Another trade period has come and gone and every club, to varying extents, has played a part.
Several big names found new homes, some were kept at their current ones and, to top it all off, a suite of draft picks swapped hands over the course of the period.
We grade every team in the 2022 AFL trade period Report Card, with analysis from Fox Footy’s Trading Day and the foxfooty.com.au team.
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MORE AFL TRADE COVERAGE
DEADLINE CHAOS! Huge deals done in final frantic minutes as trade window slams shut
WINNERS AND LOSERS: Cats pull off the unthinkable as Hawks rebuild hits a wall
‘LIST CLOGGER CAPITAL OF AUSTRALIA’: Silent Saints savaged for quiet trade period
‘JUST CUT AND RUN’: King slams No.1 pick as Roos champ says Horne-Francis ‘wasn’t up for the fight’
ADELAIDE CROWS
Who left: Billy Frampton (Collingwood, trade)
Who arrived: Izak Rankine (Gold Coast, trade)
Draft picks owned: 23, 46
David King says: “It’s an unconventional rebuild in a lot of ways when you look at the way they’ve attacked the trade period over the last couple of years. Jordan Dawson’s a bits and pieces player, Rankine the forward pocket, Josh Rachele the forward pocket with their first pick last year – can they then become the midfield? We don’t really know and we haven’t really seen it. I’m still a bit unsold on where this midfield is coming from. Maybe you just say ‘Rankine is there, we can get him and we take him’ – I understand that. But it’s unconventional in its infancy. They will need to get a midfield gun at some stage.”
Foxfooty.com.au trade grade: B+
Dunkley could ‘challenge for a Brownlow’ | 00:48
BRISBANE LIONS
Who left: Daniel McStay (Collingwood, free agency), Thomas Berry (Gold Coast, trade)
Who arrived: Jack Gunston (Hawthorn, trade), Josh Dunkley (Western Bulldogs, trade)
Draft picks owned: 34, 35, 36, 38, 55, 56, 73
David King says: “When you look at their record over the last four years – semi-final, preliminary final, semi-final, preliminary final – they weren’t looking for a lot in this trade period. They were looking for some icing on the cake – and I think they’ve found it. You’ve got to have a look at the reasons why they’ve lost those finals — and in six of the last nine finals they’ve lost the contested possession battle and been outscored from clearance in six of those nine finals. Gunston is an absolute bonus, but Dunkley is exactly what they need. He’ll have the capability of challenging for a Brownlow Medal next year just because the votes have always gone to Lachie Neale because they’ve been a one-man band. In my option, they’ll start next year as premiership favourites.”
Foxfooty.com.au trade grade: A
CARLTON
Who left: Liam Jones (Western Bulldogs, free agency), Will Setterfield (Essendon, trade)
Who arrived: Blake Acres (Fremantle, trade)
Draft picks owned: 10, 29, 49, 66
Brad Johnson says: “I think they see their list in pretty strong shape as it is. They include Blake Acres, who adds great run and width on the ground. He gets back and helps defence, which they need, but then he’s also that first kick out of defence. I think he’s a good addition. They’re pretty happy and pretty stable on where they see themselves, now it’s the natural progression on whether they can take that next step and play finals footy next year.”
Foxfooty.com.au trade grade: B+
Has trade period exposed a big problem? | 01:04
COLLINGWOOD
Who left: Brodie Grundy (Melbourne, trade), Ollie Henry (Geelong, trade)
Who arrived: Bobby Hill (GWS, trade), Daniel McStay (Brisbane, free agency), Billy Frampton (Adelaide, trade), Tom Mitchell (Hawthorn, trade)
Draft picks owned: 16, 25, 27, 51
David King says: “I think this is really transitioning into Craig McRae’s list now. He basically picked up a list that was heavily compromised in terms of salary and he really couldn’t make a lot of decisions last year. The first decision he makes is to not invest as much in the ruckman – and then get the speed and turnover game going, which they’re famous for this year. I love the acquisition of Bobby Hill and I think he gets an opportunity in this forward-half to play that blistering speed, back-to-goal game. And maybe I’m against the grain, but I’m a Dan McStay fan and one-on-one his work is really good. He’ll get better opportunities in a different leading pattern in a different way than what he got up north. This system will work for McStay more than the Brisbane system.”
