Trade grades: Every 2020 AFL trade and free agency move ranked from 1-35
Carlton is making big moves in the trade period, prompting finals predictions. Sound familiar? A look back at where every 2020 trade move stands one year on.
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The trades that make the most noise don’t always prove the best deals.
There were 47 trades in total and 35 players moved clubs in the hectic 2020 post-season, some with a lot more fanfare than others.
In the immediate aftermath there were lots of hot takes about who won and who lost, but how do they look 12 months on?
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Here’s how we rate every trade and free agency move based on what the recruits delivered in their new colours and the value of the deal (a player who cost a third-round draft pick is ranked higher than a player with similar stats that forced a club to part with a first-round selection).
Note: The 12 trades that only involved draft picks haven’t been listed (good luck figuring out the winners there).
Did we get it right? Leave a comment below!
1. Aliir Aliir from Sydney to Port Adelaide for future second-round pick
Sydney had a tight salary cap and not much bargaining power, and the Power cashed in, landing a player who went on to make the All-Australian team for the price of a second-round pick in this year’s draft.
Aliir had a disappointing prelim — like most of his teammates — but the move was an unqualified success as the athletic defender ranked third in the AFL for intercepts and sixth for contested marks, and produced close to a best-on-ground display in the qualifying final win against Geelong.
At age 26, he has plenty of good footy ahead of him.
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2. Nick Hind from St Kilda to Essendon
Full trade: Hind and pick 77 from St Kilda to Essendon for picks 67 and 74
Hind’s heartbreaking end to the year — forced out of the elimination final after attending a Covid exposure site — shouldn’t obscure what a fantastic pick-up he’s been.
After being played as a forward pocket at St Kilda, the Bombers deployed him at half-back where he could use his pace to open up the game — which he did to huge effect, ranking third at the club for disposals (average 22.4 per game, up from 9.8 the year before) and metres gained.
None of the picks involved in the trade were used, so the Bombers got him for nothing apart from a minimal salary cap outlay.
Some high-profile Essendon trades have attracted criticism over the years, but this was a slam dunk. He would have been handy in Launceston.
3. Ben Brown from North Melbourne to Melbourne
Full trade: Brown, pick 28 and a 2021 fourth-round pick from North Melbourne to Melbourne in exchange for picks 26, 33 and a 2021 fourth-round pick
Hard to beat moving from the wooden spooner to the premier, although it wasn’t always looking so positive.
At Round 16 Brown had played just three games in Demons colours thanks to a mix of injuries and question marks over exactly how he would fit into the top-of-the-ladder team.
But after being promoted in Round 17 he didn’t look back, kicking multiple goals in seven of the last 10 matches of the season including three in the grand final.
Brown hardly cost the Dees anything, turns 29 in November and has three years to run on his contract.
The pick 33 North Melbourne received ended up at Collingwood as part of the deal for Jaidyn Stephenson and Atu Bosenavulagi.
4. Tom Hickey from West Coast to Sydney
Full trade: Hickey, pick 34 and pick 60 from West Coast to Sydney for picks 58, 62, and second and third-round picks in this year’s draft
The Swans made the most of having to let Aliir go, using the selection they received from the Power to trade for the ruckman they desperately needed.
Hickey played just three games for West Coast last year and moved to Sydney with a flurry of mostly late draft picks going both ways — effectively the Swans handed over pick 36 this year, which they received from Port Adelaide.
The former Sun and Saint went on to produce career-best numbers in 21 games for the Swans in disposals (16.5), clearances (4.9), inside-50s (3) and SuperCoach points (103.2 — his previous best year was 89.5). Hickey filled a clear need with injuries again striking down Sam Naismith and Callum Sinclair, and was a key reason Sydney rose from 16th to seventh on the ladder. That’s good trading.
5. Isaac Smith from Hawthorn to Geelong (free agent)
Smith provided terrific value, playing 24 of a possible 26 games and having his best season statistically since 2015, averaging 23 disposals and kicking 15 goals to finish fourth in Geelong’s best-and-fairest count.
The Hawks received pick 46 as compensation for losing the veteran but all he cost the Cats was a list spot, although that could become a sticking point in the future – he has one year to run on a contract and will be close to 34 when it expires. The Cats didn’t get the flag they wanted in 2021, but you certainly can’t pin that on Smith.
