Winners and losers: Every club’s trade period rated by the Herald Sun’s footy experts
FROM an early move for Tom Lynch, to deadline day thrillers for the likes of Dylan Shiel and Dayne Beams, this AFL trade period had everything. But how did your team fare? Our experts grade every club. VOTE
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FROM an early move for Tom Lynch, to deadline day thrillers for the likes of Dylan Shiel and Dayne Beams, this AFL trade and free agency period had everything.
But how did your club fare?
Our trade experts have their say on every club’s performance.
*Some traded picks will be pushed back due to compensation allocation.
RE-CAP: THE FINAL, FRANTIC DAY OF TRADES
DONE DEALS: ALL 39 AFL TRADES IN 2018
ADELAIDE
IN: Picks No.13, Shane McAdam, Tyson Stengle, Carlton’s future fifth-round pick
OUT: Picks No.40, 68, Mitch McGovern, future third-round pick, future fourth-round pick
DRAFT PICKS: 8, 13, 16, 21, 73, 83
JAY CLARK SAYS: Took a back seat this trade period after shoring up pick No. 13 early on for departed high-flyer Mitch McGovern. Livewires Shane McAdam (SANFL) and Tyson Stengle (Richmond) add some spice at ground level, but their big play will be at the draft with picks No. 8, 13, 16 and 21.
GRADE: B-
BRISBANE
IN: Picks No.18, 30, 32, 35, 56, 78, Marcus Adams, Lachie Neale Lincoln McCarthy, Collingwood’s future first-round pick, Gold Coast’s future second-round pick, Port Adelaide’s future third-round pick
OUT: Dayne Beams, Sam Mayes, Picks No.5, 24, 43, 62, 80, future first-round pick
DRAFT PICKS: 18, 30, 35, 56, 78
SAM EDMUND SAYS: Got Dannii Minogue in, but lost sister Kylie. How they would have loved to have added one star midfielder to another, but while Lachie Neale was arriving, Dayne Beams was leaving. Still, getting two first round picks for Beams is a fat silver lining and when a contracted Neale wants to join your club, it’s significant. Paid a bit for Marcus Adams, but he was contracted at the Dogs, and picked up injury-prone Cat Lincoln McCarthy for next to nothing.
GRADE: B+
CARLTON
IN: Pick No.71, Mitch McGovern, Alex Fasolo, Will Setterfield, Nic Newman, Adelaide’s third-round pick
OUT: Picks No.26, 28, 43, Nathan Kreuger, Shane McAdam, future fourth-round pick, future fifth-round pick
DRAFT PICKS: 1, 69, 71, 77
MICHAEL WARNER SAYS: Dylan Shiel would’ve been nice but a Round 1 side featuring Mitch McGovern, Alex Fasolo, Nic Newman, Will Setterfield and likely No.1 pick Sam Walsh alongside Sam Docherty, Patrick Cripps, Paddy Dow, Zac Fisher, Marc Murphy, Caleb Marchbank and the Curnow brothers is starting to look more promising. Hawks fitness guru Andrew Russell was a great off-field get. Green shoots set to sprout.
GRADE: B+
COLLINGWOOD
IN: Picks No.41, 44, 57, Dayne Beams, Jordan Roughead
OUT: Picks No.18, 56, 75, Alex Fasolo, future first-round pick
DRAFT PICKS: 41, 44, 51, 56, 57, 93
SAM EDMUND SAYS: Huge to get Dayne Beams back, but made to pay a huge price for a bloke who’ll be 29 before next season. Still, for the here and now, he gives the Pies the best midfield in the game. Missed the defender they really wanted when Steven May went to Melbourne, but basically picked up Jordan Roughead for free. Had no issue with losing Alex Fasolo to Carlton as an unrestricted free agent.
GRADE: B
ESSENDON
IN: Dylan Shiel, GWS’s future second-round pick, Fremantle’s future fourth-round pick
OUT: Pick No.9, future first-round pick, Travis Colyer
DRAFT PICKS: 34, 66, 84
MICHAEL WARNER SAYS: Didn’t need a private jet to lure Dylan Shiel to the Hangar but worked overtime and paid a hefty price to get the deal across the line. Haven’t won a final since 2004 but would be quietly eyeing a top-four finish with the drugs saga finally in the rearview mirror. Colyer got squeezed out which shows they never had the money to land Tom Scully.
GRADE: A-
FREMANTLE
IN: Picks No.14, 31, 43, 65, Jesse Hogan, Rory Lobb, Travis Colyer, Reece Conca
OUT: Pick No.6, Lachie Neale, future third-round pick, future fourth-round pick
DRAFT PICKS: 14, 31, 43, 65, 81
JAY CLARK SAYS: Threw the toys out of the cot throughout the first week, but got down to business over the past 48 hours to seal the Jesse Hogan deal. Finally, Ross Lyon will be happy with the look of the tall timber in the Dockers’ forward line. Secured a decent return for Lachie Neale despite the tantrums and Reece Conca was a free hit.
