All the news, deals and updates after the final day of the AFL Trade Period
The deadline has come and gone, but not every star got their wish, as some of the AFL’s best walk back to their clubs with their tails between their legs.
Geelong came to the table with its future first round pick in an attempt to get Rowan Marshall but he was left as one of several players stranded without a fulfilled trade request as the deadline passed on Wednesday.
Saints ruck Marshall didn’t make it to the Cats, along with Callum Ah Chee (Brisbane to Adelaide), Buku Khamis (Western Bulldogs to Carlton) and Zach Merrett (Essendon to Hawthorn).
St Kilda told Geelong early in the trade period it would not trade Marshall but talks picked up again on the final day when the Cats put together several offers, which included the club’s 2026 first rounder.
An offer on day one of the trade period of pick 19 for Marshall was rebuffed with the Saints asking for a future first instead.
RECAP THE DAY AS IT HAPPENED BELOW
“We had good dialogue today and tonight, there were a few different offers in there,” Cats footy boss Andrew Mackie said after the deadline.
“Fair to say we had a crack at getting him in.
“Unfortunately we weren’t able to get Rowan in but we had a bigger crack than I thought we were at midday today.”
Saints coach Ross Lyon said the club was always firm in its “starting position” it was keeping Marshall, who is under contract for two more seasons.
The Bulldogs will keep Khamis, who is contracted for 2026, after not accepting an offer of pick 43 from the Blues for the defender.
Carlton was wrapped up in the Charlie Curnow trade until the deadline and did not up its offer in the final minutes.
“Unfortunately the deal that was tabled to us, it would have given us a pick we would not have used this year,” Dogs player acquisition head Michael Regan said.
Dual premiership Lion Ah Chee will be walked to the pre-season draft by Adelaide.
Throughout the trade period, Brisbane asked for Adelaide’s first round pick and the Crows would not relent, leaving the Lions to lose the 28-year-old for nothing.
Lions list boss Dom Ambrogio said his club would work to put an offer in front of Ah Chee to keep him but his manager Ben Williams said he was not going back.
“I am disappointed in Brisbane,” Williams said.
“We have told them for months what we wanted to do and tried to go through the front door and be as transparent as possible and a deal hasn’t been done.”
Another player left at the altar earlier in trade period, Leek Aleer, signed a new deal with GWS after St Kilda’s stunning backflip to ditch him despite wooing him for several years.
Lyon bristled when asked if the about-face would affect recruiting players in the future.
“I think renege (on the deal) is a strong term, I’m not sure that’s exactly correct,” he said.
“I don’t think you have all the information and I am not there to go through it all. The human side, the care factor is strong. The player’s got a home, we move on. I think everybody who went in to get a planned trade and execute it, didn’t get them all done, that’s all I’m going to say.”
Originally published as All the news, deals and updates after the final day of the AFL Trade Period
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