Adelaide Crows
In: Shane McAdam and Tyson Stengle, pick 13, 2019 fifth round pick
Out: Mitch McGovern, Picks 40 and 68, 2019 third round pick, 2019 fourth round pick.
Adelaide in recent seasons have done a great job of providing other football teams with quality players, with the likes of Dangerfield, Cameron and Lever all wanting out of Adelaide. Now while wanting to leave Adelaide is something I'm sure we could all relate to, when McGovern kept the trend going this year by requesting a trade to Carlton, you have to wonder what you're doing wrong. Was it the infamous and humiliating preseason camp? No. It must be the Victorians who are to blame.
This team made a Grand Final just over a year ago, and would most likely be missing most pundit's top eight predictions for next year. Port fans would be delighted,were they not so embarrassed at their own situation. Grade: Titanic (the ship, not the movie)
Brisbane Lions
In: Marcus Adams, Lincoln McCarthy and Lachie Neale, picks 18 ,30, 35, 56 and 78, 2019 first, second and third round picks.
Out: Dayne Beams and Sam Mayes, picks 5, 24, 43, 62 and 80, 2019 first round pick
In possibly the least surprising news of the year, Neale made his way to Brisbane, alongside longtime friend Lincoln McCarthy, amidst a list of trades so long it would make Santa blush. Dayne Beams asked for a trade back to Collingwood a week after announcing he was fully committed to the Lions, which I assume would be like finding your wife sleeping with her ex on your honeymoon.
Adams and McCarthy spend more time with club doctors than they do playing football, but are both potential guns. All in all, you'd have to call Brisbane's trade period a win, as they try and push themselves back into finals contention - laughing at Gold Coast's misery as they slingshot back up the ladder. Grade: Avatar: The Last Airbender (Animated Series)
Carlton Blues
In: Mitch McGovern, Alex Fasolo, Will Setterfield and Nic Newman, pick 71 and 2019 third round pick.
Out: Nathan Kreuger and Shane McAdam, picks 26, 28 and 43, 2019 second, third and fifth round picks.
Flying someone out to Noosa in a private jet only for them to join a team whose logo is literally a jet has some hint of cruel irony to it, but there's no hiding from the fact that Carlton actually navigated this trade period really well. The only two outs were the draft pre-selections that the AFL gave the club instead of priority draft picks - that the club used to trade for draft picks anyway. It's kind of like asking for money from your parents, and they say no, and buy you something nice instead, only for you to sell that thing, and get not quite the amount of money you asked for in the first place. That and they landed Mitch McGovern, who requested a trade to Carlton specifically. The additions of Fasolo, Setterfield and Newman will slot straight into the best 22 if they can all get their bodies right, and they achieved all of this whilst holding onto the number one pick. Grade: The Boys are Back in Town Collingwood Magpies In: Dayne Beams, Jordan Roughead, picks 41, 44 and 57
Out: Alex Fasolo, picks 18, 56 and 75, 2019 first round pick
It was hard to say how Collingwood did in season 2018, after going from Flagpies to the Colliwobbles in one Dom Sheed kick, and it's now hard to say how Collingwood did in this year's trade period. On one hand they regained Dayne Beams, which would certainly be seen as a win, but did a midfield as strong as Collingwood's really need Beams also? And they gave up their first round draft picks for both this and next year's draft to make it happen, which I'm sure delighted Brisbane.
Alex Fasolo, who went from regular player in 2017, to injured afterthought in 2018, and was probably minutes away from being taken behind the shed by Buckley, holding a shotgun in the form of a torn up contract renewal, was the only departure for a Collingwood team desperate to go one better in season 2019.
