Squad Development 2024/25

[PedroPony]

9 hours ago, StringerBellend said:

The league rational for it is hilarious 

Spinning it as stopping it form clubs overspending 

What club is overspending?

What club has multiple marquees anymore? 

We dont even fill the visa spots 

The league is broke 

The Smurfs have spent a truckload this season. Hence the frustration from their supporters regarding their performance. They have massively underperformed given what they have spent.

[Sithslayer1991]

PFA will put APL to the sword because the current EBA is still active. They can't change the salary yet.

Doesn't matter they can't pay the salary the EBA being active means they are not legally able to change it without PFA agreeing to it

[Hughesy]

Reads to me like the next TV deal isn’t looking great. Cause if I remember correctly, the year the $3m hard cap kicks in will be the first year of any new deal

[William]

I thought we had a salary cap was it scrubbed this year ?

Edited April 16 by William

[SBW]

17 hours ago, mack said:

The reason why the club keeps talking about having few foreigners has been revealed.

Next season there will be a soft salary cap of $3.5 million AUD with all the exceptions removed, and from 2026/27 it will be a hard $3 million with a single marquee spot. 

So that means clubs who have players on the scholarship deal will be added to the cap as well. This kind of impacts us as we sign a lot of players on scholarship deals and add them to our squad to make up the numbers and we're able to pay senior players a little bit more cash

[StringerBellend]

5 hours ago, William said:

I thought we had a salary cap was it scrubbed this year ?

We have a cap with a bunch of special rules and dispensations for having local players, loyalty etc 

Plus two players outside of the cap 

Most clubs though aren't spending the fill cap anymore. 

 

[Kotallo]

My uneducated guess is that the club most hit by this will be ESFC. They have been masters at utilising every little nook and cranny under the cap to keep players like Grant, Redmayne et al. 

A lot of their heavy hitters like Caceres are off contract, will be interesting to watch.

[StringerBellend]

53 minutes ago, Kotallo said:

My uneducated guess is that the club most hit by this will be ESFC. They have been masters at utilising every little nook and cranny under the cap to keep players like Grant, Redmayne et al. 

A lot of their heavy hitters like Caceres are off contract, will be interesting to watch.

Them and Melb City 

And not to be supportive of Sydney, I've got no problem with them using the cap and every rule to get a better squad. It would have been good back in the Homebush years of our club had done that rather than clearing out our better players and signing absolute dross.

[mack]

SFC took advantage of long-term player cap savings. We weren't around long enough for those.

[StringerBellend]

22 minutes ago, mack said:

SFC took advantage of long-term player cap savings. We weren't around long enough for those.

We also didn't hold on to players. NTS, Bridge etc

[mack]

IIRC both of them got sold for transfer fees because the player wanted a bigger contract overseas, before they were eligible for a discount.

[Upthehill]

14 hours ago, Sithslayer1991 said:

PFA will put APL to the sword because the current EBA is still active. They can't change the salary yet.

Doesn't matter they can't pay the salary the EBA being active means they are not legally able to change it without PFA agreeing to it

Only if it causes terminations. I doubt the structure of the wage model is built into contracts (marquee, designated player). The clubs were all consulted, though apparently not all taken into consideration, throughout the process. 

Most clubs will be fine. Many are already spending at the cap floor of 2.25m as it is. Personally im in favour of anything that gets more u23s on the park. Its awesome for australian football and great for the clubs. Transitioning from a complete reliance on TV money to investing in players for sale will be positive. 

My advice to any club worried about their future... Build some more training pitches  

 

[Paul01]

10 hours ago, Upthehill said:

Only if it causes terminations. I doubt the structure of the wage model is built into contracts (marquee, designated player). The clubs were all consulted, though apparently not all taken into consideration, throughout the process. 

Most clubs will be fine. Many are already spending at the cap floor of 2.25m as it is. Personally im in favour of anything that gets more u23s on the park. Its awesome for australian football and great for the clubs. Transitioning from a complete reliance on TV money to investing in players for sale will be positive. 

