2025 List Management Thread

[GVGjr]

Mick McGaune has gone through every clubs back line, midfield and forward structures and given them all a ranking
This is the final part where he rated the strength of the overall list.
Many will disagree preferring a more average overall rating but he does rate our list highly


WESTERN BULLDOGS

Defence: 3 | Midfield: 4 | Forwards: 6 | Total: 44 points

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The Bulldogs haven’t finished top-four since 2009, but Mick again rates them as a top-four list. The forward line lost points given the uncertainty surrounding Jamarra Ugle-Hagan’s immediate future, which Mick describes as a “massive concern”. Defensively, the Bulldogs ranked No. 1 for points against last season, with Liam Jones remaining reliable and Rory Lobb’s move to the backline an “overwhelming success”. The midfield group is led by Marcus Bontempelli, who “might be the best player in the competition”.

[GVGjr]

Brayden Crossley could become second Southport player added to an AFL list in historic off-season

Southport ruckman Brayden Crossley is out to follow in the footsteps of teammate Ben Jepson and earn an AFL list spot. What it means to the club and why he’s ready.


Brayden Crossley of the Sharks in action during the 2024 VFL First Semi Final match between the Geelong Cats and Southport Sharks. (Photo by Rob Lawson/AFL Photos via Getty Images) AFL

Premier VFL ruckman Brayden Crossley is out to follow in the footsteps of Southport teammate Ben Jepson and earn an AFL list spot in the coming weeks.

Crossley has been offered the opportunity to feature in the Western Bulldogs intraclub match at Maroochydore on Sunday, an opportunity which could lead to a list spot via the pre-season supplemental selection period (SSP).

The news came just 24 hours after Jepson was added to the Gold Coast Suns list via the SSP, and is a testament to the Sharks VFL program which reached the grand final for the second time in three years in 2024.

“His finals series was outstanding, I’m not surprised the Bulldogs are having a look because in the preliminary final against the Bulldogs he had 71 hit outs that day,” said Southport general manager of football operations Jarrod Field.

“(The preliminary final) was probably his best performance of the year, it’s a great opportunity for him and I’m sure he’ll acquit himself well on Sunday.”

Crossley has been one of the VFL’s top ruckman for a number of years now, and represented the league against the SANFL in last year’s representative match.

Brayden Crossley from Victoria reacts after scoring a goal during the AAMI State game between South Australia and Victoria at Glenelg Stadium in Adelaide. (SANFL Image/David Mariuz)
He previously played 10 AFL games for the Gold Coast Suns but fell out of the AFL system in 2019 after receiving a 12-month anti-doping suspension.

Field lauded Crossley for his VFL finals series as a whole in 2024, with a number of standout performances spearheading the Sharks grand final charge.

“To finish the year in the biggest games with great performances like that was a huge tick,” Field said.

“He’s in the top couple (of ruckmen) in the VFL, he’s ready for another crack at it and hopefully the Bulldogs see fit to give him another opportunity.”

Werribee vs. Southport at Ikon Park, VFL grand final. Southport ruckman Brayden Crossley wins the ruck hit out over Sam Conway. Pic: Michael Klein.
If Crossley were to earn an AFL list spot this season, it would leave Southport with a considerable hole to fill but Field maintained the Sharks were well-placed to cover for the loss of the 25-year-old should an AFL opportunity eventuate.

“Our ruck stocks are pretty good, we’ve got another couple of guys on the list that can do the job,” he said.

Premier QAFL ruckman Riley Bowman, who has represented Queensland against Tasmania is waiting in the wings, while the Sharks also added Marcus Khoo, who spent last season in Victoria’s Goulburn Valley league.

“He’s a very good QAFL player looking to take next step into VFL,” Field said of Bowman.

[GVGjr]

So Mick rates the list but I wonder if its stats based or just from vision from last year or has he seen some things this summer that gives him some confidence?
With a run of injuries in recent weeks the depth of our list will be tested and as importantly our ability to fast track the development of players.

I'd be surprised if Mick has attended any training sessions.

[Stevo]

So Mick rates the list but I wonder if its stats based or just from vision from last year or has he seen some things this summer that gives him some confidence?
With a run of injuries in recent weeks the depth of our list will be tested and as importantly our ability to fast track the development of players.

