There was a time in life when I would just switch off after the final siren of the AFL Grand Final. The race had been won, and the best team held the cup aloft. That was enough for me.
However, as footy increasingly becomes a year-round sport, I have found myself very interested in the post-season comings and goings. Not so much the rumour mill – I’ll leave that to the newsbreakers of the world. However, I do like to examine the deals that have been done, and as I type this, there have been several players who have already left their clubs and signed on with new ones.
Who are they? What have they cost? And what compensation, if any, does the team they left get?
For those people who switch off, even just a little, they can find themselves lost in the shuffle, out of the loop, and a little bamboozled by all the comings and goings. I know – I was that person.
So, to make things easier, your old pal, HB, will list them here for you, from Monday the 6th of October through to the end of trade period.
Before I begin, and if you already know this stuff, you can skip it, but I often get comments asking why such-and-such team would let a player go.
Well, at this stage, some of the players mentioned are free agents. They can pick and choose where they want to go, with one difference.
An Unrestricted Free Agent can go wherever he likes and the club he is leaving has no say in it. They will be compensated by the league, which is a stupid rule, and compromises the whole free agency process, as well as further compromising an already-compromised draft, but it is what it is.
A Restricted Free Agent can also choose where he wants to go, but if his current club so chooses, they can match the offer from the new club… and force them to trade for him. This rarely happens, as clubs don’t play this type of hard ball, and more often than not, allow the player to go off tho their new home.
Got that?
Cool – let’s jump on in.
WEEK TWO
DAY ONE
Wow… what a day. Imagine having a job where you sit and report on trades, you come in after a weekend of the clubs yapping and chatting, and what you end up with is a pick swap, followed by two uninspiring deals. You may wish to re-evaluate your career path. Anyway…
Not even gonna write a section about the Dogs and GWS pick swap. It leaves the Dogs with two positions higher in the first round, and GWS with a later second rounder.
WILL BRODIE TO PORT ADELAIDE
WHAT DID IT COST?
Wait for it… pick 103.
Yep, tis was just a way of saying “goodbye and good luck” to Brodie, who came in, had a good year, and has been forced out by others with better presents and better futures.
WHAT DO FREO GET?
For reference, the 2024 AFL Draft was concluded following pick 71. So, what Freo get is a pick they likely won’t ever have to use.
WHAT DOES IT MEAN FOR PORT?
Not a lot. Some depth, and maybe some inside relief for Ollie Wines. Other than that, a andy SANFL player?
TYLAR YOUNG TO WEST COAST
WHAT DID IT COST?
Pick 38, which will likely blow out well into the forties once academy and father/son selections are taken.
WHAT DO RICHMOND GET?
More draft capital, but picks in the 40s are very hit/miss, so they were essentially letting a player go who wanted to go home.
WHAT DOES IT MEAN FOR THE EAGLES?
I like this deal – a good, young defender who can play key position, and the Eagles desparately need help in that area.
He may not end up being Mr Right for the club, but at this stage, he is pretty good as Mr Right-Now. Good pick up.
DAY FIVE
BEN AINSWORTH TO CARLTON
COREY DURDIN TO PORT ADELAIDE
WHAT DID IT COST?
A couple of second-rounders were lost and gained here, with the Blues parting with next year’s second rounder, and Port offloading this year’s pick 29 (currently)
WHAT DO THE SUNS GET?
In losing Ainsworth, the Suns are compensated with Pick 29. A fair price for a player that has not delivered on what he promised.
WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO THE BLUES?
If Ainsworth can play well, it solves their small forward issues. He has kicked 20+ goals on three occasions, but never over 25. The talent is there, but the production has not been. I’d want 30 goals from him, which may sound unrealistic, but he has the capacity to return something like that. I like this from the Blues.
WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO THE POWER?
Hard to gauge. Durdin wasn’t working at Carlton, and there are no guarantees he will work at Port, either. He is 23, and without Willie Rioli in the mix, should get plenty of opportunities. Has never kicked over 15 goals in a season, so he best bring the heat, defensively.
CAMPBELL CHESSER TO CARLTON
WHAT DID IT COST?
Not much. This is a hit in hope for the Blues, sending a “maybe” in pick 41 to West Coast, and receiving a “maybe” in return, in the form of Chesser. I don’t think anyone at Ikon Park is slapping anyone on the back regarding this pickup.
WHAT DO WEST COAST GET?
A second round pick – pick 41. This demonstrates how far Chesser’s value has fallen over the last three seasons.
WHAT DOES IT MEAN FOR THE BLUES?
