'It can turn pretty quick': Surprising aspect of star's record extension as St Kilda's salary cap position laid bare
Once they inevitably land Carlton ruckman Tom De Koning in free agency, St Kilda will, in all likelihood, boast the two highest paid players in the AFL in 2026.
On Monday they announced breakout star Nasiah Wanganeen-Milera had recommitted on a two-year deal worth reportedly $2m per season.
De Koning meanwhile will reportedly receive a contract worth approximately $1.7m per season from the Saints himself.
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Nasiah Wanganeen-Milera of the Saints. Getty
Put those salaries together and you've got two players taking up effectively 20 per cent of St Kilda's $18.29m salary cap in 2026.
Toss in GWS defender Leek Aleer, who will reportedly join the Saints on around $800,000 per season and that's 25 per cent of their salary cap gone, with around 41 players left for the other 75 per cent.
St Kilda has had this war chest of funds for multiple years now, reportedly offering GWS midfielder Finn Callaghan the De Koning deal at the start of the season.
They've been linked with big-money splashes for Jacob Weitering, Andrew Brayshaw, Luke Davies-Uniacke and Zach Merrett as well.
But now they've not only landed two big-money rivals, but they've successfully kept their superstar in Wanganeen-Milera, at least for the next two seasons.
Nine's chief AFL reporter Tom Morris believes the defender knocked back a deal from Port Adelaide that would have paid him $30m over 12 years - a deal worth a staggering $2.5m per season.
Essendon great Matthew Lloyd was surprised Wanganeen-Milera didn't opt to cash in for longer than just the next two seasons.
Nasiah Wanganeen-Milera of the Saints is tackled by Zac Bailey of the Lions. via Getty Images
"You think to yourself, signing for two years is a bit risky, who knows what happens over the next two years, but he's at the point where he's nearly the best player in the game and he couldn't have bargained better than right now," Lloyd told 3AW.
"I'm surprised he didn't sign a 12-year deal. He could have asked for anything, but he's signed for two years. We've seen players sign and by the end of the contract they're nowhere near the player they were by the end of it.
"One of my good friends Mark Mercuri. He signed one of the first big deals, which was a four-year contract, he was second in a Brownlow Medal in 1999, and then he was paid out for his last season after three years. It can turn pretty quick.
"So it's interesting that he only signed for two years.
"He's just backed himself that he'll still be worth that and he can decide in two years if he wants to stay at St Kilda or take a deal somewhere else."
Wanganeen-Milera will now come out of contract at the end of the 2027 season, potentially putting him in range to even be targeted by the Tasmanian team ahead of their first season in the competition.
St Kilda still must re-sign talented midfielder Marcus Windhager, who has received interest from rivals.
They'll certainly hope De Koning and Aleer prove to be worth what they've been offered, given neither has ever made an All-Australian squad. Aleer, 23, is yet to even play at a consistent AFL level.
Talk of disillusionment within the playing group over these two contracts leaked last week, with senior players second guessing how list management was unfolding. This was, of course, before Wanganeen-Milera re-signed.
The Saints have won four games in a row heading into their final clash of the season against GWS, and will take a ton of momentum into 2026 off the back of these moves.
