Most seasons in the AFL’s trade period, there are some big names that are traded to other clubs. But this year there has been more than ever.
And many of them leaving their clubs with time to run on their current contracts.
The amount of movement and audacious trading, recruiting and swapping of picks between clubs has also been helped by a reduction in the duration of the trade period.
In recent seasons, it has generally gone three weeks and the first two weeks are usually spent either making, hearing or quashing rumours, before the last frantic few days.
This year it was 10 days, which was perfect, with something happening most days. As usual, there were bombshells like Western Bulldogs skipper Ryan Griffen wanting out of the Dogs and requesting a trade to Greater Western Sydney.
The Bulldogs of course the next day had to also contend with the resignation of coach, Brendan McCartney, but were bold when pushing for a direct swap between Griffen and last year’s number one pick – Tom Boyd.
The Giants refused that trade, but the Dogs still got Boyd – although they gave up plenty. Their first pick in the draft six went to Griffen. Boyd signed a multi-million dollar contract, stunning for a player who is yet to turn 20 and hasn’t played 10 games.
It’s a risk, because Boyd is yet to prove himself, but for the Dogs to be able to entice a highly sought after player back to Victoria just a year into his career, when the majority of the other nine Victorian clubs would have also been keen to get him, is a win for one of the competition’s smaller and lower profile teams.
However, the loss of two of their most experienced and best outside midfielders in Griffen and Adam Cooney to Essendon ensures it will be another year of development for the Bulldogs.
Three teams did nothing, Fremantle, West Coast and Richmond. The Tigers have in particular been a willing participant in the free agency and trade periods in the past few years but have seemingly decided it’s time to develop and nurture more young talent.
The Giants again have done well with three picks in the top ten, adding pick six to pick four after giving away Boyd to the Dogs and also receiving the seventh selection from Carlton for another young tall Kristian Jaksch and Mark Whiley.
As well as getting the established star, Griffen, they got one of the best defenders in the competition in Joel Patfull. Patfull is the dual best and fairest winner from Brisbane, who proved that 12 months is an eternity in football.
Last year’s trade period was a disaster, with the Lions losing all of those first and second round draft picks from 2010 and 2011 like Billy Longer and Jared Polec – along with Sam Docherty and Elliot Yeo to the go home factor.
However, their replacements all draft picks inside the top 40 have been more than handy, with one of them, Lewis Taylor winning the rising star.
This year, the Lions attracted two of the League’s leading midfielders, who wanted to move to Queensland for personal reasons in Dayne Beams from Collingwood and Geelong’s Allen Christensen.
Brisbane had to compete against the young and exciting list that Gold Coast is putting together but they won the battle.
It’s a tremendous midfield now at the Lions, with Beams and Christensen joining Tom Rockliff, Pearce Hanley, Daniel Rich and Jack Redden – who both missed large chunks of this season through injury – Taylor and fellow youngster and high draft pick, James Aish.
They still need tall forwards and by giving up pick five for Beams they might have missed out on a very good young one in either Peter Wright or Pat McCartin, but it’s still been a profitable draft for Brisbane.
Port Adelaide has again starred. They targeted disgruntled Bomber Ryder and despite Essendon again playing hard ball, Port got their man. Their quest for a premiership is almost complete.
He and Matthew Lobbe will share the ruck duties, with Ryder also spending some time down forward with fellow talls in Justin Westhoff and Jay Schulz combining with the best medium and small forwards in the caper in Robbie Gray, Chad Wingard and Angus Monfries.
Good luck to opposition defences stopping Port in 2015.
Gecko
Guest
Dougie, attacking Bucks is one thing. But attacking Presti is slanderous!
TomC
Roar Guru
I don't know about 'big game player', but I do think Lumumba struggles when the Pies aren't on top. Agreed on Beams, Gecko. An extremely successful first few years of his career. Probably amongst the top three or four players in the league under 25.
Pumping Dougie
Guest
Gecko, I said Beams was an 'A-'. That still makes him an A Grader doesn't it? Or do you Collingwood supporters have trouble with the alphabet? Beams may well become a champion, but he hasn't quite acquired that label yet. "Champions" are blokes who wear a hard tag each week and still dominate. They are blokes who under all the weight of expectation and opposition scrutiny, continually stand up in big games. Swan and Pendlebury are both champions and have both consantly worn the attention of opposition tags, which has allowed Beams to play well. He's about to go to an environment where he will become the number one target of opposition clubs, and if he continues to perform well under those circumstances and influence games regularly, then he will earn the tag champion. As for Lemumba, is he the same bloke as Harry O? He's been a good player, but not a champion. You sound like the kind of Collingwood supporter that thinks Simon Prestigiacomo is a champion. You probably also stick fat by Nathan Buckley (like Essendon supporters do with Hird), despite overwhelming evidence that all the players want to walk out the door. At Bulldog land, if all the players want to walk out the door, we tell them to p...ss off and shove teh coach out with them! Ha, ha.
New York Hawk
Roar Rookie
Beams is an A+ midfielder no question and easily in the top 10 midfielders in the game. Maybe an injury-effected year in 2014, but 2012 and 2013 were seasons to behold. Brisbane pulled off a huge win with him and the Pies are going to be bottom four in 2015 now.
Dexter The Hamster
Guest
hahaha classic that guy who played in the '54 grand final and got a few touches....
Dexter The Hamster
Guest
Not many are...
alicesprings
Guest
I wonder how many years of failed seasons before Eddie sacks Bucks…no finals next year thats for sure!
Radelaide
Guest
Yeah I've heard about his Ross Lyon style of coaching but he can still implement it even after having the youngsters stripped by the AFL clubs and right about now the Bulldogs would rather be playing boring finals football than not at all.
