AFL trades: 16 deals you might have forgotten about

Players going back to their original clubs, late pick trades, three-way swaps and more. We look back on the trades you forgot about.

Gary Ablett, Lance Franklin, Chris Judd and Jeremy Cameron — these are the names that generate the huge AFL trade headlines.

But we are lucky if we get one or two of those blockbuster moves a year.

The rest of the trade period is filled with breaking news alerts about players who might not get a lot of time in the news the rest of the year — or into the future.

These were all big deals at the time — how many do you remember?

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Zac Smith from Gold Coast to Geelong for pick 49 and 52 (2015), from Geelong to Gold Coast for pick 58 (2019)

Gary Ablett, eat your heart out – this was the real Geelong-Gold Coast homecoming story. Smith bolstered Geelong’s ruck stocks at least initially after arriving from the Suns in the 2015 trade period, notching 44 games in his first two seasons at the Cats, including two preliminary finals. However, he fell out of favour and managed just six games in his next two years, with the inaugural Sun requesting a trade back to his home state. The ruckman played nine games in his second stint as a Sun, all in 2021 while Jarrod Witts was sidelined, before announcing his retirement at the end of 2021.

TRADE TRACKER: FOLLOW EVERY 2021 DEAL LIVE

Zac Smith and Collingwood's Brodie Grundy do battle. Picture: Michael Klein

Andrejs Everitt (Western Bulldogs) for Patrick Veszpremi (Sydney) and pick 91 (2010)

As far as names go, this trade takes the cake. Veszpremi, who coincidentally made his debut against the Bulldogs, was traded along with a later pick for Everitt, the younger brother of Hawthorn and Sydney enforcer ‘Spider’. Both players were taken at pick 11 in their respective drafts, but their careers took significantly different turns after the move. Everitt played 43 games for the Swans across three seasons before joining the Blues, where he was the club’s leading goalkicker in 2015. Veszpremi, recruited along with Justin Sherman and Nathan Djerrkura in a bumper 2010 trade period (as far as obscure players go) for the Dogs, added 12 games before being delisted at the end of 2013. And the names get better. The pick that came with Veszpremi to the Bulldogs was used on none other than Jedi-turned footballer, Zephaniah Skinner.

Patrick Karnezis from Brisbane to Collingwood for Jackson Paine (2013)

Simple trades are a thing of the past and this straight swap was straight out of the niche footy copybook. Karnezis, a renowned pre-season specialist in KFC SuperCoach circles, joined Collingwood in exchange for young key-position player Jackson Paine at the end of 2013. Cruelled by injury, Karnezis called time on his 25-game career at just 23 years of age, four of those for the Magpies. It didn’t work out much better for the Lions, with Paine managing 10 games before being delisted at the end of 2016. He went on to join his third club – Hawthorn – as a social media and editorial co-ordinator.

Collingwood recruits Patrick Karnezis, Jesse White and Taylor Adams.

Jordan Gysberts for Cam Pedersen (2012)

The Demons were the winners in this deal with swing man Pedersen playing 64 games at his new club, including a stint as an undersized ruckman when an emerging big man named Max Gawn and ruck partner Jake Spencer were both out injured. Gysberts was recruited with pick 11 in the 2009 draft but it’s fair to say at that stage the Dees had more hits than misses on draft day. It looked like a winner early – he won 26 disposals on debut in 2010 and 27 the next week, but was dropped after his third game and then traded after 16 matches in the next two seasons. He didn’t play a senior game for the Kangaroos.

Shaun Hampson to Richmond (2013)

Hampson didn’t have a great Tigers career but he may have played an unwitting role in setting up the Tigers’ drought-breaking 2017 premiership. A 201cm ruck-forward, his absence through injury forced the Tigers to play Shaun Grigg as a second ruckman and Jack Riewoldt as a one-out tall forward surrounded by a fleet of smalls – both premiership-winning moves in hindsight. In five years on the Richmond list ‘Hammer’ played 35 games (after 63 at the Blues) before retiring and making an appearance on Australian Survivor. In a strange twist to this trade, the pick the Tigers gave up for Hampson was on-traded by the Blues to Sydney (for Andrejs Everitt), and the Swans used it to select George Hewett – who has just signed with Carlton as a free agent.

Hammer time ... Shaun Hampson celebrates a goal for the Tigers.

Peter Street to the Western Bulldogs (2003)

The Dogs are in the market for a ruckman during this year’s trade period in what seems like an annual event. At the end of 2003 they snared 211cm beanpole Street from the Cats, who playing 17 games for Geelong and added another 61 at the Dogs over five seasons before retiring at the end of 2008 and joining the police force. The Dogs gave up pick 20 in the deal, which Geelong sent to West Coast as part of a package for David Haynes. The Eagles used it to select Sam Butler, who went on to play 166 games including the 2006 premiership.

Aaron Fiora/Troy Simmonds/Heath Black (2004)

What happened to the good old three-way player swap? In the end this was a pretty fair deal all-round – Richmond can claim a small victory after getting 93 games out of ex-Dockers ruckman and snake enthusiast Simmonds. The Tigers sent former pick 3 Fiora to the Saints, who let Heath Black return to Fremantle, where he had started his career. He played another 69 games – the same number he played in his first stint at the Dockers – then hung up the boots.

Aaron Fiora in action for the Saints.

Brent Renouf to Port Adelaide (2011)

Best known for winning a premiership in just his eighth senior game, the New Zealand-born ruckman had an eventful five years at Hawthorn that also included surgery to remove his gall bladder and skin grafts after falling into a beach fire. At the end of 2011 he was traded to Port Adelaide for pick 33 and went on to play 16 games in five seasons. The Hawks used the pick on a speedy wingman named Bradley Hill.