[ledge]

Are we forgetting Busslinger in this ? Obviously he will play games this year and if Liam gets injured he will probably back up with Lobb . Also Gardiner has heaps of experience if needed down back.

[Virgin-Dog]

Very generous with the backline assessment - so much rests on Liam Jones staying fit.

Most clubs would be jealous of the running power we've got coming out of defence - Dale, Freijah, Bramble and JJ is 4 genuinely good running defenders (Dale arguably best in the comp). With Lobb's surprising effort as a KPD, our talls actually look reasonable for the first time in a while.

But geez, so much relies on Duryea and Jones being fully fit. Pull either (or both) out and things look shaky, especially without Jones. Though I imagine you could make similar argument for a lot of other sides if they lost crucial players.

We conceded the least points of any side last year, while simultaneously criticising our midfield's ability to defend effectively. So the credit has to go somewhere - it's pretty typical for us Bulldogs supporters to be overly-pessimistic about our side

[GVGjr]

I get your point Bornadog , but his last 3 seasons of AFL football the guy has played 19 , 18, and 21 games , and keeps himself in tip top condition , Now that he has Lobb to help cover the bigger guys , i see no reason why he can't keep that strike rate up for this year at least .

And to be fair, one of those injuries was when a player stepped on his arm. That isn't something that can be attributed to his age or poor management in terms of giving him a spell.
He's been remarkably resilient and there is nothing I've seen in the preseason that suggests he can't play a sizeable chunk of footy this year.

[NAUGHTY100]

Tell you the truth, I am worried Liam won't last the season. We need to be really clever in the way we handle him and plan to have him not play every game and be ready for finals.

I get your point Bornadog , but his last 3 seasons of AFL football the guy has played 19 , 18, and 21 games , and keeps himself in tip top condition , Now that he has Lobb to help cover the bigger guys , i see no reason why he can't keep that strike rate up for this year at least .

[Bornadog]

Very generous with the backline assessment - so much rests on Liam Jones staying fit.

Tell you the truth, I am worried Liam won't last the season. We need to be really clever in the way we handle him and plan to have him not play every game and be ready for finals.

[Mofra]

Very generous with the backline assessment - so much rests on Liam Jones staying fit.

[GVGjr]

Midfield - He's assessed our midfield as the 4th best in the comp.

Midfielders: Marcus Bontempelli (24 games in 2024, 124 Average SuperCoach points in 2024), Adam Treloar (23, 116), Tom Liberatore (18, 103), Ed Richards (21, 97), Bailey Williams (24, 76), Matthew Kennedy (24, 75), James Harmes (9, 68), Ryley Sanders (14, 63), Caleb Poulter (7, 58), Oskar Baker (6, 53), Harvey Gallagher (20, 45), Anthony Scott (2, 28), Luke Kennedy (0, 0)
Rucks: Tim English (23, 107), Lachlan Smith (0, 0)

Marcus Bontempelli might be the best player in the competition and he’s developed into more than just a ball-winner in the middle. In addition to leading the Bulldogs’ clearance count and laying more tackles than any other teammate, the skipper put his forward craft on show with an elite 32 majors last season.
Ed Richards was a revelation after being injected into the midfield last year, while Adam Treloar and Tom Liberatore remain workhorses. But with Treloar and Liberatore both set to enter this season aged 32, some further evolution must take place. It’s time to get more midfield minutes into the likes of promising youngsters Ryley Sanders and Harvey Gallagher. Ruck Tim English has all the physical attributes to become one of the best impactful ruckman in the competition but must improve his consistency with his aerial work. Look out if he does!