My jury is out. Chesser has shown bugger all at the Eagles, and whilst a lot of that comes down to being injured, we haven’t seen as many glimpses of elite talent as I’d like.
The Blues are taking a pretty safe gamble here. They’re giving up bugger all, in the hope Chesseer comes good.
BRODY MIHOCEK TO MELBOURNE
WHAT DID IT COST?
A late pick, usually of no consequence
WHAT DO THE PIES GET?
An improved third round draft pick. Basically, they traded pick 71 to the Dees with Mihocek and got pick 61 back.
WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO THE DEES?
Well, I would have loved this move a couple of years ago, and I would have loved it more if the Dees had a young forward ready to take the next step, as Mihocek can and will take the heat in marking contests to enable opportunities for others.
But which others?
If Mihocek is to play the Dermott Brereton in 1995 role, then who is the Sav Rocca? It has to be Jacob van Rooyen, right? He needs to step up and utilise this time, with a hard working, veteran forward alongside him.
DAY FOUR
MAX HEATH TO MELBOURNE
WHAT DID IT COST?
The Dees parted with their highly-sought-after 2027 fourth round pick. How will they get by?
WHAT DO THE SAINTS GET?
A future fourth round, which likely represents the value Heath has at the moment. Hopefully, he is able to build on his value at the Dees.
WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO THE DEES
Another backup in case the weight of carrying the footy club becomes too much for Max Gawn and he compltely breaks down.
LIAM RYAN TO ST KILDA
WHAT DID IT COST?
The Saints give up their 2026 second rounder (which’ll likely be 30+)
WHAT DO THE EAGLES GET?
Not a hell of a lot. They basically upgrade their third round pick to a second round pick, but at 29, Ryan was never going to command a big price.
WHAT DOES IT MEAN FOR THE SAINTS?
Look, it largely depends on whether they have a motivated version of Ryan, or a bloke who wants to sit in the forward pocket, try to take hangers, and chase only when he has to.
If they get a motivated version, he is one of the best, and importantly, most effective inside 50 tacklers in the league, and his aerial capabilities mean you cannot sag off him. I like this from the Saints – uit frees up Jack Higgins to be more of a crumbing forward, as well.
DAY THREE
OSCAR ALLEN TO BRISBANE
WHAT DID IT COST?
Well, we can look at the trade below and see what it really cost, but on the surface here, it is a free hit for the Lions.
WHAT DO THE EAGLES GET?
Just the lazy second pick in the draft as compensation for a loss they were quite happy to incur.
Another jumpstart to their rebuild… probably the wrong term, but they get a nice little push-along from both pick one and two coming their way.
WHAT DOES IT MEAN FOR THE LIONS?
The rich get richer… if all works out.
Allen has not been the most reliable in terms of his body, but if he gets himself right, Brisbane have just picked up a very capable young-ish forward to pair with the returning Eric Hipwood. Really, the upgrade from Sam Day to Allen is huge.
They lost the Big O, and the Medium-Sized O wanders in straight away to pick up the slack. If he stays healthy, a brilliant get.
SAM FLANDERS TO ST KILDA
WHAT DID IT COST?
The Saints part with Pick Seven to get the deal done. A hefty price, but based on their needs, a pretty fair one.
WHAT DO THE SUNS GET?
The Suns bolster their 2025 draft stocks, and at the time of writing, hold picks six, seven, 14, and 17 in the first round. They’re gonna get Petracca with a couple of those picks, but should still have a top ten pick left. Great work.
WHAT DOES IT MEAN FOR THE SAINTS?
Oh, the Saints are gearing up for a big run, here. If not 2026, then 2027 will be a cracker, for them. Flanders adds some class. Whether they choose to throw him into the guts, or into a rotation with Jack Sinclair, and Nasiah Wanganeen-Milera, running all three through both onball and half-back roles, the Saints get a reliable player who can accumulate plenty of the footy.
It takes the pressure off Big Wang, inasmuch as he can go about his business, without having to be the be-all and end-all of the St Kilda run and carry. I like this move, and it’ll likely give Flanders plenty to work with. Given what we saw from him back in 2024, he has some excellent footy to give the Saints.
BRANDON STARCEVICH TO THE EAGLES
And now it gets complicated…
WHAT DID IT COST?
FREO – PICKS 12, 33, 44, 50
WEST COAST – PICKS 16, 22, 23
BRISBANE – STARCEVICH, PICKS, 19, 46, 52
WHAT DO THE LIONS GET?
Brisbane get Picks 16, 22, 44, and 50. Why is this important? I’ll get to that.
