The first week of the trade period has been a busy one for St Kilda. Rowan Marshall has moved to Geelong for a first-round pick, Sam Marshall has arrived from Brisbane, and the club has been in the mix for Sydney’s Nick Blakey.

With the period closing on Wednesday night, here’s where the Saints stand heading into the final week.

Sam Marshall: done and dusted

The one we’d been waiting on since he chose St Kilda on 1 October finally got over the line on Friday afternoon. The Saints sent their 2027 first-round pick to Brisbane, and got back Sam Marshall plus the Lions’ second-round pick (now No. 41).

Marshall was a Brisbane Academy product, matched at pick 25 in the 2024 draft. He played 11 games in his first season and was part of the Lions’ 2025 premiership side, but managed just two senior games this year as opportunities dried up. He wanted more footy, and he’s picked Moorabbin to get it.

Lenny Hayes said Marshall had shown “exciting potential” in the midfield and should add depth there next season. It’s a future first for a premiership player who is still only scratching the surface, and the Saints kept both of this year’s first-rounders in the process. Plenty of clubs would take that deal.

The obvious catch is that the 2027 first is tied to how we finish next year. Back the improvement, and it’s a price worth paying.

Rowan Marshall: a decade ends, pick 16 arrives

The other Marshall saga wrapped up on Thursday. After asking out for the second off-season running, and skipping Monday night’s Trevor Barker Award, Rowan Marshall got his move to Geelong.

The Saints get the Cats’ first-round pick, now No. 16, and Geelong gets our 2028 third-rounder. St Kilda pushed for a player to be included and Geelong said no, but the club held firm on landing a first. Hayes said the Saints wanted “adequate compensation” for someone who’d played at a high level for a decade, and they got it.

It’s a sad way for it to end. Marshall was a rookie pick out of North Ballarat at 21 and gave us 177 games, plenty of them as one of the best ruckmen in the competition. He’s signed a three-year deal at Kardinia Park. Thanks for the service, Rowan.

The flip side is a big hole in the ruck that the club will need to address, whether that’s through this trade period, the draft or developing from within.

Nick Blakey: North first, Saints in the wings

The biggest name on the move has made his call, and it isn’t us, at least not yet. On Friday the 2024 All-Australian nominated North Melbourne as his preferred new home after the Roos tabled a reported eight-year deal worth upwards of $11 million. The family link is strong too, with dad John playing 224 games for North across two premierships.

But nominating a club and getting there are two different things. Blakey is contracted to Sydney until 2031, and the Swans hold all the cards. List boss Chris Keane has called any deal “significantly challenging” and said the club will have the final say. North hold pick 5 and future firsts, but the price still has to suit Sydney.

That’s where St Kilda comes in. The Saints met with Blakey during the week, and Zero Hanger reported the club was weighing up an offer built around multiple first-round picks. If talks between North and Sydney stall, the Saints are one of the few clubs with the draft capital to step straight in. Geelong and Essendon are understood to have dropped out of the race, leaving Gold Coast as the other realistic contender.

There’s a bigger question hanging over all of this too. The ongoing Victoria Police investigation connected to the Swans has been flagged as adding complexity for every club weighing up a move for Blakey, and it’s something the Saints’ board would have to be comfortable with before going any further. For now, it’s watch and wait.

Our hand: two firsts and a live second

For the first time in a while, St Kilda goes into the last week of the trade period holding two top-16 picks.

Going the other way, the 2027 first-rounder is now Brisbane’s and the 2028 third-rounder is Geelong’s. Pick numbers will keep shifting as other deals land.

Final week: the draft or one more big fish?

The Saints are in a position of strength, and they don’t have to do anything. That’s the best spot to negotiate from.

Option 1: Back the draft. Keep 10 and 16 and bring in two quality kids in November. With the Marshall swap already adding a young midfielder, two more top-16 talents would give the list a real pipeline. Our members have been loud about wanting a key forward, and both picks sit in range of the best talls in the pool.

Option 2: Go fishing. If North and Sydney can’t agree on Blakey, St Kilda can put a first-round pick, or more, on the table at short notice. A 26-year-old All-Australian half-back on a long contract would be a statement move. The ruck spot Rowan leaves behind is another hole a pick could fill.

Option 3: Play the market. Split a pick to move up or down, or bank a future first to replace the 2027 one we sent to Brisbane.

Our take? Don’t force it. Blakey is worth chasing if the door opens and the off-field picture is clear, but walking into the draft with 10 and 16 is a great result too. Either way, this has been a strong first week for the Saints.

The period closes Wednesday night. Keep across every move in the Off-Season Hub, and have your say on what the club should do with picks 10 and 16.