The 2015 AFL Trade Window closed on Thursday after a significant amount of player movement from a majority of clubs. If the endless whispers and protracted drama of some deals didn’t send you off the deep end, the AFL added the trading of future picks and an academy/father-son point system to keep many awake at night, dreaming of ways to score their clubs gun players.
As mentioned in last year’s review, trading isn’t an exact science. Most deals aren’t equal because all clubs have different needs and player value is entirely subjective in light of these needs. Nonetheless, here’s the wash up from this year’s player movement.
Patrick Dangerfield and pick 50 to Geelong, Adelaide receive pick 9, 28 and Dean Gore
The headline act of the trade period. The Cats pick up an inside midfielder with some serious offensive attributes in the prime of his career and throw themselves back into top 6 contention. Adelaide receive compensation via some solid picks and project midfielder Dean Gore. The Crows would have lost Dangerfield for nothing via free agency so did well to get some compensation.
Jack Redden to West Coast, Brisbane receive pick 17
A good recruit by the Eagles. Redden is an interesting player, despite his offensive attributes (he can hit the scoreboard, he’s a decent ball user), he found himself playing as a contested midfielder at the Lions. He adds to the variety of a West Coast engine room that finally found its feet this year. Brisbane need every pick they can get their hands on so an extra first rounder won’t hurt.
Lachie Henderson to Geelong, Carlton receives round one 2016 draft pick
Similarly to the Dangerfield deal, it’s all about topping up and re-entering the flag window. There’s a good chance Carlton will end up with a later first round pick, although it’s above value for money considering Henderson’s recent poor from and injury concerns. He can be a strong contributor if he turns it around.
Harley Bennell and Pick 22 to Fremantle, Gold Coast receives pick 16 and pick 35
The success of this trade hinges on the long-term behavioural standards of Bennell. That said, the level of risk weighed against the potential of the supremely gifted on-baller makes it more than justified. Freo have pounced on prodigious talent and still get a pick in the top 25. The Suns need new blood in, but regardless of the situation being out of their control, would feel as if they’ve let something special go.
Lewis Jetta to West Coast, Sydney receives Callum Sinclair The grand finalists top up on their outside speed, whilst the Swans gain a ruckman who’s got room for growth. Whilst Jetta has been playing in the shadow of his outstanding 2012 season, Sydney do take on more of a speculative risk in Sinclair. But that doesn’t mean the towering former Eagle hasn’t got a lot to offer.
Jake Melksham to Melbourne, Essendon to receive pick 25
The Dees didn’t show much interest in the other running midfielders on offer so have settled on Melksham. Is this Melbourne falling back on an AFL standard player due to doubts over the draft crop? Maybe. That means Pick 25 isn’t as steep a price as other years, but you’d say the former Bomber is a stop-gap player until new recruit Ben Kennedy develops.
Jed Anderson, pick 38 and pick 40 to North Melbourne, Hawthorn to receive pick 15 and pick 55
The rationale here is probably similar to Melksham, although there is a much larger scope for improvement in Anderson. He was highly rated in his junior years and stifled by injury and illness, so most Hawk fans you’d ask would be disappointed he’s moved on but are happy to take another first round pick. Anderson offers the outside run the Roos are desperate for.
Curtly Hampton to Adelaide, GWS receives round two 2016 draft pick (Adel)
The Crows get a run and gun flanker in Hampton, whilst GWS get an extra pick that can help them score academy prospects when the new draft points system is implemented.
Jacob Townsend and pick 120 to Richmond, GWS receives pick 70
The Tigers threw out a late pick to search for another bargain that the expansion clubs may have missed. Townsend’s been restricted to just 28 games in his four years, stuck behind classier and more experienced midfielders. Lacks polish, but has grit the Tigers would be keen on testing out.
Tom Bell and pick 41 to Brisbane, Carlton receives pick 21 and pick 60
This partially covers the loss of Redden but it’s a downgrade. Bell will always have a crack, but lacks poise and finishing ability. The second round pick to Carlton might facilitate later trades so is a win.
Zac Smith to Geelong, Gold Coast receive pick 49 and pick 53
The big man has been hampered by injuries and fallen down the Gold Coast pecking order but the Cats see more value in his ability than a speculative third-round pick. It all depends on the medical room working their magic, while the Suns get an extra pick to secure another ruckman.
Daniel Currie to Gold Coast, North Melbourne receive pick 53
Currie has been on AFL lists for eight years for a grand total of four games. He’s got some mobility and a decent ruck technique, but lacks the ability to play as a target inside 50 or drop behind the play. He should get some game time at the Suns but he’s still behind Dan Gorringe.