Grade: Mad Max: Fury Road
Essendon Bombers
In: Dylan Shiel, 2019 second and fourth round pick
Out: Travis Colyer and pick 9, 2019 first-round pick
Not much happened for the Bombers in this year's trade period numbers wise, but if you're a believer in quality over quantity, they were the big winners landing this year's biggest fish (and chin) Dylan Shiel. After reports leading up to trade period that had Shiel playing for about eight different teams next year, thankfully he ended up only signing with one. It came at the cost of this year and next year's first round picks, but with the club in the belief that its premiership window is well and truly open, it could be a sacrifice they had to make. Travis Colyer left last minute to cross the Nullabor to Fremantle, after realising that Shiel probably ruined his job security. A smart move. I often consider up and moving to the other side of the country, because someone much smarter than me started at my work. Then I realise I can't afford that, and I probably couldn't secure another job in the space of a couple of hours as Colyer managed to; so I continue writing pointless sports opinion pieces on the internet, which is pretty much the same thing, right?
Grade: The Godfather
Fremantle Dockers
In: Travis Colyer, Reece Conca, Jesse Hogan, Rory Lobb, picks 14, 31, 43 and 65
Out: Lachie Neale and pick 6, 2019 third and fourth round pick
Losing Lachie Neale was always going to hurt Fremantle, but Fremantle have been hurt before, and they're a strong independent* Western Australian Football team, and they're not going to just sulk about it, they're going to recruit Jesse Hogan and Rory Lobb, while only downgrading their first draft spot 8 places. Fremantle isn't going to stay home and eat ice cream out of the tub, Fremantle will be out the very next weekend with interesting people you don't know, a strut in its step and a smile on its face.
What I'm trying to say is Fremantle won a trade period. And I'm very unsure how I feel about that. I'm sure that, being Fremantle, they'll find some way to stuff it up, but at this point they did well, finally getting Hogan over, and even talking him down from an eight year contract to three.
*wholly owned by the Western Australian Football Commission (WAFC)
Grade: Steven Bradbury
Geelong Cats
In: Luke Dahlhaus, Nathan Kreuger, Gary Rohan, picks 59 and 70 Out: Lincoln McCarthy, George Horlin-Smith, Jackson Thurlow, picks 54 and 57
Geelong welcomed home Geelong Falcons boys Luke Dahlhaus and Gary Rohan, whilst refusing to allow Tim Kelly to move home to Perth. In Stephen Wells' home I believe there's a cross stitch hanging above his kitchen bench that reads "There's no place like home, as long as home is Geelong."
In Geelong's defence, Kelly didn't make things very easy, with the South Fremantle recruit saying he would only move to West Coast, which I'm sure went something like; "Hi Stephen, I would like a trade home, but only to West Coast who just won the premiership, and not to Fremantle, where I am actually from*. I hope you understand,"
In summary, Geelong lost some talented fringe players, whilst gaining two established best 22 footballers, and a young key forward prospect, and annoying Tim Kelly's wife.
*from Palmyra, roughly half an hours walk to Fremantle
Grade: John Denver - Country Roads
Gold Coast Suns In: Corey Ellis, Anthony Miles, George Horlin-Smith, Jack Hombsch, picks 3, 6, 24 and 79, 2019 first round and two third round picks.
Out: Everyone*
* Tom Lynch, Steven May, Kade Kolodjashnij, Aaron Hall, Jack Scrimshaw, picks 19, 32, 41, 44, 59, 68 and 77, 2019 second round, two third rounds and two fourth round picks, and Stuart Dew's dog.
Now if I was a professional footballer, and someone told me that I could get paid better money than anywhere else to live on the Gold Coast, I feel like I would jump at the opportunity. Which makes the Gold Coast max exodus all the more confusing. In the last three seasons, eight of Gold Coast's 2015 top ten best and fairest have now left the club, leaving, from what I can see, Stuart Dew and four fringe players at the club. The four players the Gold Coast lost this season are all walk up starts in their best 22, and all they have to show for it is three top ten picks, who will likely walk once they become good enough footballers for it not to be a risk for other clubs. And all this after only just managing to miss out on the wooden spoon this year. It's time to pack your bags and move to Tassie, Stu. The writing is on the wall.
Grade: The Room
Greater Western Sydney Giants
In: Literally nobody. Picks 9, 11, 19, 2019 first, second and fourth round picks
Out: Rory Lobb, Tom Scully, Will Setterfield, Dylan Shiel, picks 14, 47 and 71, 2019 second round pick.
