While he was lying on the couch watching Netflix or cleaning out his sock drawer, or indeed doing anything at all rather than going to his club’s best and fairest night, Rowan Marshall quietly finished 10th at the St Kilda awards function he was not at.
asserted
he → lie → function
Marshall avoided needing to pose for red carpet pics or speak disingenuously of his love and affection for a club he has felt neither from in the past year.
asserted
he → avoid → year
(We’re not talking about his teammates, players always love their teammates.)
Marshall didn’t want to be at Moorabbin this year after the club brought Tom De Koning in over the top of him last October.
asserted
club → talk → him
We were told Marshall was fully on board with having a new stable partner.
asserted
Marshall → tell → partner
We now know he wasn’t.
asserted
he → know → ?
But then, as now, Marshall had a contract so he sucked it up and played the season.
asserted
he → suck → season
Played it well, too, to come tenth in the B&F. Interestingly, TDK was not in the top 10.
asserted
TDK → play → top
This trade period Marshall is less inclined to suck it up.
asserted
Marshall → suck → it
Twelve months ago, St Kilda rejected Geelong’s overtures for Marshall and never stated what would persuade them to change their minds.
asserted
what → reject → minds
This year they have at least put a price on a trade.
asserted
they → put → trade
They want Geelong’s first round pick and “a player”.
asserted
They → want → pick
OK, it’s an opening gambit, but sheesh, a first rounder and a player?
asserted
it → ’ → ?
There is a logic to the ambit bid though, and it’s a logic that that ripples through deals involving Geelong, Carlton, Brisbane and GWS.
asserted
that → be → Geelong
St Kilda needs to lose a Marshall to gain a Marshall.
asserted
Kilda → need → Marshall
Rowan needs to leave so Sam can come in.
asserted
Sam → need → ?
The Saints want midfielder Sam Marshall, the Brisbane academy product who was taken at pick 25 in the 2024 draft.
asserted
who → want → draft
The Lions want a similar pick for him now and unfortunately the Saints don’t have one: their first pick is at eight (too much even for a club that gave up pick seven for Sam Flanders 12 months ago) and their next is 49
asserted
next → want → Flanders
Lions list boss Dom Ambrogio said on Monday: “[St Kilda] have got an awareness of what we are looking for, albeit it’s not in their hands at the moment in that they don’t hold the pick in the range we think is appropriate.”
asserted
we → say → range
Whether “what we are looking for” and “what is appropriate” are the same thing in any trade is doubtful and normally depends on what colours you wear.
asserted
you → look → colours
In this case, what the Lions are looking for and thus what they hope is appropriate for Marshall is a pick in the 20s.
asserted
they → look → 20s
So the Saints are trying to find a pick in that range.
asserted
Saints → try → range
Losing one Marshall might buy them the draft capital to pass on for the other Marshall.
uncertain
Losing → lose → Marshall
The Cats are reluctant to part with their first pick (14) for a 30-year-old ruck, albeit a contracted one.
asserted
Cats → part → one
Their next pick, the one they have offered for Rowan Marshall, is currently 34.
asserted
they → offer → Marshall
The problem is that the Cats’ pick 34 won’t satisfy Brisbane for Sam Marshall.
asserted
pick → satisfy → Marshall
It’s not far off the pick they want.
asserted
they → ’ → pick
Thirty-four seems fairly close for a player who played one game this year, is out of contract and has Essendon also keen on him – and thus able to take him for nothing in the pre-season if it came to it.
asserted
it → seem → it
But Brisbane want a pick in the 20s because they have a good academy player available (yes, another one. One out, one in).
asserted
they → want → player
They need a pick to cover that bid.
asserted
They → need → bid
Academy player Caylen Murray is likely to be bid on somewhere in the mid-to-late-first round.
asserted
Murray → bid → round
Under new rules the two grand finalists have a 20 per cent loading on the points required to match a bid that comes in the first 18 in the draft for an academy player.
asserted
that → have → player
And you can only use two picks to match any bid.
asserted
you → use → bid
So the Lions really need another pick in the 20s to be able to cover a bid on Murray.
asserted
Lions → need → Murray
Pick 34 won’t cut it.
asserted
Pick → cut → it
So unless St Kilda can find another way of bringing in a pick in the 20s – another player going out? - the Saints will need more from Geelong for Rowan Marshall, to be able to pass it on to Brisbane.
asserted
Saints → find → Brisbane
But Geelong don’t have one.
asserted
Geelong → have → one
Or do they?
asserted
they → do → ?
Gryan Miers did a medical at West Coast on Friday before he flew overseas.
asserted
he → do → Friday
It was a precaution in case the trade world moved while he was away.
asserted
he → move → ?
Given he partially tore his ACL this year and has not had surgery to repair it, the normal buyer beware caveat carries more heft.
asserted
caveat → give → heft
…and 19 more, not listed.
The Aporia
