Analysis by Paul
At a glance
Top 5 Scorers
| Player | Games | Average | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Marcus Bontempelli | 18 | 111.3 | 3 |
| Harry Sheezel | 23 | 109.2 | 7 |
| Errol Gulden | 10 | 102.3 | 17 |
| Matt Rowell | 23 | 101.2 | 21 |
| Caleb Serong | 23 | 92.4 | 49 |
Season Summary
It has to be considered an underachievement. The preseason survey had this team in the finals, and they scored like a team that should’ve been there, but couldn’t take enough scalps above them and lost games they should’ve won. Granted they were handicapped at the draft, and they had injuries to key players like Gulden, Bontempelli, DeGoey and Coleman. But you get the sense they are primed for a big 2026, as the cavalry should be fit, they have increased their talent pool with the likes of Newman, Fletcher breaking out and the new rules favouring the bevy of ruckman on their list. There should be optimism for 2026 that this team can make waves and have sustained success, making the 2025 season seem like a distant past.
Season Grade: C
All-Australians
3: Harry Sheezel, Marcus Bontempelli, Matt Rowell
DangerGawn Votes
| Rank | Player | Votes |
|---|---|---|
| 8 | Harry Sheezel | 14 |
| 9 | Marcus Bontempelli | 13 |
| 17 | Caleb Serong | 10 |
| 23 | Matt Rowell | 9 |
| 47 | Errol Gulden | 5 |
| 59 | Dylan Moore | 4 |
| 61 | Jordon Sweet | 4 |
| 62 | Mason Wood | 3 |
| 65 | Zach Guthrie | 3 |
| 92 | Zac Bailey | 2 |
| 95 | Dion Prestia | 2 |
| 108 | Callum Wilkie | 1 |
| 112 | Ned Long | 1 |
Pre-Season Draft
| Round | Pick | Player | GP | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 | 44 | Ned Moyle | 2 | 62.5 |
| 6 | 52 | Callum Wilkie | 19 | 79.89 |
| 6 | 54 | Dylan Shiel | 7 | 75.71 |
| 8 | 72 | Christian Moraes | 4 | 56.5 |
| 8 | 74 | Billy Dowling | 0 | 0 |
| 9 | 84 | Conor Stone | 2 | 48 |
| 10 | 94 | Dion Prestia | 10 | 77.6 |
| 11 | 104 | Lachie Cowan | 4 | 61 |
| 12 | 114 | Jack Silvagni | 10 | 65.9 |
| 13 | 124 | Jaxon Prior | 10 | 57.6 |
| 14 | 134 | Kaleb Smith | 0 | 0 |
| 15 | 144 | Nick Bryan | 3 | 53 |
| 16 | 154 | Harry Morrison | 19 | 70.84 |
| 17 | 164 | Nic Newman | 0 | 0 |
| 18 | 174 | Ivan Soldo | 0 | 0 |
| 19 | 184 | Caleb Poulter | 0 | 0 |
| 20 | 194 | Ryan Lester | 9 | 46.67 |
Most Inspired Selection
Pick 52 – Callum Wilkie
The ghost of Wilkie continues to haunt this writer, as he time and again exceeds my expectations, and 2025 was no different. One of the best picks of the draft with a 6th round pick you, a reliable contributor and barely missed a game; you couldn’t ask for any more. But this came on the back of an astonishingly high uncontested mark rate and with all the additions to this St Kilda team over the trade and draft period, he couldn’t possibly do it again 2026 could he… could he?
Morrison was a great pick in the 16th round, and Shiel and Prestia gave this team some short bursts of high end scoring. Coach Rown was also happy to play the long game drafting high upside fliers Moyle, Bryan and Newman all who were kept to prove their worth in 2026, and may be helped by the new rule changes. So given the compromised draft hand (they didn’t have a pick until the 5th round) and with a 2026 lens on, coach Rowan should feel okay with how this draft panned out.
Trades
| 27 July 2025 | MHSB | Christian Petracca |
| Midnight | Reilly O’Brien Daniel Rioli Lachie Cowan |
| 3 July 2025 | Roughnecks | Dion Prestia Willem Drew Midnight Round 10 pick |
| Midnight | Ed Allan Seth Campbell Roughnecks Round 5 pick |
| 22 May 2025 | Defenestrators | Matthew Johnson |
| Midnight | Dante Visentini |
A handful of trades were completed by coach Rowan which if I’m honest I’m not sure they hit the mark. The Petracca trade was the biggest move of the draft and hurts the most given the price he paid to get him only 12 months prior. Took some shots on a few players but essentially ended up trading him for Kane Farrell (but also got ROB back?…hard to keep track of all the preseason machinations). You’d have to say this one shakes out as a loss. Visintini for Johnson was a win-win as both were kept (maybe somewhat reluctantly) by their new teams. And trading out Drew for a 5th round pick and some dart throws was a low cost trade. Overall these trades don’t really move the needle either way, and are more just a fascinating insight into how different coaches perceive value differently.
