Essendon, Port Adelaide and Melbourne have been big winners this trade period

ESSENDON, Port Adelaide and Melbourne all watched on as their 2017 seasons ended in disaster. But after one week of the trade period, they are all massive winners. See how your club ranks.

Steven Motlop has joined Port Adelaide. Picture: AAP Images

ESSENDON was beaten to a bloody pulp in its elimination final disaster, while Port Adelaide’s September wounds were all self-inflicted.

The message was clear — both teams were still a mile off premiership success on the most recent available evidence.

Six days into an AFL trade period deliberately dragged out by league headquarters desperate for off-season relevance, this much is clear.

The Bombers and Power have emerged as the clear winners — so far — of the off-season meat market.

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Both have deals to crunch and players to deliver before they can pop the champagne corks.

Essendon still needs to find a way to get Jake Stringer over the line, but at least has enough ammunition in two second-rounders it might convert into something better.

Adam Saad’s deal is a formality, most likely using a second-round pick from 2018 given Gold Coast has plenty of academy kids it will need secure next year.

Will Jake Stringer get to the Bombers? Picture: AAP Images

And Jack Watts still needs to officially get to Port Adelaide, his camp aware keeping Geelong in the race as a stalking horse is just clever business.

But if the lesson from Richmond’s premiership was that you can’t get better until you rectify your list and tactical issues, Essendon, Port and the Demons have ticked every box.

Port Adelaide desperately needed some outside run, were keen for more midfield depth, felt another marking forward would be handy if not compulsory.

They have delivered in spades, with clearance machine Tom Rockliff, gut runner Steven Motlop and almost certainly Jack Watts.

What a masterstroke to get all three of those, potentially only for the price of pick 30 for Watts.

Melbourne will ask more for him, of course, but the Power only have picks 30 and 33.

Even handing over both of those for the net windfall of three quality players would be brilliant list management.

Stringer would be icing on the cake for Essendon.

But a list that already has an underbelly of exciting kids and great talls will at the very least get in an elite smaller defender and a quality midfielder in Devon Smith.

Jack Watts could be off to the Power. Picture: Getty Images

Smith is an elite tackler, an exceptional ball winner, a goal sneak, has the pedigree as a TAC Cup midfielder who averaged two goals and 27 possessions.

He can’t not help Essendon, even if it is releasing Orazio Fantasia for midfield cameos or allowing Andy McGrath to play wing and not in the centre square.

Some clubs have done little this trade period and seem to have little inclination to get moving either.

Premiers Richmond can afford to be smug and take their picks.

As of Friday, they still weren’t making a play for Josh Schache, but both the Lions and Richmond have denied increasing speculation he broke down in a Tigers interview.

Sydney has signed up its stars and wants to keep Kurt Tippett.

And Hawthorn has its hands tied after its bold intervention into the 2016 period but will be happy to have picked up some speed in Port Adelaide’s Jarman Impey.

But what the serious gains by the Power and Essendon show is that you can’t afford to stagnate or go backwards this fortnight.

St Kilda, keen to keep picks 7 and 8, aren’t competing with the 2017 versions of Port, Essendon and the Demons.

They are competing with sides which in Melbourne’s case have taken a huge leap forward in securing Jake Lever, the AFL’s best interceptor.

I’m still not sure why Jack Watts has been shunted out the door, but Melbourne will now spend the summer as a premiership fancy.

Yet to St Kilda’s credit they have created such stability their fans have backed in their patient and methodical approach.

Ditto North Melbourne, which knows having played 13 first-gamers this year it just needs to keep pumping games into them.

The only quibble — with the good but not great draft hand of picks 4, 22 and 45 — could it not try to find another top-30 pick, even if it means letting go of Todd Goldstein?

Should North Melbourne trade Todd Goldstein? Picture: Getty Images

The determination not to fall behind means Adelaide just has to go out and use its trio of likely top-20 picks.

It has picks 10 and 16, will likely get 18 or 19 for Charlie Cameron (who it surely trades), and then has to get on the hunt.

If it’s Bryce Gibbs, or dragging another contracted star free with multiple first-rounders, it can’t go in as the beaten Grand Finalist, then not replace Lever or Cameron.

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The week ended on a horrific note, with Gary Ablett’s sister passing away in traumatic circumstances.

It might expedite his deal but neither Gold Coast or Geelong were in any doubt his deal would be done — whether for a player or helped by the Motlop compo pick (19).

No one expected the Cats to get pick 19 for Motlop. Could they trade that pick to Essendon for its two picks in the 20s?

That would get the Bombers home on Stringer.

Regardless, a season which ended with such joy with Richmond’s rollicking win now has a sober postscript which will stay with the Ablett family forever and Cats faithful throughout next season.