Josh Walker and Jarrad Jansen to Brisbane, Geelong receive round three 2016 draft pick (Bris)
The Lions pick up a serviceable target in their forward line and a midfielder who has the physical capacity but lacks ‘footy smarts’ at this stage. The Cats get a speculative pick for next year in a supposedly ‘deeper’ draft.
Steven Johnson to GWS, Geelong receive round five 2016 draft pick (GWS)
A late future pick heads to the Cats so the premiership hero can get to his new destination without hassle. It’s widely predicted that Johnson will play for a year and then make the transition into coaching at the Giants.
Jonathan Giles and pick 62 to West Coast, Essendon receive pick 57
Giles will serve as a back-up ruckman for Nic Naitanui and covers the loss of Callum Sinclair. The Bombers get a pick to rummage through the tail-end of the draft for a project player.
Paul Seedsman to Adelaide, Collingwood receive pick 32
Seedsman is an interesting prospect, has played some excellent games in his short career but also frequently drifts out of games. He could be refined into a 150-gamer so it’s a low risk punt on Adelaide’s behalf. The pick allowed the Pies to do business elsewhere.
Jeremy Howe and pick 68 to Colllingwood, Jimmy Toumpas and pick 32 to Port Adelaide, Melbourne receive Ben Kennedy, pick 29 and pick 50
Let’s unwind this one. Toumpas is another first-round bust for the Dees but it’s not all doom and gloom. Every time Kennedy fell out of the senior team at the Pies he worked hard to get back. He’s a smallish running midfielder who’s slowly adapting to AFL level. Pick 29 and 50 were exchanged so Melbourne could engineer their way up the draft order.
Port initially eyed Toumpas during his draft year but picked Ollie Wines instead. Now they give themselves a prospect who needs to build back confidence and grow into life at the top level. Howe is a natural footballer but needs a few basics drilled into him or he’ll quickly become a whipping boy. All three clubs get a far from finished product but plenty to work with.
Nathan Freeman and pick 68 to St. Kilda, Collingwood receive pick 63 and round two 2016 draft pick (St Kilda)
The injured speedster with extreme potential finds a new home at Seaford. Even with all the in’s elsewhere and the picks designed to engineer further trading, the Pies would be spitting chips that their line-breaking first rounder has flown the coop inside two years.
Charlie Dixon and pick 49 to Port Adelaide, pick 19 to Richmond, Gold Coast receive pick 10, pick 31, round two 2016 draft pick (PA), round two 2016 draft pick (Rich)
The Tigers broke the deadlock between the Power and the Suns in order to gain a pick for Chris Yarran while sacrificing a second round pick next year. Gold Coast ended up with picks they can on-trade for academy prospects next year.
While Dixon has been hampered by a string of injuries, he’s the second key forward in Port’s premiership puzzle. It’s a steep price to pay but the Power now have the cattle to make a run at a flag.
Jake Carlisle and pick 14 to St Kilda, pick 23 and pick 44 to Sydney, Essendon receive pick 5, pick 24 and Craig Bird
Carlisle finally made his way to the Saints with the Swans kicking in the extra pick to get the Saints back into the first round and gather some crucial academy pick points. Despite being underwhelming at times, the former Bomber was played completely out of position by former coach James Hird, with his best career form coming as a key defender.
The Bombers scored another early first rounder and mid-twenties pick to kick off the rebuild. Recruiting boss Adrian Dodoro held firm and did quite well despite his recalcitrant reputation. Bird offers some physicality.
Pick 3, pick 10 and pick 43 to Melbourne, Gold Coast receive pick 6, 29 and round one 2016 draft pick (Melbourne)
Some pick-shuffling sees the Dees taking a bet on this year’s early prospects and handing off next year’s first rounder to the Gold Coast. Essentially, this is a case of clubs hedging their bets. The Suns clearly rate next year’s draft pool more and are willing to wager on the Dees not improving much in 2016 by taking their first pick for next season.
Matt Rosa to Gold Coast, West Coast receive pick 31
The Suns gain some experience in no-frills winger in Rosa. After a decade at the Eagles, Rosa often found himself out of the senior squad with an array of youngsters and recruits going past him. He’s there to settle the young list.
Troy Menzel to Adelaide, Carlton receive Sam Kerridge and pick 28
Despite Carlton’s later haggling netting them a much more desirable outcome, a genuine talent in Menzel has been sacrificed to the rebuild cause. The Crows lose an erratic flanker in Kerridge and a second round pick to net an excellent creative type.
