St Kilda is armed with a war chest to spend this off-season according to footy journalist Sam McClure.
Speaking on his show the Tradies Podcast, McClure says that the Saints have been telling rival clubs and player managers that they may have more money to spend than any club ever has across a two-year off-season period.
McClure analysed St Kilda’s list and who they’re paying currently which has given them so much room in the $15.7 million salary cap.
“It has come to my attention that St Kilda has been telling a number of clubs and player managers that they have potentially the most money to spend that any club has ever had in the coming two years,” McClure told the Tradies Podcast.
“So, I decided to do a little bit of work. On their list firstly, and secondly on who they’re targeting because I’m told it’s two players this year.
“I’m just telling you what they’re telling people… the Saints aren’t paying a lot of money to a lot of players.
“Jack Steele is on $825,000 to $875,000 a year – he signed that contract on the back of two All-Australians and two best and fairests – that’s fair enough, he is worth every cent of that.
“Max King is on less than $900,000 a year – he’ll obviously be worth more than that if he continues (improving).
“Rowan Marshall is also on under less than a million. The other one is Brad Hill … it was put to me that his contract was back-ended until the end of 2024 … which was worth over $900,000 a year, he will re-sign on significantly less than that.
“Nick Coffield left at the end of last year … Jack Billings was on decent cash … Jade Gresham was on over $700,000 (a year), he was the other one. Those are the three that have left.”
With some cash to splash, McClure believes that the club will target premium midfielders and he has been told by multiple sources of two big names that the Saints are chasing - Brisbane’s Hugh McCluggage and North Melbourne’s Luke Davies-Uniacke.
“So, who is out of contract and a free agent that they can go to? They are desperate for midfielders, Ross Lyon wants more grunt around the midfield,” McClure said.
“After a fair bit of digging, I’ve arrived at two names, and it has been confirmed to me by multiple sources that these are the two names that are on the St Kilda whiteboard.
“Hugh McCluggage (and) Luke Davies-Uniacke.”
McCluggage is a restricted free agent at the end of the 2024 season, while Davies-Uniacke only becomes a restricted free agent at the end of the 2025 campaign.
While neither McCluggage nor Davies-Uniacke are expected to leave, McClure thinks that St Kilda’s push will force both the Lions and Roos to pay up for their stars if they want them to stay.
“I think it is going to be very difficult for St Kilda to get either of those two players,” McClure said.
“I think what they’re doing – and Gubby (Graeme Allan) and SOS (Stephen Silvagni) are masters of this and they have been since they were at GWS – it’s, ‘If you’re not coming to us, we’re going to make you pay sh--loads over to keep them’.
“It works for them in the market, particularly with where the Saints are now.”
While the Saints have their two main targets, McClure expects them to also make a push for a more realistic target in Sydney’s Ollie Florent, who is a restricted free agent at the end of this campaign.
“They (Davies-Uniacke and McCluggage) are the main two,” McClure said.
“The other I just want to throw in – and I don’t want to disregard him as a player because I really like him – is Ollie Florent.
“Florent is out of contract as we talked about … he’s highly-skilled, a free agent … they’ve come at him before … he grew up around the corner from Moorabbin.
“I know that the Saints will come looking again (at him).”
Florent, who hails from Beaumaris and the Sandringham Dragons, has played 145 games for the Swans since being taken with pick No.11 in the 2016 Draft.