Foxfooty.com.au trade grade: B
MORE AFL TRADE COVERAGE
WHAT YOUR CLUB DID: Every player, pick and deal
TRADE TRACKER: All 34 done deals in the most frantic trade period we’ve seen
DRAFT ORDER: See which picks your club owns after the trade period
ESSENDON
Who left: Aaron Francis (Sydney, trade)
Who arrived: Will Setterfield (Carlton, trade), Sam Weideman (Melbourne, trade)
Draft picks owned: 4, 22, 54, 62, 68, 72
David King says: “He never needs a shower Sam Weideman, he just never gets dirty and invests in the game in its absolute totality. I want to see some urgency from him. Maybe a spark or a shock of being traded to another club can do that and might just be the prod that he needs. There’s an opportunity at Essendon, they’re playing some high-speed footy over the last couple of years and he might be a favoured commodity under Brad Scott. So much change at Essendon – new coach and there will be a new captain. I think it’s a really good list, I don’t think they need to do too much necessarily. Guelfi, Redman, Ridley and Snelling, they’ve all played 60-80 games, they’re going to get better. The under 50 gamers of Draper, Perkins, Caldwell and Jones, you’d expect them to grow substantially. There’s not a lot missing. Their gains are in the coaching and the systematic defensive output of this group. If they can’t get that right, they’ll be the same as what they’ve been for years, but I’d assume that’d be the first port of call for Brad Scott.”
Foxfooty.com.au trade grade: C+
FREMANTLE
Who left: Blake Acres (Carlton, trade), Griffin Logue (North Melbourne, trade), Darcy Tucker (North Melbourne, trade), Rory Lobb (Western Bulldogs, trade), Lloyd Meek (Hawthorn, trade)
Who arrived: Josh Corbett (Gold Coast, trade), Luke Jackson (Fremantle, trade), Jaeger O’Meara (Hawthorn, trade)
Draft picks owned: 44, 67, 76
Brad Johnson says: “I love what Fremantle have been able to achieve over the last couple of years in their build. Their back six is as good as any back six in the competition … you add O’Meara in there with his class, it’s just another tick and bonus to what their line-up already looks like.”
Foxfooty.com.au trade grade: B+
GEELONG CATS
Who left: Cooper Stephens (Hawthorn, trade)
Who arrived: Tanner Bruhn (GWS, trade), Jack Bowes (Gold Coast, trade), Ollie Henry (Collingwood, trade)
Draft picks owned: 7, 58, 64
Brad Johnson says: “The Cats would be absolutely pumped at the moment, getting Tanner Bruhn, Jack Henry, Jack Bowes and Pick 7. They’ve just got these older guys that’ll just go out of their system in the right way and they’ve got these young guys that’ll just come through. When you look at the Cats, it’s nine lives – they just keep standing up. The administration has done a great job in shaping the football club then having the conversations with players and managers around what is being built and the belief that is put there. Now the fact Joel Selwood and Luke Dahlhaus and Shaun Higgins have retired, there’s a smooth transition for Tom Hawkins and Isaac Smith and Zach Tuohy – all of a sudden these guys can enjoy the final part of their career. They step away with the next group coming through.”
David King says: “We haven’t seen the best of Jack Bowes or Tanner Bruhn by a long shot yet, so what can they become in this environment is an exciting sell to those players. They have become the No.1 destination in football, not just because of their winning nature, but the lifestyle and the way Chris Scott has them humming.”
Foxfooty.com.au trade grade: A+
Premiers cap ‘exceptional’ trade period | 01:35
GOLD COAST SUNS
Who left: Josh Corbett (Fremantle, trade), Izak Rankine (Adelaide, trade), Jack Bowes (Geelong, trade)
Who arrived: Ben Long (St Kilda, trade), Thomas Berry (Brisbane, trade)
Draft picks owned: 5, 45, 71, 74
David King says: “Ben Long has been around for a long time – go up there and have an impact. Tom Berry we like. We haven’t seen him absolutely stamp himself, but those are the sorts of players that need to become borderline A-minus type midfielders. I still think the Suns need some AFL assistance and give them a greater salary cap to work with. You have to be real about this that clubs are hovering over the carcass of the Gold Coast Suns and have done for some time.”
