Why recycling players could be the AFL’s most important list management tool
They say one man’s trash is another man’s treasure. And in 2025, nearly a quarter of all AFL-listed players started their careers at another club. Here’s why that might only become more common.
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They say that one man’s trash is another man’s treasure.
And in 2025, nearly a quarter of all AFL-listed players started their careers at another club.
Whether they be high-profile trade targets, free agents, draft lifelines, or SSP selections, a comprehensive study of every list in the league reveals that there are currently 187 recycled players sprinkled across the 18 clubs.
That represents 23.4 per cent of the current playing cohort.
Collingwood and Carlton currently have the equal-most recycled players on their list with 15 apiece.
Greater Western Sydney has the least with just five.
Each club has 10.3 players that have previously been on another list on average.
With player movement now a year-round conversation, the trade period one of the biggest events on the AFL calendar and clubs capable of offering life-changing contracts thanks to an increased TPP, veteran list builder Chris Pelchen believes that intraclub movement will only increase.
“While 15 might be at the higher end of the spectrum currently, it’s going to become commonplace in the next decade,” Pelchen told this masthead.
“The numbers have increased year on year over the last 15 years.
“Player movement has become more fluid and that’s been done by design.”
Pelchen, the architect of Hawthorn’s premiership dynasty, said there are two main reasons clubs target opposition players.
“The reason you bring players in from other clubs is to be a role player and a depth player,” he said.
“The most important players you target in the trade period are role players.
“When you bring in a player for a primary role, you need to get those trades right. They’re the ones going straight into your best 22/23. For example, at Hawthorn, we brought Josh Gibson in to be a third tall defender and zone off. From day one, he was given that role.
“There’s always players at other clubs you’d love to have on your list but if you can’t acquire them, then you have to go to the draft and get the best player you can in that role.
“The expansion of the competition in terms of the number of players means by nature there are more players participating in the competition. Clubs have to source players from a wider variety of places so the gap between the second-tier competitions and the AFL has lessened.
“It means players are being given second and third chances more regularly than they would’ve previously been.
“Sometimes you identify a player who’s been dropped off a list and you see more in them than their current club. We see instances of that each year but they’re in the minority because they’ve been let go by their club for a reason.
“You can make mistakes. Players improve and their form fluctuates.”
Sam Collins, Ben Keays and Tyson Stengle are just a few examples of current players who have gone on to realise their potential at their second or third club after being delisted. There have also been several instances of undervalued players taking their careers to the next level at a new club.
DESTINATION CLUBS
With a bevy of members, a rich history and mountains of cash, Collingwood and Carlton are undoubtedly two of the most powerful clubs in the competition.
It’s earned the pair ‘destination club’ status and it’s no surprise that the Magpies and Blues own the two most recycled lists in the competition with 15 players apiece.
But at present, the two are poles apart on the ladder.
“It’s a very stark comparison given one team is on top of the ladder and one team is considered to be grossly underperforming,” Pelchen said.
“Collingwood’s 15 have performed better. They have clear roles which makes it easier for their depth players to come in and perform.
“From player 14-23, there’s not a significant drop-off.”
More than halfway through the season, the Magpies are cruising 10 points clear on top of the ladder with a 14-2 record.
A stone’s throw away at Ikon Park, the jungle drums are starting to beat and coach Michael Voss is under increasing pressure as the Blues languish in 12th.
It’s a fascinating study in list management.
Collingwood has cultivated a nice mix of star recruits, undervalued role players and forgotten journeymen.
In the most recent trade period, the Magpies prized Dan Houston out of Port Adelaide on a six-year deal despite him being contracted until 2028. Collingwood also added Harry Perryman as a free agent and Tim Membrey as a delisted free agent.
All three have played a part in Collingwood’s hot start to the season.
In the last few years, Lachie Schultz, Dan McStay, Bobby Hill and Brownlow medallist Tom Mitchell have arrived at the Magpies with big reputations.
But Collingwood has also done well to pick off undervalued players.
The Magpies don’t win the 2023 flag without Billy Frampton’s sacrificial role on Harris Andrews. He played just 24 games across eight seasons at Port Adelaide and Adelaide before that.
Ned Long featured just five times for Hawthorn before being delisted. Now, he’s one of the most improved players in the competition.