While it was reasonably common knowledge that GWS were tight for cap space, I'm not sure anyone expected the fire sale that was to come, with four best 22 players being traded out, and no new players joining the Giants from other clubs. The club's reaction to the cap was something like this:
GWS: Signs players to backended contracts knowing full well COLA doesn't exist GWS: Finds themselves 1.4mil short on salary cap GWS: "This is the AFL's Fault,"
The Giants hold 4 picks in the top 25, and will want to make them count if they are to stay in the finals hunt. Otherwise it would be pretty fair to say that their premiership window is as closed as most Blockbuster stores (who ceased operations just one year after the Giants joined the AFL. I smell a conspiracy). Fair to say this wasn't a great trade period for the Giants.
Grade: Venom (2018) Hawthorn Hawks In: Jack Scrimshaw, Tom Scully and Chad Wingard, 2019 third-round pick Out: Ryan Burton, Taylor Duryea, picks 15 and 35, 2019 third and two fourth round picks. The Hawks continue their recent trend of taking players from other clubs rather than drafting them themselves, this year only holding picks 53 and 90. Tom Scully joined the club for an old sock and a block of cheese, and former number 7 draft pick, and Harry Potter universe surname, Scrimshaw will be a handy addition to their stocks, while Chad Wingard is a former All Australian, and if he can fire pick 15 will be a cheap price to pay. Most upsetting is that it looks like Hawthorn will be good again this year. They're like a rash that you just can't get rid of. You think it's gone for a year or two, and then, nope. It's right back, and there's brown and yellow confetti everywhere. Grade: John Farnham's (234th) Final Farewell Tour Melbourne Demons In: Steven May, Kade Kolodjashnij, Braydon Preuss, picks 23, 28 and 62 Out: Dean Kent, Dom Tyson, Jesse Hogan, picks 6, 36, 46 and 65
While all the focus for the Demons' trade period was on what was happening with Hogan, the Demons secured May, Kolodjashnij (bless you) and Preuss in a proactive and successful trade period that may take strides to patch up the highest scored against team from this season's top 8. The losses of Kent and Tyson may hurt their depth, but all in all I think the Dees would think that this trade period went more than a little better than their Preliminary final efforts.
Grade: Steven Bradbury
North Melbourne Kangaroos
In: Aaron Hall, Jasper Pittard, Jared Polec, Dom Tyson, picks 47, 48, 49 and 55
Out: Ryan Clarke, Braydon Preuss, picks 11, 31, 62 and 68, 2019 fourth-round pick
After using all of their good picks to get Pittard and Polec to the club, I'm sure Port were happy to get Aaron Hall for a bag of old crisps and a signed Wayne Carey footy card they had sitting in the back storeroom. Losing Preuss may hurt their ruck depth, with Goldstein now almost as old as he is tall, but they would be happy that their War Chest finally caught someone. Even if that someone wasn't quite Andrew Gaff, Jordan De Goey, Josh Kelly or Dustin Martin, and was in fact Jared Polec, with Jasper Pittard thrown in like a set of steak knives with badly tattooed legs, and a seedy moustache.
North now don't hold a pick inside the top 40, but after missing the finals by a hair this season; I'd say they're pretty chuffed with how their trade period went down.
Grade: Upgrade (2018)
Port Adelaide Power
In: Ryan Burton, Scott Lycett and Sam Mayes, picks 5 and 15, three 2019 fourth round picks
Out: Jack Hombsch, Jasper Pittard, Jared Polec and Chad Wingard, picks 23, 30, 48 and 49, 2019 third round pick
Port surprised absolutely nobody by showing complete arrogance in handing Gold Coast the threat of poaching any South Australian players they might draft this year, back to SA in two years time. After a hugely active, but ultimately unsuccessful trade period last year, Port were in full list turnover mode again. Losing two players from the top six of your Best and Fairest is never ideal, but the addition of Scott Lycett and Ryan Burton would have helped soften the blow, but maybe not by enough to make them a finals team next year.
Probably the only solace for Adelaide fans in this trade period.
