St Kilda ruckman Rowan Marshall would welcome Tom De Koning's arrival from Carlton but is keeping his cards close to his chest on what it would mean for his own future.
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See subscription optionsMarshall was critical to the Saints' record-breaking comeback victory over Melbourne on Sunday, linking with superstar Nasiah Wanganeen-Milera to set up the decisive goal.
Wanganeen-Milera's stocks soared on the back of his match-winning display, as the out-of-contract playmaker weighs up huge interest from his home state of South Australia.
The Saints will miss the finals for the second straight season and are desperately seeking to improve their list.
Whether or not they retain Wanganeen-Milera and lure restricted free agent De Koning from the Blues will have a huge impact on their prospects for 2026 and beyond.
Marshall, 29, is contracted to St Kilda until the end of 2027, but the club's pursuit of ruck-forward De Koning has cast a shadow over the incumbent's future.
"Obviously he's a great player, so I guess whatever's going to make us better," Marshall said on Monday.
"That's what we're trying to do and he'll make us a better team."
Pressed on his own future, Marshall was tight-lipped.
"This is going to sound so cliche, but I haven't really given it too much thought," Marshall said.
"There's four games left and I'm employed by the St Kilda Football Club to rock up each week and perform.
"That's just my sole focus at the minute.
"My last two or three weeks have been pretty disappointing individually, so I just want to finish the season well with a strong patch of form and go into next year."
Marshall has played as a sole ruckman for most of this year and said he wasn't fussed about whether he continued in that role, amid the prospect of a partnership with De Koning.
"As long as we're winning games I don't really care," Marshall said.
St Kilda have a poor 6-13 win-loss record this year, but are riding high after producing the greatest last-quarter comeback in AFL/VFL history against Melbourne - from 46 points down - to ultimately win by six.
Wanganeen-Milera was the hero with 34 disposals and four goals, including two in the final 15 seconds.
The 22-year-old star quickly hashed out a plan for the match-winning play with Marshall and Marcus Windhager while Melbourne were caught up in confusion around a 6-6-6 free kick in the dying seconds.
"As soon as I got the ball I saw a bit of space and luckily enough the kick came off," Marshall said.
"Nas went back with the flight of the footy, it was pretty courageous and I guess the rest is history."
Footage has since emerged from St Kilda's post-match function at the Hotel Brighton, where coach Ross Lyon hoisted Wanganeen-Milera onto his shoulders in jubilant scenes.
"I think Ross tried to get me on his shoulders but I was too heavy," Marshall said.
"Nas is a bit lighter. It was good fun."
Marshall said the "crazy" win had not sunk in yet, with St Kilda needing to refocus ahead of their match against North Melbourne on Sunday.
"The first three quarters were pretty garbage from us and it was disappointing but I think that last quarter just shows what we can do," Marshall said.
"It was awesome. I didn't think it was possible until it was probably three goals down and I looked up at the scoreboard and I thought, 'Geez we're in this.'
"Then, sure enough, Nas turned it on and it was a crazy finish."
Australian Associated Press
