Every 2025 AFL trade period deal graded
With the deadline in sight, the deals are starting to get done. Who are the winners and the losers so far? We run the rule over every trade – have your say now.
We’re a week into the AFL trade period, and the deals are starting to flow through as Wednesday’s deadline looms.
Who won? Who lost? We grade every trade as it happens.
CONNOR BUDARICK
Western Bulldogs gets: Connor Budarick, SYD 2025 R4 (70)
Gold Coast gets: ADE 2025 R2 (37)
WESTERN BULLDOGS GRADE: C-
GOLD COAST GRADE: B+
Can’t knock this return for the Suns, getting a second rounder that will provide valuable draft points for a player who has only twice played more than 10 games in his six seasons at the club.
The Dogs will be happy to slot in a small defender at a decent price, but it feels overs for a player that most Dogs fans wouldn’t recognise walking down Barkly St.
Solid work by the Suns.
BRAYDEN FIORINI TRADE
Essendon gets: Brayden Fiorini
Gold Coast gets: GC 2026 R3
ESSENDON GRADE: B-
GOLD COAST GRADE: C-
The Suns lose out here in two respects.
They don’t get any much-needed points for this year’s draft and they end up with a smaller return than a similar free agent trade, when Collingwood got both a third rounder and a jump in the draft order for Brody Mihocek.
The Dons only traded for Fiorini to not impact their Sam Draper compensation, so the future third given up is a shame for someone they could have got for free but it’s still an OK result for a starting midfielder.
WILL BRODIE TRADE
Port Adelaide gets: Will Brodie
Fremantle gets: PA 2025 R6 (103)
PORT ADELAIDE GRADE: B-
FREMANTLE GRADE: C
This one sent us to the record books.
The only triple-figure picks traded this century were North Melbourne sending Collingwood No.105 in 2016 for Marley Williams, and the No.118 choice being thrown in to a 2009 three-teamer featuring luminaries like Amon Buchanan, Bradd Dalzeill, Mark Seaby and Brent Staker.
How do you grade a trade where Fremantle was happy to get the player off the books and Port Adelaide got him for the lowest pick possible?
If Brodie plays any meaningful minutes next season it’s already a win for the Power.
TYLAR YOUNG TRADE
West Coast gets: Tylar Young
Richmond gets: HAW 2025 R2 (38)
WEST COAST GRADE: C+
RICHMOND GRADE: B-
Both clubs will walk away from this one pretty happy.
The Eagles only had to use their fifth-best draft pick to get the deal done for a player they can slot straight in to the best-23 next year.
And the Tigers get a second-round pick for a 27-year-old who only played seven games this year coming off a knee injury.
Richmond would have preferred pick 34 over pick 38, so the Tigers lost a step there, but it’s a good return for a club that only held two picks before this deal.
BEN AINSWORTH/COREY DURDIN TRADE
Carlton gets: Ben Ainsworth, PA 2025 R4 (67)
Carlton gives: Corey Durdin, CAR 2026 R2
Port Adelaide gets: Corey Durdin, CAR 2026 R2
Port Adelaide gives: PA 2025 R2 (29), PA 2025 R4 (67)
Gold Coast gets: PA 2025 R2 (29)
Gold Coast gives: Ben Ainsworth
CARLTON GRADE: B
PORT ADELAIDE GRADE: C+
GOLD COAST GRADE: B+
Hard to find a loser in this three-teamer.
Carlton gets the best player in the deal and adds some points to get Harry Dean this year.
While the Blues give up a future second, which could hamper the Cody Walker hunt next season, new bid-matching rules mean they would probably need more than that pick to match on the night of the 2026 draft anyway.
Ainsworth is an upgrade on Durdin and for a good price.
While he is a handy player and a good fit for the Blues, the Suns must be chuffed to get pick 29 for a player who will be 28 next year and has 137 goals from 158 games playing mostly forward.
While Port Adelaide has likely got Durdin for pick 67.
Right now, the 2025 second-rounder tied to Carlton sits at No.31 (and in the hands of Hawthorn), so the Power can talk themselves into thinking the future pick will be the same as the pick 29 they gave up.
Shake hands all around, winners everywhere.
CAMPBELL CHESSER TRADE
Carlton gets: Campbell Chesser
West Coast gets: BL 2025 R2 (41)
CARLTON GRADE: B+
WEST COAST GRADE: C-
A clear win for the Blues here.
While Chesser has had ankle injuries, the former No.14 pick is a talent and the Eagles wanted to keep him.
So to lose him for pick 41 is disappointing, particularly when 41 slots in as West Coast’s sixth pick, so its value is very low to the Eagles.
Chesser has good qualities and could line up in round 1, so this is good play by the Blues.
BRODY MIHOCEK TRADE
Melbourne gets: Brody Mihocek and WB 2025 R4 (71)
Collingwood gets: BL 2025 R3 (61), MEL 2026 R3
MELBOURNE GRADE: C+
COLLINGWOOD GRADE: B-
Traded for a free agent is always a little tricky, with Melbourne burning a future third rounder to protect the second round compensation pick it received for Charlie Spargo.
So while this may look a very cheap deal for the Dees, the Pies manage to update a pick and get a bonus one for free, given Mihocek could have walked to Melbourne for nothing.
Still, an upgrade of eight pick slots and grabbing a future choice that will likely land in the 60s isn’t exactly exciting for a five-time club leading goalkicker.
MAX HEATH TRADE
Melbourne gets: Max Heath
St Kilda gets: 2027 MEL R4
MELBOURNE GRADE: B
ST KILDA GRADE: C-
Is a future, future fourth rounder the lowest return in a trade for a player outside of salary dumps in recent history?