Foxfooty.com.au trade grade: D
GWS GIANTS
Who left: Bobby Hill (Collingwood, trade), Tim Taranto (Richmond, trade), Tanner Bruhn (Geelong, trade), Jacob Hopper (Richmond, trade)
Who arrived: Toby Bedford (Melbourne, trade)
Draft picks owned: 1, 15, 18, 19, 31, 57, 61
David King says: “New coach, No.1 pick, lots of optimism – I love what they’ve done. Yeah OK you’ve got to turn the page on a few of those players, ‘Taranto and Hopper want to leave, OK what can we do’. It doesn’t look like a great haul, but they’re high-quality picks: 1, 15, 18 and 19. They’ll get some good players with those. They’ve spoken already about they want players that are going to hang around long-term. But if you look at their last four seasons, they’ve drafted 11 players inside the top 30, which is the most in the competition – that’s where the quality is. I think this will be a small reset over the next two to three years and then they’ll be in the frame again.”
Foxfooty.com.au trade grade: C+
Hawks great stunned by forward swap | 01:54
HAWTHORN
Who left: Jack Gunston (Brisbane, trade), Tom Mitchell (Collingwood, trade), Jaeger O’Meara (Hawthorn, trade)
Who arrived: Karl Amon (Port Adelaide, free agency), Cooper Stephens (Geelong, trade), Lloyd Meek (Fremantle, trade)
Draft picks owned: 6, 24, 41, 48, 50, 52, 65
David King says: “Have a look at that loss of experience … that virtually commits them to a four to six-win season next year. These guys that have left win you games and they show the way Monday to Friday during the week. We’ve seen Gunston win them games, Mitchell has been a Brownlow Medallist. The Hawthorn discussion will go deep.”
Foxfooty.com.au trade grade: D
MELBOURNE
Who left: Jayden Hunt (West Coast, free agency), Toby Bedford (GWS Giants, trade), Luke Jackson (Fremantle, trade), Sam Weideman (Essendon, trade)
Who arrived: Brodie Grundy (Collingwood, trade), Josh Schache (Western Bulldogs, trade), Lachie Hunter (Western Bulldogs, trade)
Draft picks owned: 13, 37
Brad Johnson says: “Hunter goes to Melbourne and I think they like the left-footer in. They’ll have right-footer Langdon on one wing and Hunter on the other side. He’s very good with that 25m to 30m dart and take it on through the corridor as well. I think the other mids he plays with will enjoy that.”
David King says: “I love it. If you’re going to be a contested possession, clearance-based team – you’ve got Clayton Oliver in his prime who’s going to be there for quite some time, Christian Petracca and Jack Viney – if you’re going to have an asset like this, maximise it with the ability to get Grundy. The use of Max Gawn now will be fascinating. They’re going to have the ability to basically do what Geelong did last year – Gawn takes the tap work, goes behind the ball and Grundy becomes a roaming ruckman. I think it’s a terrific acquisition and I’m excited by what Melbourne could do.”
Foxfooty.com.au trade grade: A-
How will Grundy fit into the Dees? | 02:45
NORTH MELBOURNE
Who left: Jason Horne-Francis (Port Adelaide, trade)
Who arrived: Griffin Logue (Fremantle, trade), Darcy Tucker (Fremantle, trade)
Draft picks owned: 2, 3, 40, 43, 59, 70
David King says: “They’ve made the best of a really bad situation. You saw Brady Rawlings before, he’s rung out. The whole football club has been challenged at every port along the way. The AFL assistance of Logue and Tucker will help with Picks 2, 3 and 40. But it’s still at the bottom-end of a rebuild. I think they’ll be putting their hand up again next year for some assistance because I don’t think it was good enough this year – and I’ll go to the grave on that.”
Foxfooty.com.au trade grade: D+
PORT ADELAIDE
Who left: Karl Amon (free agency, Hawthorn)
Who arrived: Jason Horne-Francis (North Melbourne, trade), Junior Rioli (West Coast, trade)
Draft picks owned: 33, 60
David King says: “They’ve done an unbelievable job in the off-season in the last four years … and this year is a boom with Horne-Francis and Rioli. I’m surprised they missed out on Esava Ratugolea at the end, because it just would’ve been the one wildcard for their backline and potentially play a bit of ruck as well. But I don’t know why you’d start in a negative fashion with this list charging forward. Ken would say to the group: ‘We wanted Jason Horne-Francis, here he is. We wanted a specialist crumbing small forward after losing Robbie Gray and, bang, we’ve delivered one straight away’. There’s no reason why they shouldn’t start the year like they finished it full-steam ahead.”