6. Adam Treloar from Collingwood to the Western Bulldogs
Full trade: Treloar, pick 26, pick 33 and pick 42 from Collingwood to the Western Bulldogs for pick 14 and a 2021 second-round pick
This was the second time in his career Treloar has been at the centre of a high-stakes trade, ater moving from the Giants to Collingwoood in 2015.
It was far from a perfect season, with injuries restricting him to 17 games and his 23-disposal average his lowest since 2013 – his second year at the Giants.
The blowtorch was really fired up after a quiet semi-final but he answered the critics with huge games in the prelim and grand final (124 and 122 SuperCoach points, respectively).
Pick 14 became pick 17 on draft night, which the Pies used on exciting forward Ollie Henry.
But the cost to the Dogs wasn’t as high as it might seem — they would have used pick 14 to get points for No.1 pick Jamarra Ugle-Hagan, which they were able to do with the later selections they received from the Pies (with enough points left over to select Dominic Bedendo at pick 55). And the future second-rounder they gave Collingwood is at the very back of the queue thanks to their top-two finish.
Of course, they still have to accommodate Treloar’s $4.5 million, five-year deal in the salary cap, but the Pies are helping with that, too.
7. Joe Daniher from Essendon to Brisbane Lions
The Lions medical staff worked their magic on the former Bomber, who played 24 games after managing just 15 in his past three seasons. So that’s a huge tick in itself.
At times he looked super dangerous as a forward target and a handy back-up ruckman, and his 46 goals was his second-most in a season. But when finals arrived, he wasn’t the matchwinner Brisbane needed, kicking 1.1 over two games.
As a free agent he only cost the Lions salary cap space and while Essendon didn’t want to lose a club favourite, it worked out OK — the size of Daniher’s contract delivered a first-round draft pick to the Bombers as compensation, which they used on excitement machine Archie Perkins.
8. Brad Crouch from Adelaide to St Kilda
The jury was out on Crouch when he arrived at Moorabbin as a free agent and perhaps it still is, or maybe we should just be comfortable knowing he’s a very handy midfielder who can find plenty of the footy — average 26 disposals this year, second at the Saints behind Jack Steele — but doesn’t always do a whole lot of damage with it.
His average of 5.5 tackles per game was also second at the club (behind guess who) and top 20 in the AFL.
The Crows received a second-round draft pick (23) as compensation, which they used on tough onballer Sam Berry.
9. Jack Higgins from Richmond to St Kilda
Full trade: Higgins and pick 21 from Richmond to St Kilda for pick 17 and 2021 second-round pick
One fringe player Richmond wasn’t happy to let go, Higgins made the most of his career restart by playing 19 games and kicking 27 goals (he finished with 27.16, so that 1.6 against the Swans was a major outlier).
The Saints gave up a first-round pick, which Richmond traded to Geelong (who used it on Max Holmes) during last year’s draft in exchange for the Cats’ first-rounder this year. The Tigers will also cash in a second-round pick this year that was part of the deal, while the Saints got pick 21 in last year’s draft in the trade, which they used to select key forward Matthew Allison, who is yet to make his AFL debut.
10. Adam Saad from Essendon to Carlton
Full trade: Saad and picks 48 and 78 from Essendon to Carlton in exchange for picks 8 and 87
Saad, who joined the Blues after a tense standoff in last year’s trade period, delivered almost identical numbers at his new club to his last season at Essendon, averaging 19.3 disposals per game and kicking two goals (in 2020 he averaged 18.9 disposals per game and kicked two goals).
He led the AFL for running bounces (63) but recorded just 39 tackles, a reflection of his attacking style and perhaps the Blues’ game plan.
His dashing runs through the centre are exciting but the Blues paid a high price, which hurts him in these rankings. Pick 8 became pick 10 on draft night, which the Bombers used on Zach Reid, a key tall who played just one game in his debut season.
The Blues moved up the order from 48 to 31 in a pick swap with the Swans allowing them to pick up small forward Corey Durdin. The 78 and 87 picks were always pretty pointless!