WHAT DO FREO GET?
Pick 19, 23, and 46
AND WEST COAST?
Starcevich, Picks 12, 33, 52
WHAT DOES IT MEAN FOR THE EAGLES?
They get the defender they wanted, but I am really, really wary of Starcevich as an investment, and I hope like hell this doesn’t come back to bite West Coast if he gets a head knock, or two. It improves their incredibly leaky defence, and gives them a lockdown defender who can play multiple roles on medium and small forwards.
AND FREO?
They turn pick 23 to Judd McVee (see below) and have a seven-spot downgrade in the draft
AND BRISBANE?
They get two first round picks (16 and 22) and those late picks will come in handy to match any bids on Daniel Annable
JUDD MCVEE TO FREO
WHAT DID IT COST?
It costs the Dockers pick 23. Nothing to worry about, here, as Freo have entered the ‘win now’ phase with this group. An early second-rounder doesn’t mean too much in the grand scheme of things.
WHAT DO THE DEES GET?
It moves the Dees back into the draft, and with expected deals for Clayton Oliver and Christian Petracca, the second of which will net them a good pick, they can start to look at securing another high-quality young player.
WHAT DOES IT MEAN FOR THE DOCKERS?
Depth, and a fair bit of pressure taken off the shoulders of Jordan Clark.
McVee started 2025 injured, so accordingly, his form was down as he worked his way into the Dees’ team. However, as a rebounding defender, he has shown plenty over the last couple of seasons, and I’d automatically have him slotting in as the second option to move the ball out of defensive 50 for Freo.
Yeah, that means that Luke Ryan may not get the numbers he is used to getting, but it could also make Ryan a better defender, as a result.
DAY TWO
LIAM REIDY TO CARLTON
WHAT DID IT COST
Not much. A couple of pick swaps, was all it took to get Reidy into Navy Blue
WHAT DO THE DOCKERS GET?
This is a bit of a nothing trade for Freo. They slightly improve draft position in the later rounds (they go from pick 53 to 50, and 71 to 68) but that’s about it. I reckon they’re just giving the big fella a chance to play senior footy. No way he is leapfrogging either of Jackson or Darcy.
WHAT DOES IT MEAN FOR THE BLUES?
They get a backup ruck to Marc Pittonet, but that’s about all he is going to be.
When watching Reidy in his limited game time in 2024/25, it was clear that he had a lot of work to do, as he was clearly beaten around the ground. That may have been a tank issue, and the Blues will be wanting him to get some kilometres into the legs pretty quickly.
MALCOLM ROSAS TO SYDNEY
WHAT DID IT COST?
It’s one of those with late pick swaps, as Rosas’ value has plummeted over the last year or so.
The Swans end up parting with picks 51 and 69 (dude!), but they get pick 62 back.
WHAT DO THE SUNS GET?
Late picks they’ll likely end up banking for yet more Academy kids. If so, I am not one of those people who are against it – good luck to them. At 24, Rosas wasn’t likely to crack their best 23 unless there were a rash of injuries.
WHAT DOES IT MEAN FOR THE SWANS?
Outside of Tom Papley, the Swans really don’t have a small forward of note. Papley had just ten goals in 2025, as injury set him back far too often. If he experiences anything even remotely similar in 2025, the Swans will at least have someone to slot in and perhaps make a difference. As close as you can get to a free hit for the Swans.
DAY ONE
JACK SILVAGNI TO ST KILDA
WHAT DID IT COST?
Well, the answer here will be common in the first stages of the trade/free agency period, as all players moving at this point are either restricted or unrestricted free agents. So, it costs the Saints nothing.
WHAT DO THE BLUES GET?
Due to the nature of the deal, the Blues have received an end-of-first-round pick… which at the time was Pick 19. It has already blown out to pick 21, as there are other compensation picks being awarded.
Pretty crap, huh?
WHAT DOES IT MEAN FOR THE SAINTS?
It gives them a really solid, versatile defender. JSOS can play tall or medium, and in a pinch, has shown the ability to swing forward and create a problematic matchup inside 50.
The downside here is that Jack has only played 20+ games twice in his career, with 16 games the best over his last two seasons. Still, in a defence that struggled for height, he will help… somewhat, I but I still get the feeling that the Saints need either Dougal Howard to have an injury-free season, or they have to pick up a decent key defender to stand in the hole and allow Wilkie and Silvagni to go to work.
JAMES WORPEL TO GEELONG
WHAT DID IT COST?
Nothing, as above. He is a former Geelong Falcon, and he is going “home”. Hell, I tipped this a couple of years ago and got called out on it. Lucky I am a patient man…
WHAT DO THE HAWKS GET?