GRADE: B+
GEELONG
IN: Picks No.59, 70, Luke Dahlhaus, Nathan Kreuger, Gary Rohan
OUT: Picks No.54, 57, Jackson Thurlow, Lincoln McCarthy, George Horlin-Smith
DRAFT PICKS: 12, 50, 59, 60, 70, 87
JON RALPH SAYS: Kept Tim Kelly — for a season at least. Just felt handing him to West Coast for unders helped the Eagles get even better next year. The Cats might still let Daniel Menzel go, but credit to them for securing tackling free agent Luke Dahlhaus, who could be exactly what they need to bring their forward line into the modern game. It’s still hard to see what role Gary Rohan plays, but no one can doubt he has huge talent. Off went Jackson Thurlow and George Horlin Smith, continuing the Cats tradition of allowing players not in their best side to find better opportunities.
GRADE: B
GOLD COAST
IN: Picks No.3, 6, 24, 79, Jack Hombsch, Corey Ellis, Anthony Miles, George Horlin-Smith, Sam Collins, Josh Corbett, Chris Burgess, Port Adelaide’s first-round pick, Hawthorn’s future third-round pick, North Melbourne’s future fourth-round pick
OUT: Picks 19, 32, 41, 44, 59, 68, 77, Tom Lynch, Steven May, Aaron Hall, Jack Scrimshaw, future second-round pick, future third-round pick, third-round pick, future fourth-round pick, future fourth-round pick
DRAFT PICKS: 2, 3, 6, 24, 29, 80
JON RALPH SAYS: They lost both of their co-captains, they lost two other top-10 picks for very little (Kade Kolodjashnij and Jack Scrimshaw), and they effectively have to start again.
The positive is their draft hand — 2, 3 and 6, which likely gets them SA pair Izak Rankin and Jack Lukosius. So they start again without as many quality picks as eight years ago, but with better support staff. It’s going to be a long road back.
GRADE: C-
GWS GIANTS
IN: Picks No.9, 11, 19, Essendon’s future first-round pick, Carlton’s future fourth-round pick, Hawthorn’s future fourth-round pick
OUT: Picks No.14, 47, 71, Dylan Shiel, Rory Lobb, Will Setterfield, Tom Scully, future second-round pick
DRAFT PICKS: 9, 11, 19, 25, 52, 89
MICHAEL WARNER SAYS: A salary cap squeeze saw three big names exit and nothing coming in, but the Giants are quietly confident they still have the top-end talent to bag a flag. Sold the injured Tom Scully for a song but ruckman Shane “Sausages” Mumford will be handy coming out of retirement to feed the likes of Josh Kelly, Stephen Coniglio, Lachie Whitfield, Callan Ward, Toby Greene and Jacob Hopper.
GRADE: C
HAWTHORN
IN: Jack Scrimshaw, Chad Wingard, Tom Scully, Adelaide’s future third-round pick, Gold Coast’s future fourth-round pick
OUT: Pick No.15, 35, Ryan Burton, Taylor Duryea, future third-round pick, future fourth-round pick
DRAFT PICKS: 53, 90
SAM EDMUND SAYS: Missed on Tom Lynch and Dylan Shiel, but then climbed off the trade period canvas to throw haymakers. Secured Tom Scully and Jack Scrimshaw for a future third-round pick and then nabbed Chad Wingard to fill the void left by Cyril Rioli. Gave up pick 15 and the loss of Ryan Burton angered the fan base. Offered a contract to Taylor Duryea but not bothered by his departure to the Dogs.
GRADE: A
MELBOURNE
IN: Picks 23, 28, 62, Steven May, Kade Kolodjashnij, Braydon Preuss
OUT: Picks No.6, 36, 46, 65, Jesse Hogan, Dean Kent, Dom Tyson
DRAFT PICKS: 23, 28, 54, 62, 91
JAY CLARK SAYS: For all the hype around Jesse Hogan, this was a series of shrewd-looking moves from the Demons. Braydon Preuss is the best ruckman outside the AFL, Steve May bullet proofs the back line and Kade Kolodjashnij gives them more bounce. We know they will still kick enough goals without Hogan. Premiership chance.
GRADE: A
NORTH MELBOURNE
IN: Pick No.47, 48, 49, 55, Jared Polec, Jasper Pittard, Dom Tyson, Aaron Hall
OUT: Picks No.11, 31, 62, 68, Ryan Clarke, Braydon Preuss, future fourth-round pick
DRAFT PICKS: 42, 47, 48, 49, 55, 58, 86
JAY CLARK SAYS: Super trade period for the Roos, despite missing Andrew Gaff. Aaron Hall was an absolute bargain and can light up games, while Jasper Pittard and Jared Polec add some electric outside midfield run. Dom Tyson will play 20 matches onball, helping keep Jack Ziebell forward. Plus they still have salary cap room for Josh Kelly next year.