My advice to any club worried about their future... Build some more training pitches  

 

Have a listen to the Roundball Podcast for discussion on the salary cap

[GunnerWanderer]

Has anyone else heard the murmurs of Segegic to WSW, apparently he is seriously pissed off how despite clearly being their most potent attacking force this season he has so many games off the bench.

 

Staj apparently has some connection with lad from youth days and we have made a sexy offer he is mulling over. 
 

Reason I ask if anyone had heard this is one of those brothers cousins aunt nephew rumours to be taken with a grain of salt. 
 

The fact he remains unsigned for next season leads me to believe it could merit but Id imagine he wants to be free agent to test the European waters…

[GunnerWanderer]

On 16/4/2025 at 9:37 PM, StringerBellend said:

The league rational for it is hilarious 

Spinning it as stopping it form clubs overspending 

What club is overspending?

What club has multiple marquees anymore? 

We dont even fill the visa spots 

The league is broke 

I personally don’t agree with it. Mariners showed you can win on the cheap if clubs like esfc want to burn money let them it’s not hurting anyone and it’s clearly not an unlevel playing field they aren’t winning every title. 
 

The league on field product has been fantastic - no reason to put the brakes on, football clubs aren’t meant to make money  unless there has been a massive push from the owners to curb spending.

[Sithslayer1991]

18 minutes ago, GunnerWanderer said:

Has anyone else heard the murmurs of Segegic to WSW, apparently he is seriously pissed off how despite clearly being their most potent attacking force this season he has so many games off the bench.

 

Staj apparently has some connection with lad from youth days and we have made a sexy offer he is mulling over. 
 

Reason I ask if anyone had heard this is one of those brothers cousins aunt nephew rumours to be taken with a grain of salt. 
 

The fact he remains unsigned for next season leads me to believe it could merit but Id imagine he wants to be free agent to test the European waters…

We tried to have a go out him the last 2 seasons I think. We were already talking about Milanovic leaving and who replaces him. Is Segicic the one Staj is eyeing off?

 

And what does that say of overseas prospect I thought as Free agent Scotland at worst would definitely want him. 

TBH if Milanovic leaves Segicic would be a starter for us, unless Hammond pushes him out.

[immortalshogun]

39 minutes ago, GunnerWanderer said:

Has anyone else heard the murmurs of Segegic to WSW, apparently he is seriously pissed off how despite clearly being their most potent attacking force this season he has so many games off the bench.

 

Staj apparently has some connection with lad from youth days and we have made a sexy offer he is mulling over. 
 

Reason I ask if anyone had heard this is one of those brothers cousins aunt nephew rumours to be taken with a grain of salt. 
 

The fact he remains unsigned for next season leads me to believe it could merit but Id imagine he wants to be free agent to test the European waters…

I have seen this do the rounds and I hope its true. Milanovic goes for a nice fee, Younis returns and Segacic joins up.. I can only dream!

Edited April 18 by immortalshogun

[Carns]

Not only is he an excellent player, the Smurf tears would be delicious.

[BoyFromTheWest]

I rate him better than Milanovic and would presume he would get first offers OS. Surely that's where he's headed unless there is a personal reason to stay in Oz.

[StringerBellend]

Players have signed for big European clubs showing less than segacic has he'll go to Europe 

[StringerBellend]

1 hour ago, GunnerWanderer said:

I personally don’t agree with it. Mariners showed you can win on the cheap if clubs like esfc want to burn money let them it’s not hurting anyone and it’s clearly not an unlevel playing field they aren’t winning every title. 
 

The league on field product has been fantastic - no reason to put the brakes on, football clubs aren’t meant to make money  unless there has been a massive push from the owners to curb spending.

