Analysis by Adam
At a glance
Top 5 Scorers
| Player | Games | Average | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Connor Rozee | 21 | 104.2 | 14 |
| Zak Butters | 20 | 99.9 | 26 |
| George Hewett | 23 | 98.9 | 30 |
| Nic Martin | 16 | 97.4 | 32 |
| Matthew Kennedy | 23 | 96.5 | 35 |
Season Summary
I’m not sure I can cover this better than when I remarked as follows in the decade review:
2025 was a struggle. But now struggle for this club means 11 wins and an elimination final. Struggle used to mean 9th.
That really sums it up. I suspect coach Bernardi was immensely disappointed with how season 2025 went. Yet it was still their 3rd most successful season ever.
Expectations have shifted at this club. So a fourth-place finish and an Elimination Final victory isn’t the stuff of an A grade here anymore. But in the cold light of day, it was a good, if unspectacular, season – particularly given injury largely cruelled their shot at legitimately challenging their closest peers.
And their core is still there, minus a Nic Martin shaped hole. This remains a team that can beat anyone, and there’s no reason to believe that shouldn’t be the case for the next little while. So back on the horse and giddy up for another shot at glory in season 2025, and trust the injury curse strikes others this time.
Season Grade: B
All-Australians
4: Connor Rozee, Luke Jackson, Matthew Kennedy, Nic Martin
DangerGawn Votes
| Rank | Player | Votes |
|---|---|---|
| 15 | Connor Rozee | 10 |
| 19 | Nic Martin | 9 |
| 27 | George Hewett | 8 |
| 32 | Jordan Clark | 6 |
| 56 | Zac Butters | 4 |
| 67 | Jason Horne-Francis | 3 |
| 72 | Matthew Kennedy | 3 |
| 77 | Luke Jackson | 3 |
| 84 | Patrick Cripps | 3 |
| 88 | Izak Rankine | 2 |
| 104 | Luke Parker | 1 |
| 107 | Scott Pendlebury | 1 |
| 125 | Jarman Impey | 1 |
Pre-Season Draft
| Round | Pick | Player | GP | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | 12 | Luke Parker | 20 | 84.2 |
| 2 | 14 | Matthew Kennedy | 22 | 96.68 |
| 2 | 20 | Connor Idun | 20 | 73 |
| 3 | 29 | Conor Nash | 15 | 75.4 |
| 4 | 34 | Oscar McInerney | 7 | 74.43 |
| 4 | 39 | Jack Bowes | 5 | 59.8 |
| 6 | 55 | Scott Pendlebury | 10 | 99.1 |
| 6 | 59 | Ryan Burton | 4 | 75 |
| 7 | 69 | Tom Gross | 0 | 0 |
| 8 | 79 | Kyle Langford | 0 | 0 |
| 9 | 89 | Adam Saad | 14 | 66 |
| 10 | 99 | Cam Guthrie | 0 | 0 |
| 11 | 109 | Tom Papley | 3 | 57.33 |
| 12 | 119 | James Aish | 0 | 0 |
| 13 | 129 | Lachie Jacques | 0 | 0 |
| 14 | 139 | Cooper Hynes | 0 | 0 |
| 15 | 149 | Luke Urquhart | 0 | 0 |
| 16 | 159 | Jamie Elliott | 14 | 65.93 |
| 17 | 169 | Harris Andrews | 1 | 89 |
| 18 | 179 | Tyson Stengle | 10 | 59 |
| 19 | 189 | Cody Anderson | 0 | 0 |
Most Inspired Selection
Pick 14 – Matthew Kennedy
On the numbers it’s probably Pendlebury, but someone else ultimately derived the most benefit from that selection. Though, as we’ll see in the next section, Pendlebury became Darcy Wilson. So maybe longer term it is Pendlebury.
I digress. Kennedy was everything coach Bernardi could’ve hoped for with his 14th selection. He played every game (a rarity for this club this season) and averaged almost 97 points a game doing so. Can’t argue with that.
There were diminishing returns for the Devils after the third round. None of the younger lottery tickets really got a chance at AFL level to showcase themselves, and some of the more seasoned selections, looking at you Bowes, and Burton, and Guthrie, and Papley, didn’t pay off.
But those first four selections were all major players in 2025, and that’s what you want when you’re in the premiership mix.