11. Jeremy Cameron from GWS to Geelong
Full trade: Cameron and two 2021 second-round picks from GWS to Geelong in exchange for picks 13, 15, 20 and a 2021 fourth-round pick
The huge cost of this deal places the bar a lot higher for Cameron than other players on this list, and his first season in the hoops was a tough one, missing 10 games through injury.
Jezza missed the top 10 in the Cats’ best-and-fairest but showed he will be a weapon if he can stay on the park, kicking 39 goals at an average of 2.6 a game — ranked fourth in the competition. But he was one of many Cats who failed to fire in the preliminary final, collecting just three kicks.
The Giants used two of the draft picks they received in the deal on Conor Stone (three games) and Ryan Angwin (none so far).
12. Jaidyn Stephenson from North Melbourne to Collingwood
Full trade: Part of package from Pies to North Melbourne that also included pick 39 in exchange for picks 26, 33 and 70
If a players’ value was measured in newspaper headlines, the Roos cleaned up with this deal. Stephenson provided some on-field highlights as well as off-field dramas, rediscovering the confidence that deserted him in his last year at Collingwood. His average of 19.4 disposals was a career-high and he kicked 17 goals, with a 38-touch game against the Eagles a tantalising glimpse what he is capable of in the rest of his five-year contract.
The deal was complicated — the Roos lost pick 26 but they still had three of the first 36 selections in the draft, so it was a price worth paying for the 22-year-old former Rising Star winner.
13. Orazio Fantasia from Essendon to Port Adelaide
Full trade: Fantasia and pick 73 from Essendon to Port Adelaide in a swap for pick 29 and a 2021 third-round pick
Who would want to be an AFL small forward? Fantasia was the toast of Port Adelaide after kicking four goals against Geelong in a qualifying final. Two weeks later he managed just six kicks and 0.1 in the preliminary final.
He finished with 28 goals from 15 games in a typically injury-interrupted 2021 to finish third in the Power goalkicking, a handy return but not the player to help Port Adelaide break its prelim curse.
Essendon used the selection it acquired in the deal as part of a package it sent to GWS for Jye Caldwell.
14. Peter Wright from Gold Coast to Essendon for future fourth-round pick
The fact Gold Coast is still paying a decent chunk of Wright’s salary made him an even cheaper acquisition than Hind, but he was a lot more hot and cold.
The hot was scorching — seven goals straight against the Bulldogs — but 29 goals in 21 games ranked him fourth in the club’s goalkicking and he was a handy, but not dominant, back-up ruck. About to turn 25, his time is now.
15. Tom Phillips from Collingwood to Hawthorn for pick 65
Another victim of the Magpies’ 2020 salary cap fire sale, Phillips moved to the Hawks in a swap for pick 65 – which Collingwood didn’t use.
He wasn’t the mid-price SuperCoach bargain some hoped for but he was a handy contributor at his new club, playing 22 games at slightly higher output than his last year as a Magpie, but still down on his best seasons in 2018-19.
16. Kyle Hartigan from Adelaide to Hawthorn for future fourth-round pick
You know what you’re going to get with Hartigan, and that’s exactly what Hawthorn got.
The former Crow played 19 games averaging 10.6 disposals a game. Became more valuable in the absence of James Sicily and as injuries ran through the backline, but at 29 he should be able to keep doing what he does for a few more seasons.
Rankings at this point get really hard when trying to weigh up output v value, but he effectively cost nothing (a future fourth-rounder).
17. Mitch Hannan from Melbourne to the Bulldogs for a future third-round pick
A floater on this list who could have jumped much closer to the top with a big grand final, but unfortunately that wasn’t to be.
Still, Hannan, who was recruited by the Dees from Footscray’s VFL side, can count his 2021 season a success after playing 17 games and kicking 14 goals playing a variety of roles for Luke Beveridge.
Had a great first three weeks of the finals series – booting two, one and three goals – but could manage only seven touches in Perth and didn’t hit the scoreboard.
The pick used in the deal currently sits at 54 in this year’s order.
18. Jesse Hogan from Fremantle to GWS for pick 54
Injuries continued to plague Hogan at his third club, but he showed glimpses of his enormous talent in nine games.
The former Demon and Docker booted 20 goals, including bags of four against Richmond and Adelaide, and his late withdrawal seriously hurt the Giants’ semi-final chances against Geelong.