Foxfooty.com.au trade grade: A-
Big Tiger crowds a lure for Hopper | 01:03
RICHMOND
Who left: Nil
Who arrived: Tim Taranto (GWS, trade), Jacob Hopper (GWS, trade)
Draft picks owned: 53, 63
Brad Johnson says: “Top-four Tiges! Because the way they went last year and the strength they have on every line, you add in two guys that are very good around the football in Taranto and Hopper. There could be a really good combination with Taranto and Dustin Martin in terms of midfield-forward. It’s a good make-up here for the Tigers.”
Foxfooty.com.au trade grade: A
ST KILDA
Who left: Ben Long (Gold Coast)
Who arrived: Zaine Cordy (Western Bulldogs, free agency)
Draft picks owned: 9, 28, 32, 47
David King says: “I just worry they’re recruiting to make finals, not win a premiership. Zaine Cordy, nice player but is he really going to shape the future of this footy club? Where’s their big game-changer coming in? We thought Jordan De Goey was that man – that’s who we’re talking about, someone who can come in and shift the fortunes of this footy club. I know it’s difficult to do, but they haven’t been able to do that.”
Foxfooty.com.au trade grade: D+
Kingy shreds the Saints! | 02:09
SYDNEY SWANS
Who left: Nil
Who arrived: Aaron Francis (Essendon, trade)
Draft picks owned: 14, 17, 42, 75
David King says: “He’s (Francis) got the ability to be forward and back, I think a Dane Rampe type role is perfect for him and maybe lessens the load on Dane Rampe. Or does he play on that intercepting defender? He’s classy enough and smart enough to know when to lead and when to mark. Maybe you get an upgrade on (Ryan Clarke). I like what the Swans do, they purposely pick one or two players, they don’t shop extensively through the competition. You generally find that player gets an opportunity at the start of the season, so it’s on Aaron Francis now to become a bona fide AFL player or not.”
Foxfooty.com.au trade grade: B-
WEST COAST EAGLES
Who left: Junior Rioli (Port Adelaide, trade)
Who arrived: Jayden Hunt (Melbourne, free agency)
Draft picks owned: 8, 12, 20, 26
David King says: “Four picks inside 26, you’ve got to start somewhere. You can’t do anything right when you’re at the bottom of the ladder. Hawthorn purged their older players, they’ll get smashed for that. West Coast hang onto theirs, they’ll get smashed for that. So you make your own decisions and you wear your lot. I think this senior core group have the ability to do what Collingwood’s senior core group did this year. Why can’t McGovern come back ripping fit? Nic Naitanui do the same and Yeo, Shuey and Hurn. All these guys come back and say: ‘We’ve seen this work if we take the load of that next level of player.’ We haven’t seen Oscar Allen, we haven’t seen Campbell Chesser. We’ve seen fits and starts of Tim Kelly at his best. I think there’s scope for this group to be a 10-win team next year. The top four picks inside 26, they’re not going to have to do the heavy lifting early. It’s just the start of a rebuild, let’s back off on the anger and the angst, this is a team that won a flag four years ago.”
Foxfooty.com.au trade grade: B-
Hunter joins Dees on deadline day | 01:22
WESTERN BULLDOGS
Who left: Zaine Cordy (St Kilda, free agency), Josh Schache (Melbourne, trade), Lachie Hunter (Melbourne, trade), Josh Dunkley (Brisbane, trade)
Who arrived: Liam Jones (Carlton, free agency), Rory Lobb (Western Bulldogs, trade)
Draft picks owned: 11, 21, 30, 39, 69
David King says: “Structurally, very good with Lobb coming in and Liam Jones coming back to the club. Around the footy, they’re absolutely brilliant and around the edges they’ve got the class as well. Now Jones at full-back will be crucial as that seemed to be the missing piece from this year and then the flexibility Lobb can bring as Tim English can play a little bit differently, Sam Darcy and Aaron Naughton too. The structure could be a little bit different for the Dogs next year.”
Foxfooty.com.au trade grade: C
