AFL Trades 2024: Every deal of the player movement period rated

After a wild 10 days, catch up on all the big moves, see expert trade grades for all the big deals and have your say on who came out on top.

Ten days after Alex Neal-Bullen was the first player traded this year, the player movement period finished with a frenzy of last-minute deals.

As the dust settles, fans only want the answer to one question: Who came out on top?

Recap all the big moves here, see our expert rating on every big deal and have your say.

BULLDOGS/CATS/BLUES/SAINTS DEAL

The trade:

Geelong GIVES: Pick 17 and 38. GETS: Bailey Smith, pick 45

St Kilda GIVES: Pick 45. GETS: Jack Macrae

Western Bulldogs GIVES: Bailey Smith, Jack Macrae. GETS: Matt Kennedy, pick 17

Carlton GIVES: Matt Kennedy. GETS: Pick 38

GEELONG: B+

The Cats get the best player in this deal, and don’t have to worry about walking him to the draft. They’ve given up a slight pick upgrade in sliding back from 38 to 45, but it’s worth it for the added security of getting their guy. Geelong lands their later picks anyway, No.45 doesn’t scare Stephen Wells.

ST KILDA: B+

On paper they get a good deal to land Macrae. The question is whether the ball magnet moves the needle at the Saints. He’ll provide depth to a position they’ve been crying out for, though, and paid a mid-draft pick to get him.

WESTERN BULLDOGS: C+

They lose the guy they were losing anyway, but get a first rounder for him. Plus they get a bit of midfield depth for a fringe player, too. The question is whether Kennedy is an upgrade on Macrae as a midfield/half-forward option.

CARLTON: B

Carlton tells a player to explore his options and is happy to move him on if he can find a home, yet gets 38 for him? That’s a decent piece of trading there. Losing Kennedy’s versatility hurts in the short term, but the hope at the Blues is that the shiny No.3 draft pick comes in and plays straight away.

JAKE STRINGER

The trade: Essendon trades Jake Stringer to GWS Giants for pick 53

ESSENDON: C

The deal almost fell through, which would’ve been good for Essendon’s goalscoring woes. It’s hard to replace 42 goals in a season, and the player they take at 53 won’t provide that. But the Bombers are clearly pursuing a specific direction, which is why they took unders on Stringer.

GWS GIANTS: B+

Stringer is a moments player, and will frustrate the Giants faithful at times in 2025. But he is one of only a few players that can genuinely turn a game and win it off his own boot, and he’ll be the third dangerous forward at the Giants, something he never was at the Bulldogs or Bombers.

LUKE PARKER

The trade: Sydney trades Luke Parker and Jacob Konstanty to North Melbourne for pick 44

SYDNEY: C+

They wanted pick 44 but weren’t going to get it for Parker alone. Including a player they were likely going to delist is a shrewd move from the Swans. But losing Parker hurts their depth and Konstanty never got going after being a top-20 selection.

NORTH MELBOURNE: B+

Parker is an important player for North Melbourne, despite joining a young midfield group that has plenty of talent and depth already. But his leadership cannot be questioned, and he’ll take some of the burden off young players like George Wardlaw and Tom Powell. Konstanty will likely be best 22 and find a home up forward, too.

JAMES PEATLING

The trade: Adelaide trades future second-round draft pick to GWS Giants for James Peatling, future third and future fourth

ADELAIDE: B

The Crows get their man despite coming late in the trade period. Getting a couple of late picks back offsets the pain of giving up a second rounder, but Peatling showed plenty of promise and Adelaide’s expecting a rebound in 2025.

GWS GIANTS: C+

The Giants got the second rounder they craved, but a lot is riding on Adelaide missing finals in 2025. Peatling turned into a solid midfield option last season and GWS would be disappointed to lose the academy product.

CALEB DANIEL

The trade: Western Bulldogs trade Caleb Daniel to North Melbourne for pick 25

WESTERN BULLDOGS: B

The Bulldogs shed some salary they were spending on a fringe player in 2024 and in return snag a solid pick in a deep draft. They’ll need to nail the selection, though.

North Melbourne: B+

Daniel won’t move the needle on his own, but the defender was a clear target for a side screaming out for veterans. He adds a bit of class off half-back and means the Roos won’t be pressured into playing Harry Sheezel or Colby McKercher in defence. Another top pick isn’t what’s needed.

TOM BARRASS

The trade: West Coast trades Tom Barrass and a future fourth-round pick to Hawthorn for a future first, future second and future third

WEST COAST: D+

They lose the only player in this deal and get worse picks than what was initially offered. Failing to take pick 14 from the Hawks last week also meant they had to slide back from pick 3 to get Liam Baker. At least they get more than a future first and second, which is what was offered by Hawthorn at one point of negotiations.