The 2027 fourth-rounder will sit in the Tasmania draft so will be well, well back in the pecking order.
That makes this a genuine free hit for the Dees, who like Heath as backup for Max Gawn.
Getting a young ruck you like for nothing is always good, clearly he had very little value for the Saints.
LIAM RYAN TRADE
St Kilda gets: Liam Ryan, 2027 WCE R3
West Coast gets: 2026 STK R2
ST KILDA GRADE: B+
WEST COAST GRADE: C+
After 17 2025 draft picks were traded – and No.23 twice – in the first three days of the trade period, the first futures have joined the party.
This is an easy hit for the Saints, dropping back a rung to bring in a premiership goalkicker in Ryan.
He will add scoring punch and can help out in the midfield when needed, giving Jack Higgins a chop out among smaller forwards.
St Kilda had to move the 2026 pick because it doesn’t have a choice before No.50 this year and West Coast would be happy to get into what is expected to be a stronger draft.
JUDD MCVEE TRADE
Fremantle gets: Judd McVee
Melbourne gets: WCE 2025 R2 (23)
FREMANTLE GRADE: C+
MELBOURNE GRADE: B
Pick 23 for a back pocket who came off the rookie list is good work for Melbourne.
McVee is a good player but clearly he wasn’t attacking enough to be given a more expansive role in a Simon Goodwin side that was desperate for anyone who could boost ball movement, so netting a second-rounder for him is a win.
The Dockers identified a need and filled it, you can’t complain about that.
The three team deal involving Brandon Starcevich that unlocked this trade looks worse for the Dockers, but in the end they ticked off their priority.
BRANDON STARCEVICH TRADE
West Coast gets: Brandon Starcevich, FRE 2025 R1 (12), FRE 2025 R2 (33), WB 2025 R3 (52)
West Coast gives: HAW 2025 R1 (16), WCE 2025 Assistance pick (22), WCE 2025 R2 (23)
Brisbane gets: HAW 2025 R1 (16), WCE 2025 assistance pick (22), FRE 2025 R3 (44), CAR 2025 R3 (50)
Brisbane gives: Brandon Starcevich, BL 2025 R1 (19), BL 2025 R3 (46), WB 2025 R3 (52)
Fremantle gets: BL 2025 R1 (19), WCE 2025 R2 (23), BL 2025 R3 (46)
Fremantle gives: FRE 2025 R1 (12), FRE 2025 R2 (33), FRE 2025 R3 (44), CAR 2025 R3 (50)
WEST COAST GRADE: A-
BRISBANE GRADE: B+
FREMANTLE GRADE: C-
The winner in this three-teamer is West Coast, who get the player and the best draft pick of the deal.
The Eagles moved up the draft order and had to hand over a choice (22) they got given on a silver platter by the AFL for losing games, and only did the deal to make sure they still likely get pick 2 as Oscar Allen compensation.
Pretty good.
The only issue for the Eagles is around Brandon Starcevich’s health given his concussion woes.
For Brisbane, this deal is about the opportunity cost of what a FA compensation would have been for Starcevich but essentially turning him into a late first rounder – band two compensation – seems pretty solid business.
Fremantle gave up the best pick in this deal and only joined to grease the wheels on their own later move for Judd McVee.
The Dockers may be happy but on the draft points metric they went backwards in this deal.
SAM FLANDERS TRADE
St Kilda gets: Sam Flanders
Gold Coast gets: STK 2025 R1 (No.7)
ST KILDA GRADE: C+
GOLD COAST GRADE: B+
You get a pretty big split on opinions on this deal when you poll footy fans.
At first blush, pick 7 seems overs for Flanders, but some good judges are adamant he will produce more in 6-8 seasons at Moorabbin than whoever the Saints would have drafted.
Either way, it’s a win for the Suns, who can pivot this pick into serious Christian Petracca talks
For the Saints, they are clearly interested in winning now and see Flanders as a pure mid, a position he hasn’t played a lot, given he thrived off a back flank at the Suns.
If 24-year-old Flanders was dropped into the draft pool, he probably would be drafted around pick 7 so for a targeted approach, this seems a fair deal for the Saints.
Hate to say it, but time will tell.
LIAM REIDY TRADE
Carlton gets: Liam Reidy, FRE 2025 R3 (No.53) and FRE 2025 R4 (No.71)
Fremantle gets: CAR 2025 R3 (No.50) and CAR 2025 R4 (No.68)
CARLTON GRADE: B
FREMANTLE GRADE: C
Easy deal for the Blues here to get Marc Pittonet some ruck support basically for free, while the Dockers were happy to give Reidy a chance over east. A free throw at the stumps for the Blues, can only be upside here.
MALCOLM ROSAS JR TRADE
Sydney gets: Malcolm Rosas Jr, GC 2025 R4 (No.62)
Gold Coast gets: SYD 2025 R3 (No.51), SYD 2025 R4 (No.69)
SYDNEY GRADE: B
GOLD COAST GRADE: C+
Similar to the Liam Reidy deal, this is really a free hit for the Swans, burning a round three pick for a 24-year-old Dean Cox will probably slot into his forward line to open the season. Given Rosas was out of contract, the actual trade was never going to be significant and Sydney’s hard work was done in winning his commitment over others. The Suns let Rosas explore his options last year so to still get a round three choice for him is solid.
Originally published as Every 2025 AFL trade period deal graded
Join the conversation
McGuane suffers blow in bid to grab last spot on Crows’ list
Read more
Emerging Crow finds new club as premiership Lion asks out
Read more