Darcy Cameron played one game in three seasons at Sydney. He’s played more than 100 for Collingwood and is now one of the most influential big men in the league.
Jack Crisp is now the record-holder for the most consecutive games in the AFL. Patrick Lipinski has finished in the top 10 of Collingwood’s best and fairest in two of his three complete seasons. And Will Hoskin-Elliott is showing no signs of slowing down.
You can argue that Collingwood didn’t overpay for any of them.
It’s a far cry from the fire sale in which Collingwood offloaded Adam Treloar, Jaidyn Stephenson and Tom Phillips.
It’s a different kettle of fish at Carlton.
Since 2018, the Blues have recruited the likes of Zac Williams, Jeremy McGovern, Adam Saad and previously Jack Martin on big money.
Williams joined the Blues on what was believed to be a near $5 million six-year deal back in 2021, McGovern was offered $800,000 per season across the five-year deal to leave Adelaide, Saad joined on a five-year deal estimated to be around $650,000 a season and Martin’s contract was heavily front-loaded, with reports indicating a five-year deal worth more than $3 million.
They’ve all played regular senior footy but some of the healthy contracts Carlton was prepared to dish out were unjustified.
Injuries have played a part but Williams, McGovern and Saad have all been put under the microscope by experts questioning whether their output has matched the Blues’ investment.
Adam Cerra and George Hewett are the exceptions to the rule but some list management experts believe Carlton’s list has been overrated.
The Magpies (1090) and Blues (978) also rank first and second respectively for the most recycled games experience. Collingwood sits 5th for average games per recycled player (71.1) while Carlton comes in at 9th (63.8).
THE ORANGE OUTLIER
If Collingwood and Carlton are the kings of recycling, then GWS is the joker.
The AFL’s youngest club has just five players from other clubs currently on its list, the least in the competition. But those five players have had a significant impact on the club.
Collectively, Callan Ward, Jesse Hogan, Toby Bedford, Lachlan Keefe and Jake Stringer average the most games per recycled player at 99.8.
The average is bumped up slightly by club legend Ward who is currently sitting on 267 games after tearing his ACL earlier in the season. But the Giants have done exceptionally well to identify specific roles that need filling.
Stringer, in his first year, has sparked the Giants as substitute. After a turbulent stint at Fremantle, Hogan is now a Coleman medallist. And Bedford has proved he can be one of the competition’s best taggers.
“It’s a role that naturally developed when I arrived,” Bedford said. “I think it was off the back of some bad form in the forward line.
“Adam Kingsley tried something new and it worked. If we need to do that (tagging), we always have it up our sleeve. It’s a good thing to have in my kit bag.”
On the other hand, GWS’s pocket-size collection of opposition players is a reflection of how hard it’s been to lure players to Sydney’s western suburbs.
The Giants are usually resigned to not being active players in the trade space because the majority of their cap space is already tied up in stars like Josh Kelly (contracted until 2029), Sam Taylor (2032), Tom Green (2027) and Finn Callaghan (2029).
“I think there’s a perception that western Sydney isn’t very appealing,” Bedford said.
“Honestly, the group is unbelievable. I struggle to understand why more people don’t want to come to Sydney.
“The lifestyle is great. It’s obviously not a footy dominated state but we love that.
“When we do trade boys in, it’s a show of faith because they know they’re coming to a good club.”
Clubs have been more than happy to raid the Giants though. There are currently 20 former GWS players on other club’s lists, almost enough to field an entire side.
That number is only outdone by Gold Coast with 21 former Suns running around at other clubs.
MONEYBALL
If you had the option of a complete list rebuild or topping up with existing AFL talent, what route would you take back to contention?
That’s the premise of Moneyball, a Hollywood film starring Brad Pitt, that chronicles the method made famous by Oakland A’s manager Billy Beane and economics graduate Peter Brand.
Using an intricate mathematical formula, the A’s built a competitive baseball team by acquiring undervalued players. And it’s been attempted by AFL clubs with varying levels of success.
Sydney, spearheaded by Paul Roos, was one of the earliest adopters, trading pick 15 to Melbourne for ruckman Darren Jolly back in 2004.
The following year, Sydney parted with picks 19 and 51 to prise Ted Richards and pick 55 from Essendon.