HAWTHORN: A

Slightly more than what they wanted to pay for a 29 year-old-key defender, but Barrass could be a premiership-winning move alongside free agent Josh Battle. The Hawks will need to contend though; a fall down the ladder evens it up in West Coast’s favour.

DANIEL RIOLI

The trade: Richmond trades Daniel Rioli and picks 51, 61, 70 and 76 to Gold Coast for picks 6 and 23

RICHMOND: A

The list of draft picks that has more range than Meryl Streep only got stronger. The Tigers now have a ludicrous eight picks in the top 24 and while they handed back later choices, they likely wouldn’t have used them anyway. The Suns are the perfect trade partner if you want draft picks and the Tigers narrowed in on their target with precision. Time for the recruiters to go to work.

GOLD COAST: C+

You have to first accept that high draft picks don’t mean that much to the Suns so handing over six and 23 may look bad but it doesn’t hurt that much. What does hurt is that while Gold Coast snagged some late picks in return, the draft points are still low. The Suns now have 1291 points, which would only be enough to match a bid for Leo Lombard at pick 15, later than some draft experts believe his name will come up. Still, Daniel Rioli is a very good half-back and the Suns have turbocharged that area this trade period, so that is a tick.

SHAI BOLTON

The trade: Richmond trades Shai Bolton, pick 14 and a future third-round pick to Fremantle for picks 10, 11 and 18

RICHMOND: A

Richmond continues to turn sour milk into chocolate thick shakes, making the most of bad situations to stock up the greatest draft hand we have ever seen outside of expansion. Bolton is a star and capable of being one of the best players in the competition but landing another three picks in the top 18 – the 11 was really a shuffle – is another masterstroke. Bolton wanted to leave and the Tigers got pretty much the best return they could for him.

FREMANTLE: B-

Justin Longmuir can only be chuffed about getting one of the most dangerous mid-forwards in the competition to slide in alongside his star-studded but workmanlike midfield. If Bolton kicks straight he is a superstar. And he is only 25 so he can do so much damage. The trade was always going to cost two first-rounders, the slide back from 11 to 14 for Fremantle was a small extra win for the Tigers but that will easily be forgotten if Bolton kicks 45 goals next year.

HARRY SHARP

The trade: Brisbane trades Harry Sharp and a future third-round pick to Melbourne for pick 49 and a future third-rounder

BRISBANE LIONS: C+

All good for the Lions here, they get a few extra points in the bag – 287 to be exact – for a player in Sharp who couldn’t break into the senior side. Interesting watch for the draft and trade sickos: Melbourne’s future third is already with Adelaide, so the Dees sent Essendon’s 2025 third to the Lions. Will Melbourne’s or Essendon’s pick be more valuable?

MELBOURNE: B+

Good work. Sharp is a running talent that can fill the holes left by Lachie Hunter and Alex Neal-Bullen and he comes cheap. Pick 49 is a fine price to pay. The Dees now only hold picks 5 and 9 so keep tabs on whether they try and expand that draft hand.

POWER/PIES/SUNS DEAL

The trade

Collingwood GETS: Dan Houston, pick 58. GIVES: Joe Richards, John Noble, pick 36, future first-round pick

Port Adelaide GETS: Jack Lukosius, Richards, Rory Atkins, picks 13, 29, 36, 50. GIVES: Houston, picks 39, 58, future first-rounder

Gold Coast GETS: Noble, pick 39, two future first-rounders. GIVES: Lukosius, Atkins, picks 13, 29, 50

COLLINGWOOD: A-

The big winner of this one. The Pies get a dual All-Australian for a nine-gamer (Richards) and a defender who wanted to leave (Noble). The future first stings but Collingwood is clearly not interested in draft picks. The Pies got the best player in the deal and didn’t really give up that much for it. That’s a win. Now they have to make sure that 2025 first-rounder doesn’t come back to haunt them.

PORT ADELAIDE: C-

The Power got what they wanted done. How good it is depends on how you rate Lukosius, Richards and Atkins. Atkins has been a non-factor since arriving on the Gold Coast, Richards has kicked six goals in nine games and Lukosius is super talented but at a crossroads of sorts. Otherwise, the Power virtually swapped 13 for their future first as well as sending out 29, 36, 50 for 39 and 58. The pick 50 was the only addition from Monday’s deal that fell over, so some pressure is on that pick to be a hit. Port wanted additions to the front half and found two.