[GVGjr]

Back line
He's ranked the quality of our defence as 3rd in the comp

Bailey Dale (24 games in 2024, 97 Average SuperCoach points in 2024), Jason Johannisen (9, 79), Lachlan Bramble (24, 72), Rory Lobb (16, 72), Joel Freijah (13, 69), Liam Jones (21, 68), Taylor Duryea (22, 60), James O’Donnell (14, 52), Buku Khamis (17, 50), Luke Cleary (2, 46), Nick Coffield (8, 40), Jedd Busslinger (0, 0), Ryan Gardner 0, 0), Lachie Jaques (0, 0)

Coach Luke Beveridge cops a lot of external criticism at times, but one thing you can’t question about the Bulldogs is their defensive profile. They ranked No. 1 for points against last season, conceding just 75.5 points per game. They also ranked second for restricting opposition ball movement from defensive 50 to inside 50, fourth for points against from turnovers and fifth for points against from stoppages.
It all comes down to a good system, combined with some very capable personnel. Rory Lobb’s shift to defence last season was an overwhelming success, Liam Jones remains a reliable interceptor and Buku Khamis has elevated his game. Importantly, all three back themselves in the air to take marks from opposition kicks, which I love. Bailey Dale is their distributor and the recruitment of midfielder Matt Kennedy could see Ed Richards return to halfback to provide even more run and bounce out of that area at times.

[GVGjr]

Mick McGauane has been going through all the clubs and comparing the mids, defenders and forward lines.
He's ranked the quality of our forward line as 6th in the competition

Forwards
Sam Darcy (21 games in 2024, 79 Average SuperCoach points in 2024), Aaron Naughton (20, 69), Cody Weightman (17, 67), Rhylee West (21, 65), Jamarra Ugle-Hagan (22, 64), Riley Garcia (12, 63), Lachlan McNeil (12, 61), Laitham Vandermeer (24, 49), Arthur Jones (1, 40), Jordan Croft (0, 0), Sam Davidson (0, 0), Josh Dolan (0, 0), Cooper Hynes (0, 0)

I’ve dropped the Bulldogs down a spot or two due to the uncertainty around Jamarra Ugle-Hagan. The former No. 1 draft pick was the club’s leading goalkicker with 43 majors last year, with the future having looked bright. But there are a lot of unanswered questions about Ugle-Hagan right now, after time spent away from the club over summer. When will he be back on the field? And is he living like a high-performance athlete should be? Will we ever see him again in Bulldogs colours? Do his teammates want him back? It’s a massive concern. But even if Ugle-Hagan is not there to start the season, the Bulldogs still have two talented talls in Aaron Naughton and Sam Darcy.
Naughton only kicked 35 goals by playing further up the ground last year, but could be used closer to goal if Ugle-Hagan is absent. Entering his fourth season, Darcy is beginning to fill out and would relish any extra responsibility that comes his way. In the smalls department, Cody Weightman is a regular goalkicker and Rhylee West will be hungry to further prove to himself that belongs in this team after surprisingly being dropped for last year’s elimination final. Captain Marcus Bontempelli can always be relied upon to take a mark and kick a goal when pushed forward.

[soupman]

Why did we recruit such a raw ruck in Smith?

Wouldn’t it have been wiser to recruit one ready to go at AFL, albeit likely limited in talent?

I’d even prefer Campbell or similar than Smith. We spent years developing Sweet and hardly played him & to my eye he had more going for him when we first recruited him than Smith does.

I just don’t see it with Smith. Hope he proves me wrong and is able to show massive improvement this season.

I don't see the benefit of drafting 18 year old rucks. Unless they are a freak like Jackson let them develop on another clubs list or in the VFL.

You are basically committing a list spot to a 30% chance they make it, and while smalls probably succeed at the same percentage you don't have to wait 5 years with no output before you are in a position to make the call.

If we are looking at competent-good rucks across the comp Witts, Meek, Sweet, McInerney, Nankervis, Cameron, Soldo, Grundy and Pittonet were all recruited for not much from other clubs and/or drafted after a couple of years in state leagues. Sure the really cool ones all went in the draft but it's such a low percentage and high list spot cost play that I think you just try and grab one of the fringe guys and hope you can make him something better.

[Bornadog]

Why did we recruit such a raw ruck in Smith?

Wouldn’t it have been wiser to recruit one ready to go at AFL, albeit likely limited in talent?

I’d even prefer Campbell or similar than Smith. We spent years developing Sweet and hardly played him & to my eye he had more going for him when we first recruited him than Smith does.

I just don’t see it with Smith. Hope he proves me wrong and is able to show massive improvement this season.

Smith is only 19 years old, we need to give him time.

For many years MJP has said, you should always have a developing ruck on your list. We should also have a mature ruck as well who doesn't mind playing VFL and being a backup in case of injury.