SANFL club Norwood are resigned to being without Magarey Medal winner Harry Boyd for the 2025 season, with the club informed before the new year that their star ruckman has signed with St Kilda.
Boyd has been training with the Saints over the summer in the hope of landing an AFL list spot off the back of a dominant year with the Redlegs, averaging 20.1 disposals, 10.0 clearances and 41.8 hitouts per game as the competition's premier player.
While St Kilda are yet to announce the signing of Boyd, Norwood have been told the 26-year-old has locked in a list spot at Moorabbin via the AFL's Supplemental Selection Period.
The Saints' silence has left Norwood nonplussed, but the South Australian side has been left to start "planning for life without Harry".
"As far as we know... I don't know why they haven't announced it but he's signed with St Kilda," Norwood football boss Richard Kelly told Zero Hanger.
"They've given him the last spot, and we were told that pre-Christmas. We're happy to announce it to our supporters that he signed with [St Kilda], because he deserves an opportunity. We're planning for life without Harry for 2025.
"Luke Surman is coming out of retirement, and we think Luke has the ability to be one of the best ruckmen in the competition, it's just getting his body right. His pre-season so far has been pretty good."
Boyd's situation comes as the Redlegs are also left to tread water and wait for clarity on the future of delisted Sydney ruckman Lachie McAndrew.
McAndrew was set to secure a move to The Parade before Adelaide expressed an interest in his services via the SSP, with the 209cm talent currently training for a list spot of his own with the Crows.
If McAndrew earns a career lifeline with Adelaide, Norwood will then be left to reshuffle their ruck stocks - meaning Surman could be the club's first-string option despite initially deciding to call time on his career.
The Redlegs also lost Alex van Wyk this off-season, with the young tall landing at North Adelaide in search of greater opportunities after spending the past season as Boyd's understudy.
"[McAndrew's] just fighting for a list spot with Adelaide at the moment. If a list spot opens up, then he's potentially on their AFL list. If not, then Lachie will probably be our number one ruckman for this season," Kelly said.
"Our planning has been sort of around that, and that's sort of where it's headed at the moment, but until we know for sure whether he's got an AFL list spot or not... we've got some backup potential there.
"It's an unusual situation because of how the SANFL rules work with the Crows. So he's basically training with them full time, but he's at training with us [this Monday] to come and say g'day to the boys.
"He's obviously hoping for an AFL spot, but if that doesn't eventuate he knows he'll be playing for Norwood."
Another SSP matter for Norwood this summer has been the result of star midfielder Baynen Lowe's train-on stint at Fremantle. Lowe linked up with the Dockers early into their program before suffering a serious shoulder setback.
The Tasmanian is now facing up to four months on the sidelines after the setback, with Kelly hopeful the energetic attacker can have the same impact in the red and blue once he returns to the field in the second half of the coming season.
"We're hoping his back half of the year is getting to peak conditions, fingers crossed, come finals time. He's in a good spot mindset-wise, he understands there was an opportunity there. But he loves Norwood," he added.
"He's putting himself through full rehab over the next couple of months to give himself the best opportunity to get back on the track as soon as he can. He's an important part of our midfield and he sneaks forward and finishes off goals beautifully.
"We're looking forward to him coming back. He's around the place now and we can't wait to get him back out there."
The list management balancing act has proven to be "a nightmare" for Norwood, who are hopeful the AFL looks into altering the windows available to clubs to pry talent out of the state leagues.
Kelly believes requests are falling on deaf ears, with list stability and understanding critical for the club's planning each off-season.
"To be honest, it's a nightmare," Kelly said of losing star players to AFL clubs and training opportunities.
"With 'Boydy' going in November last year, Alex van Wyk was our number two ruckman and has gone to North Adelaide. We told him 'Can you just hold mate?' 'Boydy' still didn't have clarity on whether he was getting a St Kilda list spot or not.
"Alex is a genuine number one SANFL ruckman and he can't wait and sit behind Harry again if there's an opportunity to go.
"For us, it's put us on the back foot... and then 'Lowey' goes in December to Freo! So we're asking 'Do we need another midfielder or not?' How do we recruit? What can we offer from a salary point of view? All of that sort of stuff is up in the air. Lachie McAndrew committed to the club and then got the call-up from the Crows.
"It'd be good if the AFL just said 'Look your list spots are your list spots. Call it November 30 or whatever it is, and you've got the Mid-Season Draft and that's it. It does put state leagues like us potentially at a massive disadvantage.
"We feel there's plenty of opportunities for AFL clubs to pick them up. How many opportunities do you want to do that? I'm pretty sure they don't listen to what we have to say."
The Redlegs' list woes could be alleviated if the club can settle an ongoing issue with former player Nik Rokahr, who has returned to South Australia despite being contracted with WAFL club Swan Districts for 2025.
Rokahr took out the 2024 Sandover Medal as the league's best player in his first season after crossing from Norwood, where he won the 2023 Michael Talyor Medal and was part of the club's premiership the year prior.
The veteran ball winner will be part of Norwood's program one way or the other, with Rokahr linking up with his old club this pre-season as a coach. If approved by the Swans, he could be given the green light to play in the SANFL, having moved interstate for work purposes since his stellar WAFL campaign.
"It's a difficult one. Nik has moved to South Australia," Kelly said of the situation.
"He's actually here working right now. So he's moved from a career perspective. We're working with Swan Districts to try and say 'Come on, the guy's moved, let him play footy.' I don't think he's in a position to fly back every weekend to play for Swan Districts. That's just not where his life is at the moment.
"We're hopeful we will come to a resolution with Swan Districts, and we hope the SANFL and the WAFL can sort it out. If not, we'll look at what the AFL tribunal system says.
"It's a hard one, because he signed a contract with Swan Districts, but that's secondary to his main income that he's moved to South Australia for. It'd be pretty hard to not let him play footy, but who knows?
"Nik will be with us in some form this year, whether it's playing or coaching. He's moved to South Australia. If he has to sit out a year of footy he's prepared to do that. He's moved here for work purposes.
"He'll be around the boys this pre-season, helping out from a coaching point of view, and then hopefully by Round 1 it's sorted out."
Norwood's 2025 season gets underway with a clash against North Adelaide at Coopers Stadium on Saturday, March 29.