GWS captain Toby Greene has cast doubt on St Kilda’s chances of building a premiership team after the Saints signed Nasiah Wanganeen-Milera to the AFL’s first $2 million-a-year deal.
Speaking on SEN, Greene said such a heavy investment in one player could leave little room to build the depth required for success.
“I think $2 million is probably a bit of a stretch at the moment if you want to be a really good team,” Greene said. “I can understand someone getting paid $2 million at the moment, but it’s usually not a team that is going to be competing for a premiership.”
Lloyd and Bartel weigh in
Essendon great Matthew Lloyd echoed Greene’s sentiment on Footy Classified, pointing out that the Saints’ decision to also lure Tom De Koning on an eight-year, $1.7 million-per-season deal only adds to the salary cap squeeze.
“I’m rapped that [the Saints] kept Nasiah. They probably had to pay overs to keep him, and then they get TDK in the door too … so they are paying probably too much for two players,” Lloyd said.
While Lloyd argued the Saints “had to do it,” he admitted it was “not ideal … salary cap-wise.”
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Geelong legend Jimmy Bartel offered a contrasting view, stressing that the Cats’ long-term success was built on balance and self-sacrifice. “They don’t [overpay] because they’ve got a model,” Bartel said. “What was always put to myself at Geelong … was, ‘Well, you can all take a little bit more and max out, but you don’t get to play with that guy and that guy and that guy on grand final day’.”
St Kilda, by contrast, are gambling big to shift the narrative and attract top-tier talent. Whether the gamble pays off in premierships remains the big question.