In the outer
Guest
Greenwood will need to continue the strong form that he demonstrated for the first time during 2014, as Varcoe and Crisp will undoubtedly join the group of abysmal failures recruited during the Buckley malaise; including Lynch, White, Karnesis, Armstrong and Young, further compounding the recent departure of elite mid-fielder Beams, Lumumba and Ball. Despite all of the hype from Collingwood management, the future is decidedly dim for the Pies, who will continue to languish under Buckley and are certain to miss the finals again during 2015, 2016 and beyond.
Gecko
Guest
Dougie I'm not sold on your ratings of Beams and Lumumba. Very few midfielders of Beams' age have the record of consistency that Beams has. Only 24 years old and already 110 games. In his last four finals games, he's registered 28, 30, 27 (and total 18 tackles) in 2012, and 29 (and 8 tackles) in 2013. That's big performances in his 4 most recent big games. Also, in the Pies' last good year, 2012, Beams won the Copeland trophy. As a goal-kicking midfielder, the only reason he doesn't get tagged more often is because the Pies also have Pendlebury, arguably the 2nd best midfielder in the comp. Beams is an A-grader. As for All-Australian Lumumba, is a grand final a big game? Try reading the Age analysis of the Pies' 2010 premiership win (http://www.theage.com.au/afl/afl-news/collingwood-ends-premiership-drought-20101002-161ka.html), which says "Collingwood had a wealth of good players in today's re-match, most notably Scott Pendlebury (29 possessions), ruckman Darren Jolly, the dangerous Steele Sidebottom, defender Harry O'Brien and defender Nathan Brown, who did a sterling job on Riewoldt." Just how do you Bulldogs supporters determine who's a big game player?
Alicesprings
Guest
In time it may. By the time 2016 comes around I dare say that the top midfields in the comp will be: Giants Suns Lions Port
Nudge
Guest
The reason it was stunning was because he brought his AFL play book of flooding and zoning which other SANFL clubs hadn't seen first hand before. The grandfinal wins he coached Norwood too were the most boring dull games I have ever witnessed. Terribly overrated coach
Thomas
Guest
Maybe more like the Bears midfield circa 95/96 that would later grow into the three - peat midfield.
Radelaide
Guest
I agree Dougie, I think they did well since Beams and Lumumba didn't want to be there but I'm not sold on Buckley.
Radelaide
Guest
Hawthorn. Hodge #1, Roughead #2, Ellis and Croad #3 (both part of the 2008 winning team), Franklin #5, Lewis #7, Burgoyne and Rioli #12, Birchall #14, the only stars who weren't first rounders are Sewell and Mitchell. Geelong. Selwood and Mackie #7, Bartel #8, Ablett and Hawkins would've been #1's if not for f/s and Scarlett would've been high first rounder if not for f/s. Saints also had high draft picks when they were strong, but my point is it's got to do with coaches. Ross Lyon was midfield coach to Sydney in their grand final years of 05 & 06 and as a head coach has made the top 8 6 of 7 times with 2 clubs only missing out in his first year (Sydney's team defense reminds me of the way his Saints and Fremantle teams play). Alastair Clarkson won a premiership in his first year at Central Districts in the SANFL, he was assistant coach at Port when they finished top in 03 &04 and left the week before Port won the grand final to join Hawthorn where he took them from cellar dwellers to 5th in his 3rd year and then premiers a year later. Ken Hinkley took 2 different country league teams to premierships including one back to back before joining Geelong as a senior assistant in 04 where he helped build up the Cats into the team they became before joining Port and getting instant results with a team that the year before were a rabble. Leigh Matthews took 4 years to break Collingwoods 40 year drought but only 2 years to take Brisbane (admittedly a stronger team) to a 3 peat. That is why I advocate Nathan Bassett should be given a chance (possibly at the Dogs because they are all young and there are no older blokes to push back against his unorthodox ways), but will they trust him with their $7 million man? His succes at Norwood was stunning and instant just like Lyon, Clarko and Hinkley.
Pumping Dougie
Guest
Beams is an A- midfielder and O'Brien is a B- footballer. Beams hasn't semented his reputation with big performances in big games yet. Neither are "champions". Picking up pick 5, Levi Greenwood and Darcy Moore is a great return for two players who wanted out. The Trade system is now heavily slanted in favour of teams who players want to go to. All players that wanted to leave their club, resulted in a more favourable deal for the team they were going to, than the team tehy were coming from (except Melbourne getting pick 3 for Frawley, but they was because of AFL intervention and sympathy).
TomC
Roar Guru
Interestingly, Dwayne Russell called them the 'trade period premiers' on the radio this morning. Bemusing. But then he's been something of a Collingwood sycophant for a long time. Strange, for a former Geelong player. I'm with you, Jake. This season Collingwood seemed to have very few players you could trust with ball in hand. They probably needed another inside midfielder, which they've got in Greenwood, but it's beyond me why they wanted two outside players with doubtful disposal in Varcoe and Crisp. You'd think they'd learn their lesson from Clinton Young.
Axle an the Guru
Guest
Just a continuation of the toboggan Collingwood has been on Jake since Lord Buckley has taken the reigns.
Balthazar
Guest
Other than your pick 4, pick 5, pick 6 and pick 7? I think that just proves my point... the teams you'll be competing with in 2015 won't have had players anywhere near those kinds of picks (except Heeney who I assume won't be ready next year)
Jake
Guest
Well, Collingwood just got bent over. A bunch of list cloggers with kicking efficiency below AFL averages and loosing two champions, with great efficiency rates.