GRADE: A
PORT ADELAIDE
IN: Pick No.5, 15, Ryan Burton, Sam Mayes, Scott Lycett, North Melbourne’s future fourth-round pick, Hawthorn’s future fourth-round pick, Gold Coast’s future fourth-round pick
OUT: Picks No.23, 30, 48, 49, Chad Wingard, Jared Polec, Jasper Pittard, Jack Hombsch, future third-round pick
DRAFT PICKS: 5, 10, 15, 85
SAM EDMUND SAYS:
Looked in real strife when Jared Polec, Chad Wingard and, to a lesser extent, Jasper Pittard all wanted out. But they got pick 11 from North, the promising Ryan Burton and 15 from the Hawks and Scott Lycett’s arrival as a restricted free agent was a coup. Also cut a deal with Brisbane to get pick 5, meaning they’ll take three picks inside the top 15 to the draft.
GRADE: B
RICHMOND
IN: Picks No.64, 68, Tom Lynch, Gold Coast’s future third-round pick
OUT: Reece Conca, Corey Ellis, Anthony Miles, Sam Lloyd, Tyson Stengle, future third-round pick
DRAFT PICKS: 17, 37, 64, 68, 74, 92
*The Tigers were granted a compensation pick at the end of the second round for losing unrestricted free agent Reece Conca to Fremantle, but that was forfeit when Tom Lynch was signed from the Gold Coast.
MICHAEL WARNER SAYS: The Tigers bagged the biggest elephant on the opening day of action (superstar Gold Coast Suns free agent Tom Lynch) and had zero room left in the cap to make a play for any others. A host of handy fringe players shifted out in search of greater opportunity but the premiership window remains wide open at Punt Rd.
GRADE: A
ST KILDA
IN: Picks No.36, 46, Dan Hannebery, Dean Kent, Melbourne’s fourth-round pick
OUT: Picks No.61, 65, Tom Hickey, future second-round pick, future fourth-round pick
DRAFT PICKS: 4, 36, 46, 67, 79
JAY CLARK SAYS: They dangled a big carrot, but the elite midfielder never came. Daniel Hannebery, 27, cost the Saints not much but we can’t expect dazzling performances every week given his injury battles over the past two years. Ex-Demon Dean Kent will add a hard edge forward. Not sure they are top-eight material just yet.
GRADE: C+
SYDNEY SWANS
IN: Picks No.26, 39, 40, Jackson Thurlow, Ryan Clarke, Carlton’s future second and fourth-round picks
OUT: Pick No.13, 70, Dan Hannebery, Gary Rohan, Nic Newman
DRAFT PICKS: 26, 33, 38, 39, 40, 88
JON RALPH SAYS: The Swans ultimately did exactly what GWS did — ease salary cap issues — but without the fanfare. They traded away Dan Hannebery and got back very little for him, moved on Gary Rohan amid anger from the player himself and in the end failed to lure Darcy Moore despite months of conjecture. In the end they ended up bringing in Cats defender Jackson Thurlow for a late pick as well as fringe Roos midfield Ryan Clarke. The positive was bringing in heaps of points to secure father-son Nick Blakey, who will be a jet next year. But securing five picks between 26 and 40 doesn’t get the pulses racing. Like GWS, the lack of COLA is clearly biting for Sydney too.
GRADE: C
WEST COAST
IN: Picks No.61, Tom Hickey, St Kilda’s future fourth-round pick
OUT: Pick No.39, Scott Lycett, future fourth-round pick
DRAFT PICKS: 20, 22, 61, 72, 76, 94
JON RALPH SAYS: Just weren’t prepared to offer overs for Tim Kelly and so they will have to wait a year, all the while knowing Andrew Gaff returns from suspension in the first month of the season. So they lost Scott Lycett but got Tom Hickey as his replacement after scouring the country for two months and have two picks at 20 and 22, knowing they will spend the next year get a top 10 pick to satisfy Geelong on Kelly next year.
GRADE: B
WESTERN BULLDOGS
IN: Picks No.27, 32, 75, Sam Lloyd, Taylor Duryea, Brisbane’s future third-round pick
OUT: Pick No.64, Jordan Roughead, Luke Dahlhaus, Marcus Adams, future fourth-round pick
DRAFT PICKS: 7, 27, 32, 45, 63, 82
MICHAEL WARNER SAYS: Missed out on Chad Wingard, lost two premiership players and Marcus Adams and could only land two depth players in Sam Lloyd and Taylor Duryea but will go to next month’s draft with pick No.7 where Xavier College skipper Bailey Smith is likely to be waiting. Will offer premiership player Tom Liberatore a new deal.
GRADE: B
Originally published as Winners and losers: Every club’s trade period rated by the Herald Sun’s footy experts
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