Sabermetrics also played a role in Sydney’s decision to trade for players such as Craig Bolton, Rhyce Shaw, Shane Mumford, Josh Kennedy and Ben McGlynn.
Hawthorn’s list management strategy in recent years also has shades of Moneyball.
Since 2022, the Hawks have added cut-price role players Lloyd Meek, Jack Ginnivan, Mabior Chol and Massimo D’Ambrosio.
Before that, Hawthorn pinched Karl Amon and Jarman Impey from Port Adelaide. Jack Scrimshaw also joined the club ahead of the 2019 season after struggling to get a game at Gold Coast.
Pelchen is a firm believer in statistics and was one of the first to work with Champion Data when he joined Port Adelaide. He sees elements of the Moneyball theory in contemporary salary cap management and trade negotiations.
“I started applying objective data wherever I could,” he said.
“You’re trying to maximise your return and remunerate players according to that return.
“You’re trying to minimise the subjective value and apply a more objective assessment.
“What you give up to bring a player in has to be commensurate to the player you bring in. You have to reduce the subjective element.
“That’s increased dramatically.”
FINDING THEIR FEET
For the players involved in club swaps, an overwhelming majority have their demands met by their original club.
Player autonomy is at an all-time high and trade requests are often facilitated, no matter how long is left on their contracts.
“The value and the security of a contract for the club has diminished greatly in the past 10 years,” Pelchen said.
“Now, we’re seeing players have the upper hand whereas pre-2010 as an estimation, the clubs had the power.”
Shifting clubs doesn’t necessarily mean a seamless transition.
West Coast premiership defender Tom Barrass requested a trade to Hawthorn last year despite having three years remaining on his contract.
After 11 years at the Eagles, Barrass admitted he struggled to adapt to a new game plan.
“It’s been real eye-opener watching myself in the team reviews and clips and myself wondering why am I doing that because it’s something I have trained into myself?” Barrass told Channel 7 documentary Full Sweat.
“I have had to relearn this faculty of football which I had forgotten and it’s hard to get it straight away.
“I’ve been second-guessing myself if I am bringing value to the team.
“There’s a few different things around the way I play that isn’t the way Hawthorn played.”
The opposite is true for high-profile Fremantle recruit Shai Bolton.
The premiership Tiger was contracted until 2028 at Punt Road but has had an instant impact in his first year at the Dockers.
“Not much to be honest,” Bolton said when asked what the biggest challenge of switching clubs is.
“All footy clubs are pretty much the same. You can rock up to any club and they make you feel welcome.
“I feel like I’m learning every day. Every game, I’m getting more confident in where I need to go.”
As much as players are sought-after for their on-field impact, Pelchen said their intel was just as valuable.
“You always want input from players from other clubs,” he said.
“You can’t ever get trapped in the belief there’s only one way to win a game of AFL footy.
“You want their analysis of how they play the game and how other clubs view their new club.”
THE FUTURE
When it comes to player movement, it’s safe to say the genie has been let out of the bottle.
In the past, there were limited opportunities for players to change clubs.
Pelchen was on the committee that workshopped free agency. Since the mechanism was introduced at the end of the 2012 season, 56 players, not including delisted free agents, have moved clubs.
The trader period is another conversation entirely. Clubs now also have the ability to add players during the pre-season and via the mid-season draft.
“We’ve seen greater fluidity in player movement in the past decade and I think it’s going to become even greater,” Pelchen said.
Pelchen firmly believes a mid-season trade period is inevitable despite pushback from sections of the industry.
Both the AFL and AFLPA have agreed in principle that a mid-season trade period will eventually be introduced but talks in the last two off-season have failed to progress the concept.
There are several issues clubs and players have raised ranging from reckless trading to competitive balance.
“I understand why supporters preach loyalty but this is a fully professional competition and the players need the right and ability to change employers for the betterment of their own career,” Pelchen said.
“I think it’s inevitable that we’ll get mid-season transfer windows. It’s something I’m personally in favour of and pushed to the AFL.
“You start a season believing you’re in a certain position as a club and then you may lose one, two or more players through injury or suffer a significant drop off in form, but you don’t want to give up on the season.
“You want the ability to go and fill that hole.”
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