Did enough to earn a new one-year contract in August.
The Giants handed over the selection they received for Zac Langdon in the deal, but Fremantle didn’t use it.
19. Oleg Markov from Richmond to Gold Coast for future third-round pick
Moved from Richmond to Gold Coast for greater opportunities, and that’s exactly what he got — playing a career-high 17 games and providing plenty of dash out of defence, averaging 320 metres gained per game and ranking No.2 in the comp for running bounces.
Didn’t cost anything but only played one game after Round 17 so he’ll want to impress in the second year of his two-year deal.
20. Lachie Fogarty from Geelong to Carlton
Full trade: Fogarty and pick 38 from Geelong to Carlton in exchange for picks 30 and 51
Fogarty had his best season, playing 16 games and averaging 15 touches and just under four tackles a game. But he booted just 6.6 playing as a small forward.
The trade had a long tail — Carlton used the draft pick it received on Jack Carroll (0 games) and the Cats used one of theirs on Nick Stevens (0 games) and traded the other to North Melbourne in exchange for Shaun Higgins.
21. Zac Williams from GWS to Carlton
A tough move to assess. As a free agent, Williams didn’t cost the Blues anything in a trade, but they do have a six-year deal worth about $800,000 a year on their books. And there’s no doubt he fell well short of the expectations of Carlton fans and, you would assume, the Blues’ recruiting department, although there is plenty of time to turn that around.
He arrived at the Blues amid plenty of hype around a midfield role, but he wasn’t able to fill that need or shake the injury demons that have plagued much of his career. Williams played blocks of two, two, five, two and three games in a stop-start 14-game season (averaging 18.9 disposals) that ended in Round 19 with another hamstring injury. He also missed two games through separate one-game suspensions.
The Giants received a first-round draft pick as compensation, which they used on promising mid-forward Tanner Bruhn.
22. Shaun Higgins from North Melbourne to Geelong for pick 30
If you were looking for evidence the Cats were going “all in” for this year’s flag, Higgins is exhibit A. This was a nice clean deal with the now 33-year-old joining his third club in a straight swap for pick 30, which the Kangaroos used on Charlie Lazzaro, who played 12 games in his debut season.
Higgins managed 17 senior appearances but was dropped for one final and was the medical sub in the other two, prompting Roos champion David King to label the trade a failure. “The Cats knew they were on a short leash with this one and he was that top-up player to hold down that half-forward flank position, potentially kick 30 goals for the year and show the way,” King said on SEN. “It hasn’t panned out that way, there’s no other way of looking at it. He’s kicked four goals this year. You’d have to say it’s failed.”
23. Stefan Martin from Brisbane to the Western Bulldogs
Nine matches at an average of about 10 disposals was slightly up on his 2020 numbers (eight games, average 7.2 disposals) but this was never going to be about the stats sheet.
Martin gave Tim English another year of development without getting bashed up at centre bounces every week, but the Dogs aren’t much closer to figuring out their ruck situation.
The combo worked a treat in the preliminary final but was overpowered by Max Gawn and Luke Jackson in the grand final.
Martin turns 35 in November. Will he play on next year?
The price of the trade was Lachie Young, who joined the Kangaroos in a three-way swap.
24. Alex Witherden from Brisbane to West Coast
Full trade: Witherden and pick 86 from Brisbane to West Coast for pick 58 and a 2021 third-round pick
Witherden couldn’t cement a spot in Brisbane’s best 22 last season and found himself in a similar position at the Eagles, playing nine games and, as he had at the Lions, performing well when given the chance. More of those should come as Shannon Hurn moves into the twilight of his career.
The Lions traded Witherden and pick 86 (unused) to the Eagles in exchange for pick 58 last year (unused) and a third-round pick in this year’s draft, which currently sits at pick 47.
25. Zac Langdon from GWS to West Coast for pick 54
Former Claremont product returned to WA in one of the first deals of last year’s trade period.
Langdon was a regular this year, playing 16 games, but managed just six goals. He might be competing with Willie Rioli for a spot in the team next year.
The Giants sent pick 54 to Fremantle for Jesse Hogan, who kicked 14 more goals than Langdon this year.