List at end of 2025 season
| Player | Age | GP | AVG | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Marcus Bontempelli | 29 | 18 | 111.3 | 3 |
| Harry Sheezel | 20 | 23 | 109.2 | 7 |
| Errol Gulden | 23 | 10 | 102.3 | 17 |
| Matt Rowell | 24 | 23 | 101.2 | 21 |
| Caleb Serong | 24 | 23 | 92.4 | 49 |
| Reilly O’Brien | 30 | 23 | 90.9 | 56 |
| Zac Bailey | 25 | 22 | 83.5 | 94 |
| Jaspa Fletcher | 21 | 23 | 83 | 96 |
| Dylan Moore | 26 | 23 | 81.8 | 107 |
| Jordon Sweet | 27 | 19 | 81.4 | 109 |
| Callum Wilkie | 29 | 23 | 80.7 | 112 |
| Ned Long | 22 | 23 | 77 | 134 |
| Josh Worrell | 24 | 23 | 75.3 | 145 |
| Dylan Shiel | 32 | 14 | 74.6 | 150 |
| Keidean Coleman | 25 | 1 | 73 | 163 |
| Daniel Rioli | 28 | 18 | 71.2 | 170 |
| Harry Morrison | 26 | 20 | 70.9 | 172 |
| Lawson Humphries | 22 | 22 | 70.4 | 176 |
| Cam Rayner | 25 | 23 | 70.1 | 181 |
| Alex Neal-Bullen | 29 | 23 | 69.4 | 185 |
| Mason Wood | 32 | 21 | 68.7 | 191 |
| Thomson Dow | 23 | 11 | 66.3 | 212 |
| Jack Silvagni | 27 | 13 | 64.8 | 225 |
| Lachie Cowan | 20 | 14 | 63.4 | 241 |
| Nick Madden | 21 | 3 | 63.3 | 242 |
| Jaxon Prior | 24 | 23 | 62.5 | 256 |
| Jake Waterman | 27 | 8 | 60.9 | 279 |
| Mabior Chol | 28 | 21 | 59.8 | 291 |
| Nick Larkey | 27 | 17 | 58.6 | 306 |
| Seth Campbell | 20 | 22 | 58.4 | 311 |
| Jacob Blight | 23 | 7 | 58.3 | 313 |
| Nick Bryan | 23 | 4 | 57.8 | 320 |
| Ryan Lester | 33 | 22 | 57.3 | 327 |
| Archie Perkins | 23 | 21 | 57 | 331 |
| Lachie Fogarty | 26 | 20 | 55.7 | 346 |
| Dante Visentini | 22 | 8 | 53.9 | 375 |
| Bailey Banfield | 27 | 20 | 53 | 389 |
| Jordan de Goey | 29 | 9 | 52.7 | 393 |
| Ned Moyle | 23 | 3 | 51.7 | 411 |
| Ed Allan | 21 | 13 | 48.4 | 444 |
| Christian Moraes | 18 | 14 | 47.4 | 456 |
| Nic Newman | 32 | 763 |
Player to watch in 2026
Keidean Coleman
A penchant for season ending injuries means Coleman has been a little bit lost in the passage of time. But in 2022 a switch flicked for this guy, as he showed his talent and fantasy potential to break lines and be a weapon out of the Brisbane defence. Arguably Zorko has filled that roll, but Brisbane still don’t have anyone who has the dare and dash that Coleman provides, so it would seem logical that there is a juicy role for him to fill in 2026. Can his body hold up (getting through the first game would be a good start), does the role materialise, and is Coleman the man given the quantity of talent at this club? But with his unique skill set, an opportunity in defense and the possibility that as Zorko ages, Coleman becomes the primary distributor in a defense that likes to control the footy, the ceiling could be high.
A shout out to Gulden, who could be the leading scorer for 2026, if things fall his way. Watching with interest. And they drafted and held Nic Newman with a eye to 2026. At 33, it will be interesting to see if he can recapture his pre-injury form. Preseason signs are looking good.