Lachie Plowman, Andrew Phillips, Jed Lamb, Liam Sumner and pick 8 to Carlton, GWS receive pick 28, pick 77, pick 95 and round one 2016 draft pick (from Geelong)
Carlton palmed off pick 28, some later picks and what will most likely be a 12–18 draft pick next year to GWS in return for a host of Giants discards and Pick 8. Andrew Phillips should kick on for the Blues. He’s a towering ruckman who moves well.
As for the others? Sumner’s done little for such a high pick, Jed Lamb is all effort but little class and Plowman seems to be undersized for the key defensive post he was drafted for. Pick 8 is a win but there’s a lot of ‘wait and see’ with the rest.
Adam Treloar and pick 28 to Collingwood, GWS receive pick 7, pick 65 and round one 2016 draft pick
This was a marquee trade after what seemed like months of haggling. The Pies gave up two first round picks for a Rolls Royce midfielder in Treloar. The Giants probably got overs, but in order to get quality you’ve got to stump up.
Jack Fitzpatrick to Hawthorn, Melbourne receive pick 94
The Hawks take on fringe ruck/forward Fitzpatrick for a late pick tha wasn’t likely to be used. He may get some game time if Ben McEvoy and Jon Ceglar need resting/rotating but hard to see how he’s more than a back-up.
Pick 7 and Tomas Bugg to Melbourne, GWS receive pick 10, pick 43 and pick 64
This was all about moving up the draft order for Melbourne, who now have pick 3 and 7 to play with, whilst GWS are working on their academy pick points tally. Bugg is a lock-down, mid-sized defender who can play a role.
Pick 55 and pick 58 to GWS, Hawthorn receive pick 48
GWS picked up 75 points extra points that will probably be used to match bids on academy players.
James Aish, pick 35 and pick 53 to Collingwood, Ryan Bastinac, pick 26, pick 38, pick 40, round two 2016 draft pick (STK), round three 2016 draft pick (NM) to Brisbane, North Melbourne receive pick 17, pick 26, pick 28, pick 40
North Melbourne relented in their hunt for the out-of-contract Lion, eventually helping him move along to Collingwood by scoring two draft picks in the twenties. Versatile midfielder in Aish gets to the Pies whilst jack-of-all-trades, master-of-none Bastinac provides Brisbane with some experienced cover in midfield.
Pick 36 and pick 37 to Sydney, West Coast receive pick 23
Another case of academy point pick shenanigans and the Eagles’ first pick is now an early second-rounder.
Pick 20, pick 21, round four 2016 draft pick (Carl) to Western Bulldogs, Carlton receive pick 11 and round three 2016 draft pick (WB)
More pick swapping here. This was done with the aim of getting GWS player Adam Tomlinson to Carlton but the move failed in the last hour of trade week.
Chris Yarran to Richmond, Carlton receive pick 19
After a long spell of will he/won’t he, Carlton recruiter Steve Silvagni blinked and the Tigers grabbed Yarran for Pick 19. He’s the sort of rebounding player the Tigers need, although they’ll be hoping he brings an improved work ethic to Punt Road.
Pick 27, pick 66, pick 77 and pick 84 to Collingwood, GWS receive pick 34, pick 53, pick 66
The Giants topped up on academy points here whilst the Pies’ first pick is back to 27.
Michael Talia and pick 69 to Sydney, Western Bulldogs receive round four 2016 draft pick (Syd)
The Swans get an undersized key defender for their ageing backline and the Dogs stock up on next year’s ‘improved’ draft class.
Pick 56 and round two 2016 draft pick to Gold Coast (Frem), Fremantle receive pick 35 and pick 61
The Dockers move back up the 2015 draft order in the second round by sacrificing a 2016 second-rounder. The Suns take some academy point picks to the bank for next year.
Free Agency Deals
Matt Suckling to Western Bulldogs – while his defensive attributes are average, his kicking skills and ability in transition means he’ll make a solid addition to the Dogs’ outside brigade.
Scott Selwood to Geelong – he’ll add another grunt rotation to Geelong’s midfield. He’s nothing spectacular, but Selwood will provide midfield assistance for his brother and Dangerfield.
Matthew Leuenberger to Essendon – his best footy from 2010 and 2011 was the reason why suitors were interested. He’s unlikely to get back to full fitness and that sort of form, but he’ll be serviceable if he can string together an extended run of games.
Dawson Simpson to GWS – will serve as the back up ruckman for Shane Mumford. He had limited opportunities at Geelong due to injury, but will provide more output than drafting an 18 year old back-up.
