Star St Kilda ruckman Rowan Marshall has cleared the air on his future, saying he’s “happy” at the club after being surprisingly linked to trade talks.
Reports last month stated Marshall was unsettled at the Saints and considering his options despite being contracted until the end of the 2027 season.
But the gun big man has reassured his commitment to the Moorrabin-based club and Ross Lyon’s team amid it’s “exciting” future.
Watch every game of every round this Toyota AFL Premiership Season LIVE with no ad-breaks during play on Kayo. New to Kayo? Start your free trial today >
“I’m happy at the Saints and happy with the direction we’re heading,” Marshall told foxfooy.com.au.
“I just want to see us be as successful as we can and I think we’re all really building into that.
“We’ve got a young promising core coming through – we saw some of that on the weekend with Mattaes (Phillipou), Nasiah (Wanganeen-Milera) and the like. It’s exciting for the club.”
After seeing the trade reports, Marshall said both he and the club moved to clarify his plans.
“I saw some of the stuff come out and I wanted to quash those talks – get on the front foot and say I was happy with the club,” he said.
“It was a bit of both (me and the club wanting to hash it out).”
The 28-year old wasn’t bothered by the rumblings, acknowledging it’s simply a sign of the current AFL trade landscape, with player movement more rife than ever before.
“It happens every year with everyone, not just in the AFL, but overseas and in the NBA and the like,” he added.
“It’s a part of our game and happens all the time really.”
It comes as questions have come on St Kilda’s ability to land big names on the market after it’s tried and failed to recruit several stars in recent times including this year missing out on the likes of Tyson Stengle and Hugh McCluggage.
However Marshal has full confidence in the direction under Lyon and sees blue skies ahead.
“We’re on the upward trend and inside these four walls I’m a big believer of what we’re building here and the strong culture. We’ve got a lot of exciting youth coming through,” he said.
“I’ve loved my eight years here at St Kilda and it’s a great spot to live bayside.
“I think we’ve got a strong, clear direction of where we’re heading as a club and we have a great coaching staff.
“It’s a great environment.”
He conceded this season has been “hard” at times amid the 6-10 Saints’ drop off from last year’s finals run and particularly “frustrating” given how many close games they’ve fallen short in.
“You get so close to winning and unfortunately it’s just a poor quarter or something that will let you down,” he said.
“Obviously you want to be winning games, but it’s not all doom and gloom. We’ve been in a lot of games and tight contests, so that’s one of the positives of the year.”
Marshall, who in 2022 signed a five-year contract extension, remains one of the club’s most important players including finishing third in the Saints’ best and fairest last year.
He’s continued that rich vein of form in 2024 in another stellar campaign, averaging 19.9 disposals, 5.5 marks, 5.5 clearances and 25.3 hit-outs as one of the game’s premier ruckmen.
Fresh off a duel with fellow star ruckman Brodie Grundy and the Swans, Marshall said he “loves coming up against the best” such as Grundy, Max Gawn and Tim English. The humbly spoken 201cm player however stopped short of comparing himself to such names.
“I just try to work as hard as I can and work hard around the ground and let my footy do the talking,” he said.
Asked who his 2024 All-Australian ruckman would be, Marshall responded: “Max Gawn has had a superb year and will go down as one of the all-time great ruckmen.
“At the minute I’d probably say him, but there’s a number of rucks from other teams that are having great years.”
Marshall kicked two goals in a prolific performance in St Kilda’s upset win over Sydney, spending more time forward with Max King out for the remainder of 2024 due to a knee injury.
The ruckman was optimistic King would come back “stronger than ever” in 2025, suggesting the former Pick 4 was capable of reaching greater heights and becoming the game’s top forward.
“It’s obviously really tough for Max, he’s as dedicated as anyone at the footy club and has a really diligent mindset,” Marshall said.
“He wants to be the best and I know he’s going to be the best, I’m really confident in him.”