Rhys Palmer from GWS to Carlton for pick 135 (2016)

From Rising Star winner to being traded for pick 135. Eager to boost their playing stocks with experience, Carlton raised eyebrows by picking up 27-year-old Palmer for the draft equivalent of an empty packet of chips. Sure enough, only 77 selections were made on draft night in 2016. Palmer managed just the one match for his third club – as a late inclusion – which ended up being the final game of his career. He finished with 12 disposals, six clangers and 39 KFC SuperCoach points.

Marley Williams to North Melbourne for pick 105 (2016)

While it is difficult to split the Palmer deal, North Melbourne was the resounding winner in this three-digit draft giveaway. Williams exceeded expectations and then some, playing 60 games across four seasons for the Kangaroos as a dour lockdown defender. The main highlight was his bizarre three-Brownlow vote game in 2018 from 14 disposals, three marks and 66 SuperCoach points – Ben Brown kicked six majors and didn’t poll.

Marley Williams was a handy pick-up for the Kangaroos. Picture: Michael Klein.

Troy Menzel (Carlton) for Sam Kerridge (Adelaide) and pick 28 (2015)

Bursting onto the scene with 26 goals in his second AFL season in 2014, Menzel’s struggles with form and fitness saw him moved on for promising Crows forward Kerridge, who bagged a miraculous six-goal haul in just his seventh game in 2013. A talented first-round draft pick and the brother of Geelong and Sydney goalkicker Daniel, Menzel found the going tough at West Lakes and was axed after four games in two years. Meanwhile, Kerridge became a senior regular and a KFC SuperCoach bargain as a hard-running midfielder in Brendon Bolton’s first year at the helm in 2016, playing 42 games as a Blue before being cut at the end of 2018. This deal is infamous for another reason. Pick 28, which Blues snared along with Kerridge, was the catalyst for the Blues acquiring four Giants – Lachie Plowman, Jed Lamb, Andrew Phillips and Liam Sumner – in a separate trade involving a host of selections.

Matthew Lobbe to Carlton (2017)

The Blues get judged harshly for some of their moves but they are great at keeping the trade treadmill rolling. Carlton handed over pick 95 in the draft at the end of 2017 for the 98-game Port Adelaide ruckman. He played eight games for Carlton (and kicked one goal) to take his career total to a nice even 100 before being delisted at the end of 2019. He can always proudly display his 2018 best clubman award in his trophy cabinet.

Charlie Gardiner and Steven King to St Kilda (2007)

The Saints were in the flag window and Ross Lyon wasn’t shy about going all in. King was a stalwart at the Cats but was traded after the club backed in Mark Blake as its No.1 big man – a call that also cost them Shane Mumford two years later. “Most of the boys down the club still thought I could play, and like I said the decision’s been made for me,” King said at the time. King and forward Gardiner cost the Saints’ one sixth-round draft pick. They didn’t have a huge impact at their new club, although King did play 47 games for the Saints including the 2009 grand final, along with two other trade recruits that year. The Saints gave up pick 26 for a pair of Swans in Adam Schneider and Sean Dempster.

Steven King played 47 games for St Kilda.

Amon Buchanan, Brent Staker, Bradd Dalziell, and Mark Seaby trade (2009)

Brisbane receive: Buchanan, Staker and pick 47

Sydney receive: Seaby and pick 28, 39, 55

West Coast receive: Bradd Dalziell and pick 22, 118.

Here’s a mega-trade you probably forgot about. This transaction involving Brisbane, Sydney and West Coast is difficult to quantify but involves a host of random picks and familiar names to football fanatics, the most obscure of those being first-year wonder Dalziell. The ball-winner, who averaged 26.2 disposals in his first 11 AFL games, crossed from the Lions - which acquired Swans veteran Buchanan and Eagles tall Staker in the exchange – to the Eagles. Dalziell did not have the same success for West Coast, cut after 28 games in four seasons, while Sydney brought in premiership Eagles ruckman Seaby, who played 18 games for the Swans.

Davis Rodan from Port Adelaide to Melbourne for pick 88 (2012)

Can you remember Rodan as a Demon? If you said no, you’re not alone. After 176 games for the Richmond and Port Adelaide, headlined by his miraculous goal at the wrong end up in Darwin, Rodan joined cellar-dwellers Melbourne for a late pick. This was after a list management quirk, with Port Adelaide initially saying he was delisted, but the club never lodged the paperwork. The diminutive midfielder kicked two goals from nine games for the Demons in 2013, announcing his retirement at 30 after rupturing his anterior cruciate ligament late in the season. Rodan went onto bigger and better things post his football career, winning Dancing with the Stars in 2014 and becoming an AFL goal umpire in 2017, where his exuberance in the role has stood out.

David Rodan in action for Melbourne against one of his old sides.

Brenton Sanderson to Geelong (1994)

One of the great players that got away, Sanderson arrived at Collingwood via a trade in 1993 — the Pies sent draft pick 44 to Adelaide, which the Crows used on the amazingly named Eugene Warrior (0 games).

But after just four games in black and white he moved to Geelong the next year in exchange for pick 47 (Robbie Ahmat) and became a top-line player at the Cats, adding another 199 games and winning the 2011 best-and-fairest.

Meanwhile, the trade kept on giving — Ahmat played 25 games for the Pies before being traded to Sydney for Clinton King and Stuart Mangin. King was later traded to Richmond along with pick 3 for Steve McKee and pick 7 (Danny Roach).

The Tigers used pick 3 on Aaron Fiora (see above).