Trades
| 29 July 2025 | Roughnecks | Luke Parker Taxmanian Devils Round 10 pick |
| Devils | Sam Davidson Roughnecks Round 6 pick |
| 3 July 2025 | MSHB | – Scott Pendlebury |
| Devils | – Darcy Wilson |
| 5 May 2025 | Soldiers | – Josh Treacy |
| Devils | – Defenestrators Round 2 pick- Solomon’s Soldiers Round 5 pick |
| 3 February 2025 | Soldiers | – Taxmanian Devils 2016 Round 1 pick |
| Devils | – Threat Level Midnight Round 2 pick (pick 14)- Love Sparkles Round 2 pick (pick 20) |
| 12 January 2025 | Soldiers | – Taxmanian Devils Round 1 pick (pick 9) |
| Devils | – Solomon Soldiers Round 2 pick (pick 12)- Threat Level Midnight Round 4 pick (pick 34) |
A tale of two halves, these trades. Pre-draft the Devils did some deft manoeuvring to engineer some extra selections in the early rounds and, crucially, get picks in before their premiership competitors. Parker and Kennedy were the direct result of these machinations. That gets a tick.
In May the Devils clearly had a whiff that the stars weren’t aligning for them, and they sold high on Treacy to the Soldiers, who, boasting a surplus of premium selections, could afford to part with one for a key forward. I don’t mind this trade for either club.
In July the writing was on the wall and the Devils had an eye on the future. They shipped out Pendlebury, an inspired selection in the pre-season draft, to the minor premier and got an exciting prospect in Wilson as the price. Then they made a more speculative move in shipping out Parker. But if you aren’t winning the flag, and you don’t plan to keep him, then speculative moves don’t sting all that much if they don’t pan out. It will be interesting to observe Davidson in 2026.
List at end of 2025 season
| Player | Age | GP | AVG | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Connor Rozee | 25 | 21 | 104.2 | 14 |
| Zak Butters | 25 | 20 | 99.9 | 26 |
| George Hewett | 29 | 23 | 98.9 | 30 |
| Nic Martin | 24 | 16 | 97.4 | 32 |
| Matthew Kennedy | 28 | 23 | 96.5 | 35 |
| Luke Jackson | 23 | 20 | 94.9 | 40 |
| Jordan Clark | 24 | 23 | 90.2 | 59 |
| Patrick Cripps | 30 | 23 | 88.8 | 63 |
| Karl Amon | 30 | 22 | 88.6 | 64 |
| Izak Rankine | 25 | 22 | 87.2 | 71 |
| Jayden Short | 29 | 15 | 87 | 72 |
| Jarrod Berry | 27 | 21 | 85 | 85 |
| Jason Horne-Francis | 22 | 15 | 82.2 | 102 |
| Harry McKay | 27 | 12 | 78.3 | 127 |
| Jarman Impey | 30 | 21 | 77.2 | 133 |
| Conor Nash | 27 | 19 | 74.1 | 155 |
| James Worpel | 26 | 18 | 73.8 | 158 |
| Blake Acres | 29 | 19 | 73.7 | 159 |
| Connor Idun | 25 | 23 | 72.7 | 164 |
| Kieren Briggs | 25 | 19 | 70.4 | 175 |
| Oscar McInerney | 31 | 11 | 70.4 | 178 |
| Shai Bolton | 26 | 22 | 70 | 182 |
| Darcy Fort | 32 | 17 | 69.2 | 187 |
| Ryan Burton | 28 | 8 | 68.9 | 189 |
| Adam Saad | 31 | 21 | 67 | 203 |
| Tom Cole | 28 | 18 | 66.4 | 210 |
| Sam Davidson | 23 | 19 | 66.1 | 216 |
| Darcy Wilson | 20 | 18 | 63.7 | 236 |
| Jordan Ridley | 26 | 10 | 63.2 | 245 |
| Ben Long | 28 | 22 | 62.2 | 260 |
| Tyson Stengle | 26 | 21 | 61.7 | 269 |
| Jy Farrar | 28 | 6 | 61.2 | 276 |
| Nathan Broad | 32 | 22 | 60.9 | 280 |
| Jack Bowes | 27 | 18 | 58.8 | 299 |
| Tylar Young | 27 | 7 | 58.4 | 312 |
| Will Hayward | 26 | 21 | 55.8 | 345 |
| Jake Stringer | 31 | 14 | 53.5 | 384 |
| Billy Dowling | 21 | 1 | 53 | 390 |
| Jimmy Webster | 32 | 15 | 50.4 | 424 |
| Michael Sellwood | 21 | 757 |
Player to watch in 2026
Darcy Wilson
We’ve already touched on him in the trades section. Can Wilson be a long-term keeper for the Devils?
The Saints appear to be up and coming – or at least, they think they are. Where does Wilson fit into that? He strikes me as the type who benefits when his team is better than when it is not. If the Saints are right about their imminent trajectory, and I’m right about Wilson, then that bodes well.
With Nic Martin out for the season shipped out the door, it sure would be nice for this club to have a star player who doesn’t play for Port Adelaide, Carlton, or Fremantle. Can Wilson be one?