GOLD COAST: C

Noble is a nice addition and Gold Coast held on to picks six and 23 to use for Daniel Rioli. Otherwise, the Suns probably have to use one of those first rounders they gained to build up points for Leo Lombard in this draft, while wanting to hold points next year for Zeke Uwland. And both those first-rounders belong to teams who count themselves as premiership contenders. This is an OK deal for Gold Coast but not great as it leaves more work to be done.

DEMONS/BOMBERS PICK SWAP

The trade: Essendon trades pick 9 and next year’s third-round pick to Melbourne for picks 28, 40, 46, 54, 65 and a future first rounder

ESSENDON: B

The Dons wanted to convert pick 9 into points and a future first. Job done. The Demons future first-rounder could really land anywhere in 2025 and for this year, Essendon landed 1747 points, roughly the equivalent of pick 5. That will take care of an Isaac Kako bid comfortably. The Bombers likely wouldn’t need all those picks to get Kako and previously only held 9 and 31, so now they have some kind of footprint in this draft. Solid all round.

MELBOURNE: A-

A very big tick here for the Dees. When you include the earlier trade with Adelaide of a future third rounder for pick 46, the Dees made quick ground and now have picks 5, 9 and 49. Given the confidence about this draft, that is surely two quality teens right through the door. After picking Caleb Windsor and Koltyn Tholstrup in the first 13 choices last year, the Dees have done a great job future-proofing a team that is threatening to drop out of the premiership window. The Demons are great drafters.

BLUES/EAGLES/TIGERS DEAL

The trade:

Carlton GIVES: Matt Owies, picks 12, 14, 73. GETS: 3, 63, 68

West Coast GIVES: Picks 3, 63, 68. GETS: Owies, Liam Baker, 12, 73

Richmond GIVES: Baker. GETS: Pick 14

CARLTON: B+

Bluebaggers are head over heals to gain pick 3 and that was a good achievement. Like an episode of Ready, Steady, Cook, Nick Austin has got the ingredient he wanted, now recruiter Mick Agresta has to make a lovely souffle. Giving up 12 and 14 in a draft everybody sees as so even is a genuine risk, while moving off Owies is fine given he was pushed halfway out the door already. Should Carlton land a 15-year superstar, this trade grade would have to shift to A+.

WEST COAST: C-

Interesting one for the Eagles. Glass-half-full is that the draft is so even that sliding from 3 to 12 doesn’t hurt much and getting Baker fills that gap. Owies is a handy steak knives in the deal. The glass-half-empty is that getting both Owies and Baker improves a team that probably doesn’t need to be getting better and ahead of schedule, and pick 3 could be a superstar: Dustin Martin, Hugh McCluggage, Izak Rankine, Harry Sheezel were all picked there. Like Carlton, much depends on the draft, but at first glance the Eagles come out worst of this swap.

RICHMOND: B+

A simple swap in a complex deal, trading Baker for 14 is a good result for the Tigers. They should find a player of better long-term value in the stacked draft. Baker is a heart-and-soul player that will be missed but in the next five years – the length of Baker’s deal in the West – it’s all about development at Punt Road.

JACK DARLING

The trade: West Coast trades Jack Darling to North Melbourne for pick 67

WEST COAST: B-

The Eagles didn’t get much back but won’t have to pay for Darling to run around in the forward line next year. That is a win in itself for a player that appeared to be fading badly in the past 18 months.

NORTH MELBOURNE: C+

The Roos have the cap room to fit Darling in on a smoothed-out two year deal and gave up virtually nothing for him.

Whether he is really of use next to Nick Larkey is another question. I suppose he is better value than Brynn Teakle and Toby Pink.

ALEX NEAL-BULLEN

The trade: Melbourne trades Alex Neal-Bullen to Adelaide for pick 28

MELBOURNE: C

A second rounder is a solid enough return for a homesick forward. But Neal-Bullen finished third in the club’s best-and-fairest. And in totality over the last two seasons, Melbourne essentially swapped Shane McAdam for Neal-Bullen, with the pick sent in this year’s deal the exact one that was swapped for McAdam.

That isn’t great business.

ADELAIDE: B+

Virtually a direct swap of McAdam for Neal-Bullen is a win. The Crows will happily plant ANB at half-forward and his hard running opens up opportunities for Josh Rachele and Izak Rankine to spend even more time on the ball.

Where does Neal-Bullen sit among the best players in the Crows team? Top five, top seven?

Originally published as AFL Trades 2024: Every deal of the player movement period rated