Zak Butters this year or next.

"Ugle-Hagan is on more than $800,000 next year, with Caleb Daniel and Jack Macrae's departures leaving a hole in the 2026 salary cap, as well as Bailey Smith, who the Dogs had set money aside for."

Butters is contracted until the end of next year; however, the interest from the Bulldogs and other Victorian clubs comes as a play to lure the Western Jets product back to his home state as a 'pre-agent'.

Port Adelaide will look to hold Butters to his deal, but could get a better return in 2025 compared to next year, when he can walk via free agency.

The Dogs will be keen to make their move for Butters this season, given most clubs in Victoria will show interest if he remains unsigned in the second half of next season.

Butters is expected to have a restricted free agency status in 2026, meaning the Power would be able to match a rival's bid and force a trade deal rather than taking a single draft pick as compensation.

[chef]

The early talk is the draft is not deep at all, even the first round is thin. This may result in fringe players and injury prone players perhaps getting another one-year deal.

A lot of NGAs predicted to go first round too isn't there?

A real big problem the AFL has created.

[Bornadog]

Yes, he is

Thanks

I wonder how he is going.