26. Jye Caldwell from GWS to Essendon
Full trade: Caldwell pick 44 and pick 74 from GWS to Essendon in a swap for pick 29 and a 2021 second-round pick
After a promising pre-season Caldwell’s season was cruelled by a hamstring injury that ruled him out from Round 3 until the elimination final.
The fact he was picked in Launceston is a sign of how highly he’s rated at Tullamarine and there are high hopes for the 20-year-old former No.11 draft pick.
Essendon also picked up draft picks 44 and 74 in the deal and gave up pick 29 (which it received from Port Adelaide for Orazio Fantasia) and a future second-round pick.
The Bombers paid a reasonable price but making the finals helped push back that future second-rounder.
27. Nakia Cockatoo from Geelong to Brisbane for a future third-round pick
It took even the famed Brisbane medical department until Round 20 to get Cockatoo’s fragile body on the park, but he played the last six games of the season including two finals.
It’s fair to say he didn’t have a huge impact, averaging seven disposals and kicking five goals, with his best return a 10-touch, two-goal return against Collingwood. But this is a long-term play.
28. Lachie Young from Western Bulldogs to North Melbourne
After a promising start to the season, the defender fell out of the team and didn’t feature in the final eight rounds. As part of a three-way deal between North Melbourne, the Bulldogs and Brisbane, the Roos effectively gave up pick 63 for the 22-year-old.
29. Aidan Corr from GWS to North Melbourne
Too early to make any kind of judgment on this one after the former GWS defender’s season was ended after just two very promising appearances for the Kangaroos by a bizarre toe infection.
The 27-year-old will take on even more responsibility next year after Robbie Tarrant’s defection to Richmond.
The Giants received pick 31 as compensation for the 27-year-old free agent. The pick was passed on to four clubs before landing Carlton.
30. Atu Bosenavulagi from Collingwood to North Melbourne
Part of the complicated Jaidyn Stephenson trade from Collingwood to North Melbourne, the youngster showed some promising signs in seven senior games. Has one more year to run on a two-year deal.
31. Shaun McKernan from Essendon to St Kilda
The journeyman was signed as a delisted free agent to provide depth in the big man department and that seemed a smart move when Paddy Ryder and Rowan Marshall were both missing early in the season. But after playing the first three rounds McKernan only featured once more for the year, in Round 10.
Didn’t cost anything apart from a list spot and can be satisfied with a 91-game career over 12 seasons at three clubs.
32. James Frawley from Hawthorn to St Kilda
The premiership backman was lured out of retirement over beers by Jarryd Roughead but the plan didn’t quite work out. Injuries restricted him to just two games at his third club before hanging up the boots for good.
Like McKernan, he was a delisted free agent so his former club didn’t receive any compensation.
33. Braydon Preuss from Melbourne to GWS for pick 31
Looked set to lead the GWS ruck division before suffering a shoulder injury during pre-season then tearing his pectoral muscle in the gym as he was about to make a comeback mid-season. He is a potential bargain in KFC SuperCoach next season but it will be interesting to see how the Giants manage their rucks with Matthew Flynn and Kieren Briggs showing promise this year.
Didn’t arrive for nothing — the Giants gave Melbourne pick 31 for Preuss and the Dees used a series of pick swaps to turn it (and some other selections) into the two first-rounders they used last year to recruit Jake Bowey and Bailey Laurie.
34. Mitch Hinge from Brisbane Lions to Adelaide
Copped the cruellest injury run of anyone on this list. After arriving at the Crows as a delisted free agent he was named as the medical substitute in Round 1 and came on late only to suffer a season-ending shoulder injury.
35. Rory Atkins from Adelaide to Gold Coast
The biggest bust of the 2020 trade period based on just eight senior appearances this year for his new club. That’s more than some of the guys listed above but most of them cost virtually nothing in terms of draft picks or salary cap space. Atkins was a free agent so the Suns didn’t give up any picks or players, but starting three of his eight games as the medical sub is way under expectations after signing what is believed to be a four-year contract worth about $400,000 per year.
*Jackson Hately from GWS to Adelaide
Not part of these rankings because it wasn’t a trade, although the former Giant requested one. After no deal was struck he joined the Crows for nothing in the pre-season draft. The promising South Australian midfielder managed just three senior games, averaging 11.7 disposals, and has a big 2022 ahead.
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