Not that much. Worpel is not a marquee player, and his deal with the Cats reflects this. As such, the Hawks picked up an end-of-second-round compensation pick, which was pick 39, but is now 41. Blegh!
WHAT DOES IT MEAN FOR THE CATS?
Worpel’s game is on the inside, and with Danger starting to tire, he slots right in alongside Tom ‘Atkins as a midfield workhorse, ready to feed the footy out to Max Holmes and everyone’s favourite Cat, Bailey Smith.
On Danger, his Preliminary Final effort was monstrous, but he couldn’t back it up. Worpel provides the constant presence in there that allows Danger, in the twilight of his brilliant career, to pinch hit and not have to do the crashing and bashing to get the Cats over the line. An astute pickup from Geelong, as always.
TOM DE KONING TO THE SAINTS
WHAT DID IT COST?
Nada, nothing, zero… a free hit for the Saints. Except for the mountains of cash they’re paying him, I guess.
WHAT DO THE BLUES GET?
Something decent.
The Saints opened the warchest (maybe they borrowed it from North Melbourne, who used to open it a lot and never pay anyone) and shelled out big bucks for TDK. That means the compensation for the Blues was always going to be good.
It gets a bit messy, as the Blues traded away their first pick, but the league awarded them a compensation pick right after where that original pick should have been, landing them pick nine in this year’s draft. That’ll be very handy if they want to prise someone out of another club…
WHAT DOES IT MEAN FOR THE SAINTS?
The jury is out, but the majority seem to think the incoming ruck changes will greatly advantage athletic rucks who like to leap at the footy, and that is De Koning’s wheelhouse.
He is very good overhead, runs like a gazelle. Forget his last half of 2025 – he’d already checked out of Carlton – and have a look at the first half of his season. In six of his first 12 games, he picked up games comprising 20+ disposals and 20+ hit outs.
That’s a difference-maker.
The only problem is that it appears as though it is going to cost the Saints Rowan Marshall, who I have always thought was a pretty good ruck, in his own right.
SAM DRAPER TO BRISBANE
WHAT DID IT COST?
Nothing. Notice a pattern, here? As I said – free agents only, so far.
WHAT DO THE BOMBERS GET?
Similar to the Silvagni compensation at Carlton, the Bombers snag an end-of-first-round pick, and that currently sits at Pick 20.
Sadly, it leaves them with a massive hole in the ruck, as Todd Goldstein has applied for the pension, and Nick Bryan is recovering from an ACL injury.
WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO BRISBANE?
The Big O hangs them up, and Draper waltzes on in to take his place alongside Darcy Fort. The saloon doors are swinging at Brisbane.
Assuming he gets fit and stays fit (I have always wondered whether Draper works hard enough), he will be a huge addition to an already-powerful team. He is an upgrade on Fort, and will give the Brisbane mids plenty of first use.
JACOB WEHR TO PORT ADELAIDE
WHAT DID IT COST?
Another free agent moving, so there is no cost to Port.
WHAT DO THE GIANTS GET?
Bugger all, which means he’s not exactly breaking the bank for Port to acquire him.
WHAT DOES IT MEAN FOR PORT?
Hmmm, he’s not a game changer, by any stretch. Handy out on a wing, or a flank, but with four seasons under his belt, he is ready-made and will give Port more run and carry. It will be interesting to see whether he is one of those players who thrives with a little more opportunity, or perhaps we’ll find out exactly why those opportunities were not forthcoming at GWS.
CHARLIE SPARGO JOINS NORTH MELBOURNE
WHAT DID HE COST?
Another free agency pick up – costs North nothing.
WHAT DO THE DEES GET?
Spargo gets a nice payday, which means the Dees pick up an end-of-second-round selection, which will be in the 40+ region. I see it as a win for them.
WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO NORTH?
Well, it gives North another small forward to play with, as the addition of Jacob Konstanty last year added pace and pressure, but the bloke could barely hit the ocean from the beach both with his kicking at goal, and field kicking, as well.
Spargo has struggled to crack the Dees’ best team, playing largely behind Kozzie Pickett, so we can see this move for what it is – opportunity to play senior footy.
Check back here for updates as the days progress… and then watch me have to type like a maniac on the last day of trade period to update all the deals that have been stalled for two bloody weeks.
As always, massive thanks to those who support this work. You can see the amount of care that goes into it. I love footy, I love writing about it, and I hope you enjoy reading it. Without you, this whole thing falls over. Sincerely… thank you – HB
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