I like the cap, ace teams go from top to bottom. Far more fun than watching premier league (at least for me)

But I don't think the cap needs tightening, you need enough leeway on there to let the clubs attract some talent. While I dih kids coming through the odd foreign player with real talent is ace, Ono for example ace to watch.

It's the second division Italian league left backs I don't get. Not to go all Clive Palmer here but Llorente was taking the job and Australian could have done. I could have stood 2 metres of my man and made a vague jog after he goes past me 

However given how flat broke the league is it's largely irrelevant what the cap is as nobody is spending, other than maybe Sydney and even then it's not what it was

 

[Upthehill]

22 hours ago, Paul01 said:

Have a listen to the Roundball Podcast for discussion on the salary cap

Probably wont atm as im deep in a book ive been waiting 2 years for. What was the abridged version?

[Upthehill]

20 hours ago, BoyFromTheWest said:

I rate him better than Milanovic and would presume he would get first offers OS. Surely that's where he's headed unless there is a personal reason to stay in Oz.

Segecic is nearly 3 years younger as well. He's an exceptional player. The one caveat is he seems to have a huge ego to go with it

[Paul01]

1 hour ago, Upthehill said:

Probably wont atm as im deep in a book ive been waiting 2 years for. What was the abridged version?

Can't TLDR for you. It's about 20 minutes of the podcast on  their YouTube video.

[StringerBellend]

On 17/04/2025 at 7:19 AM, PedroPony said:

The Smurfs have spent a truckload this season. Hence the frustration from their supporters regarding their performance. They have massively underperformed given what they have spent.

There defence is **** and was all season they did an us, massively unbalance squad. Loads of Midfielders and attacking players no centre backs 

[SNS100]

23 hours ago, GunnerWanderer said:

Has anyone else heard the murmurs of Segegic to WSW

Segecic's father spoke to Rudan before returning from Europe... old mate Marko wasn't interested

[StringerBellend]

20 minutes ago, SNS100 said:

Segecic's father spoke to Rudan before returning from Europe... old mate Marko wasn't interested

Yes who needs him when we had Dylan Pereira's

did I imagine that?

If I didn't add "forgettable Wanderers.xlsx"

Edited April 19 by StringerBellend

[SNS100]

With 2026 being a World Cup year, Tony Popović said he wants to pick players that are playing regularly & in good form. 

Popa isn't affraid to pick A-League players over those sitting on the bench in Europe. 

Here is a hypothetical team for 2025/26 season, of potential fringe Socceroos wanting to come back to WSW to push for a spot on the plane to the World Cup.

1. Lawrence Thomas

2. Gabi Cleur

22. Panta

4. Bonetig 

3. Gersbach

17. Keanu Baccus*

8. Calum Nieuwenhof*

7. Marcus Younis*

9. Kusini Yungi*

26. Brendan Borello

10. Adrian Segecic*

#NoVisaPlayersNeeded

#WishfulThinking 

[StringerBellend]

23 minutes ago, SNS100 said:

With 2026 being a World Cup year, Tony Popović said he wants to pick players that are playing regularly & in good form. 

Popa isn't affraid to pick A-League players over those sitting on the bench in Europe. 

Here is a hypothetical team for 2025/26 season, of potential fringe Socceroos wanting to come back to WSW to push for a spot on the plane to the World Cup.

1. Lawrence Thomas

2. Gabi Cleur

22. Panta

4. Bonetig 

3. Gersbach

17. Keanu Baccus*

8. Calum Nieuwenhof*

7. Marcus Younis*

9. Kusini Yungi*

26. Brendan Borello

10. Adrian Segecic*

#NoVisaPlayersNeeded

#WishfulThinking 

That is wishful 

The Hoff will stay in Scotland once he's for he'll be starting 

[MartinTyler]

On 18/04/2025 at 10:56 AM, Carns said:

Not only is he an excellent player, the Smurf tears would be delicious.

Excellent player off the bench. Not convinced that he's a consistent starter.