Grade: Men in Black III
Richmond Tigers
In: Tom Lynch, picks 64 and 68, 2019 third round pick
Out: Reece Conca, Corey Ellis, Sam Lloyd, Anthony Miles and Tyson Stengle, 2019 third round pick
Richmond peaked early, grabbing free agent Tom Lynch straight away, and then spent the rest of the trade period offloading fringe players to bottom four sides. It was almost as if, as soon as Lynch's signature was on paper, they just packed up shop and went on an early holiday. It will remain to be seen how much influence the loss of depth, and addition of Lynch will have on the Tigers, as they build toward a premiership assault in 2019, but at least for now I have to admire their get in - get out trade period. As other teams were scrambling last minute deals on deadline day, Richmond were probably on a flight to Majorca.
Grade: James Cameron's Avatar
St Kilda Saints
In: Dan Hannebery and Dean Kent, picks 36 and 46, 2019 fourth round pick
Out: Tom Hickey, picks 61 and 65, 2019 second and fourth round picks
In what was a trade period to match their season - very lacklustre, St Kilda had attempted to lure Shiel, and dabbled briefly with the idea of trying to lure Dan Menzel to the club, but instead settled on the injury prone Dean Kent and ageing Dan Hannebery. They also traded away one of their only ruckmen, and next year's second round pick.
St Kilda are kind of like that kid you were friends with in High School. Not really good at much, but also not bad enough to attract unwanted attention and criticism. They are truly the envy of Gold Coast.
Grade: The Hangover 3
Sydney Swans
In: Ryan Clarke and Jackson Thurlow, picks 26, 39 and 40, 2019 second and fourth round picks
Out: Dan Hannebery, Gary Rohan and Nic Newman, picks 13 and 70
Cleared out near on a million dollars of salary cap room, but forgot to replace it with much. Thurlow and Clarke will provide good depth, but the downgrade in picks could hurt them in the draft, and could probably be chalked up in the column of losing trades this year.
After being masters of the trade period and recycling players for so long, Sydney were a box office slump this year, failing to attract a regular 22 player from any club. Granted they could turn Clarke and Thurlow into genuine stars, and make me look stupid. But joke's on them because I'm perfectly capable of doing that all by myself.
Grade: Avatar: The Last Airbender (Live Action)
West Coast Eagles
In: Tom Hickey, picks 20, 61, 2019 fourth-round pick Out: Scott Lycett, pick 39, 2019 fourth-round pick West Coast attracted the man with the AFL's most terrifying list photo in Tom Hickey, after losing Scott Lycett to free agency and being generously rewarded with pick 20 as compensation, and got the signature of Fremantle's Most Wanted in Andrew Gaff to round out a great start to the trade period, before getting tunnel vision worse than your mate who thinks their ex from five years ago is still the only one, and took aim at Tim Kelly. They kept making offers to Geelong for the gun first year mid, that Geelong weren't quite happy enough with, about once a day, right up until the dying minutes of trade week. It was almost like they were trying to get Geelong to concede due to death by a thousand offers. At closing time, both teams' list managers locked in a room together, and still getting nowhere.
All in all, keeping Gaff was great, losing Lycett was not, getting Hickey was okay, and missing out on Kelly was a bit of a bummer. Grade: Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith
Western Bulldogs
In: Taylor Duryea, Sam Lloyd, picks 27, 32, 75, 2019 third-round pick
Out: Marcus Adams, Luke Dahlhaus, Jordan Roughead, pick 64, 2019 fourth-round pick
The trend of the Bulldogs' premiership heroes jumping ship continued this year, with Dahlhaus and Roughead requesting trades, alongside premiership bridesmaid Marcus Adams. I will now have to mark down Bulldogs games to mention to my therapist about why I'm terrified that any time I hear the name Lloyd, that Brian Taylor will appear and make the same joke over and over again until I die. It's like an advanced form of sleep paralysis. The Doggies will at least be bolstered by the addition of dual premiership winner Taylor Duryea, whose name I will most likely never spell correctly without having to google it first, but it doesn't look like another premiership is on the cards for Duryea or the Bulldogs any time soon.
Grade: Jumper (2008)