Saints lock in their captain in waiting; Tasmania Devils sign their first player

St Kilda defender Callum Wilkie has opted to remain with the Saints, rejecting a four-year offer from the Western Bulldogs.

Wilkie, 29, had met with Bulldogs coach Luke Beveridge and had considered a change, but had never said he was going to leave the Saints. The Bulldogs had offered a lucrative deal worth up to $1.2 million a season.

Wilkie, however, was contracted to the Saints until the end of 2027, and the Saints have since upped his remuneration, according to a competition source with knowledge of the Wilkie situation who wished to remain anonymous.

Wilkie could be the new Saints’ captain next season should Jack Steele cede the role.

Seven’s The Agenda Setters reported on Tuesday night that Wilkie’s pay is now more in line, or higher, than what Jack Silvagni secured to head to Moorabbin from Carlton, which had been a sticking point with Wilkie, an All-Australian in 2023 and the Saints’ best and fairest last year.

Tom Morris reported on Nine News that Saints president Andrew Bassat got involved in discussions on a new deal for Wilkie.

Key Saints officials had been confident Wilkie would stay, and were delighted when informed of his decision on Tuesday. This masthead contacted St Kilda for an on-the-record comment.

Wilkie had been unsettled with the direction the Saints were taking through the season, and had wanted the club to secure Nasiah Wanganeen-Milera quicker than it did.
- Jon Pierik

AFL gives struggling Eagles a helping hand

West Coast will be given a suite of extra draft help this year for their extended period of dreadful performance.

The Eagles will get an end-of-first-round draft pick this year, which is currently pick 19, and four additional rookie spots for the next three seasons.

Clubs were informed of the concessions Tuesday afternoon.

The Eagles will also receive a compensation pick for losing captain Oscar Allen as a free agent. That pick is expected to be considered a band one compensation pick ad mean the Eagles get an extra pick after their first pick.

The Eagles currently have picks 1, 15, 19 and 20 after Tuesday’s announcement. Allen compensation pick could mean they have pick 2 as well.

It comes after a horror season – their first under coach Andrew McQualter – in which West Coast won just one of their 23 games.

Even though the end-of-first-round selection will get pushed back significantly in this year’s draft because of clubs bidding on academy and father-son picks, the concession is still likely to be met with hostility from other clubs.

The Eagles, who won the flag in 2018, are considered the architects of their own demise for mishandling their list decisions after winning that premiership.

AFL executive general manager of football performance Greg Swann said the AFL wanted West Coast to be competitive, and that’s why the assistance package had been offered.

“It is important that we have a competitively balanced competition, and that fans can feel that on any day, in any game, their team can win,” Swann said.

“The Eagles have won only nine games in the past three seasons and finished in the bottom three of the ladder in the past four seasons.

“This package is structured to assist the club in the development of their younger playing group. By adding the four additional rookie list spots it allows them to invest in additional talent.”

The addition of an extra draft pick at the end of the first round in a weak draft pool will further dilute the talent freely available to all other clubs.

The Eagles argued that after winning 11 games in four years, just one of them this season, the precepts of equalisation demanded they be given help.

“We understand the view [about the Eagles winning the premiership in 2018], but the metrics are the metrics,” Eagles CEO Don Pyke told this masthead in July.

“If there is no wish to provide assistance, I think in the future we are removing this as a mechanism for teams in this situation and a departure from equalisation.“
- Michael Gleeson

Ex-Bomber makes history as first Devils recruit

Former Essendon forward Jye Menzie has made history as the first VFL signing for the Tasmania Devils.

It completes a full circle for the journeyman forward.

Menzie, 22, is a Tasmanian native who joined the Bombers from SANFL club South Adelaide in the 2022 mid-season AFL draft.

Originally from North Hobart and Bridgewater, Menzie played 47 games for the Bombers, including 10 this season, and kicked 36 goals.

The Devils’ VFL and VFLW programs will start pre-season programs in November.

“I am a proud Tasmanian, and I cannot wait to be involved in the build of the club from the ground up,” Menzie said in a club statement.

“I am really looking forward to getting in on the ground floor and being back in Tassie and getting stuck into training.

“I have learned a lot during my career so far, and particularly during my time in the AFL. I am really eager to share my learnings and continue to grow whilst being back on home soil.”

Tasmania list management boss Todd Patterson said Menzie had made clear the “passion” for his home state when the club was looking to recruit him.

The Devils are holding regional trials in Tasmania this week as they look to start recruiting local players.

Tasmania are due to join the AFL in 2028, although earlier this month the state planning commission rejected a proposed new Hobart stadium.

The AFL’s stance is that the Devils joining the league is conditional on the controversial stadium project going ahead.
- AAP

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