2025 trade watch: Essendon, Gold Coast lead the pack with bumper draft hands

Critics of Essendon’s pick nine trade with Melbourne — prepare to eat humble pie. As JOSH BARNES reports, the Bombers are set to wield a powerful hand in 2025. And, they’re not alone.

Essendon list boss Matt Rosa’s phone will be one of the busiest in the league in 10 months time as the Bombers hold a strong 2025 draft hand after future pick trading.

The Bombers, Suns, Lions, Tigers and Eagles will enter next year with a well-stocked cupboard of picks.

Thanks to a trade maligned in some corners to get ahead of the Isaac Kako academy bid on the first night of the draft, Essendon holds Melbourne’s first-round pick next year, with Essendon’s third now with the Dees.

Matt Rosa will be a busy man. Picture: Michael Klein

And a second trade on draft night saw the Dons land a second-rounder from St Kilda, having handed back a fourth-rounder.

That leaves the Bombers with two firsts and two seconds next year, a prime position for the club to try and move up the order.

Given Essendon has yet to truly bottom out, Brad Scott’s side has attempted a rebuild on the run but hasn’t been able to get in front of blue chip prospects at the true pointy end of the draft.

Elijah Tsatas (pick 5, 2022) is the only player Essendon has taken in the top seven since Andy McGrath back in 2016.

While Fox Footy draft expert Mick Ablett lashed the Bombers’s pre-Kako trade as an “absolute blunder”, the Dons have always trumpeted that they will now have a beefed-up 2025 hand.

“We feel like we’ve really maximised our position over two years,” Rosa said this week.

Zeke Uwland is a top prospect for 2025. Picture: Jenny Evans/AFL Photos

Gold Coast currently holds three first rounders – its own plus Port Adelaide’s and Collingwood’s – and could be big sellers again next trade period.

Zeke Uwland – brother of best-and-fairest runner up Bodhi – leads a bumper 2025 academy crop, that also includes Kalani White, who has a choice whether to stick with the academy or be a Melbourne father-son and follow ruck father Jeff.

Should Richmond struggle like most expect and North Melbourne fail to get out of the mire, the Tigers could have two top-line picks after a late trade on Wednesday saw the Roos hand over their 2025 first.

West Coast also holds Hawthorn’s first, second and third picks after the Tom Barrass trade.

The league expects the Eagles and Dockers to jostle to get in front of Sydney star Chad Warner if he shows interest in going home to West Australia.

Will the Eagles have enough in the bank to land Chad Warner? Picture: Cameron Spencer/Getty Images

Carlton gave away a first and second to move up the draft order and ultimately select Jagga Smith but got Brisbane’s second back to mitigate the outlay.

With academy midfielder Daniel Annable capable of being in the No. 1 pick mix next year, the Lions have already loaded up on mid-draft picks, dragging in four third-rounders and a fourth, while sending a second to Carlton and a third to Melbourne.

Geelong and Sydney are the only two clubs without a change to their 2025 picks through trades.

Next season, clubs can trade picks two years in advance.

Originally published as 2025 trade watch: Essendon, Gold Coast lead the pack with bumper draft hands