AFL icon Buddy Franklin has weighed in on the pending free agency of Nasiah Wanganeen-Milera, saying the St Kilda superstar is all but a certainty to return home to South Australia.
Wanganeen-Milera is due to be out of contract at the end of the season, and has spent all of 2025 deciding between staying at Moorabbin, or returning home to South Australia, with both Adelaide and Port Adelaide aggressively pursuing the 22-year-old’s signature.
St Kilda have been nervously awaiting a decision from Wanganeen-Milera, who has quickly emerged as one of the competition’s best players, but Franklin believes the lack of commitment at this stage in the season is a sign that his mind is already made up.
“Let’s be honest, if you’re not locked away now you’re gone,” Franklin said on The Buddy & Shane Show.
MORE: St Kilda trade exodus denied after suggestion Callum Wilkie wants out
“I think he’s gone, I think he’s definitely going.
“For me, why would you hold out so long? This has taken all year.
“If the decision was to stay, it would’ve happened weeks ago I would’ve thought.”
Franklin is no stranger to the position Wanganeen-Milera currently finds himself in, with the 354-game legend having infamously departed Hawthorn for Sydney at the end of 2013.
The speculation about Wanganeen-Milera’s future comes at a chaotic time for the Saints, who may need to prepare for some high-profile player turnover at the end of the season.
Stars Rowan Marshall and Callum Wilkie have also been recently rumoured to be attracting rival interest, while Tom De Koning and Leek Aleer are set to be brought in on lucrative deals.