A four-team deal has seen Jeremy Howe move to Collingwood, Jimmy Toumpas go to Port Adelaide, Ben Kennedy join Melbourne, and Paul Seedsman arrive at Adelaide, along with an exchange of draft picks.
In terms of draft picks, the deal sees Adelaide lose pick 32 which goes to Port Adelaide, while Port gives picks 29 and 50 to Melbourne, and pick 68 to Collingwood.
To simplify that, here’s how the trade looks for each club.
Adelaide
In: Paul Seedsman
Out: Pick 32
Collingwood
In: Jeremy Howe, pick 68
Out: Ben Kennedy, Paul Seedsman
Melbourne
In: Ben Kennedy, picks 29 and 50
Out: Jeremy Howe, Jimmy Toumpas
Port Adelaide
In: Jimmy Toumpas, pick 32
Out: Picks 29, 50 and 68
Port Adelaide look to be the major winners of the deal, securing Toumpas, a former number 4 draft pick, for the low cost of a downgrade from 29 to 32 and two late picks.
Toumpas finished his time at Melbourne having played 27 games for the club without really showing a lot of the promise that saw the Demons pick up early in the 2012 draft.
He requested a trade home to South Australia at the end of this year, and Port will be hoping to see him flourish in his new environment.
“Jimmy was an elite junior who has a great ability to run and carry and we believe he can become a really strong member of our side,” said Port’s general manager of football Chris Davies.
“He’s a terrific young man and we look forward to him to working hard to develop his football and maximise his talent.”
Adelaide also look to have done fairly well from the deal, securing Paul Seedsman for a fair price at pick 32.
Seedsman was drafted by the Magpies at pick 76 in the 2010 draft, and finishes his time at Collingwood having played 49 games for the club.
No doubt the most memorable will be his performance on ANZAC Day this year which saw him win the ANZAC Medal, only to be dropped mid-season.
“We identified Paul as a young man who could really add value to our group, so we’re thrilled that he’s chosen to join our club,” said Crows head of football David Noble.
“Paul’s a good size. He has a penetrating kick and loves to take the game on. He also showed earlier in the year that he can stand up on the big stage.
“Importantly, Paul wants to get better and we think he can develop into a consistent and damaging player for our club for many years to come.”
Collingwood lost two players in the deal, but also landed the most experienced player of the bunch, securing Jeremy Howe.
Howe played his 100th game for Melbourne in the final round of 2015, but now heads to the Magpies who hope to use him as a forward-cum-midfielder.
Of course, if you know Howe for anything, it’s for his magnificent hangers.
“Jeremy is an elite endurance runner with fantastic speed and an exceptional ability to mark overhead,” said Collingwood’s list manager, Derek Hine.
“He is also an extremely durable athlete who has only missed one game since making his debut in 2011, and has finished in the top ten of Melbourne’s best and fairest count the last four years.
“With 100 games under his belt he will provide experience and support for our core group of players we have coming through around that 40-70 game mark, while still having a lot of growth in his footy as well.”
Melbourne also lost two players in the deal but secured midfielder Ben Kennedy and another top 30 pick in the upcoming 2015 draft.
Kennedy played 25 games for Collingwood after joining the Magpies as a first-round draft pick in 2012, but sought a trade looking for more opportunity after struggling to get games this year.
“Our recruiters rated him highly during his 2012 draft year and we now get him at a good time after being in an AFL system for three years,” said Melbourne’s football manager Josh Mahoney.
“He will bring competitiveness and speed into our team and will assist the likes of Jeff Garlett, Jay Kennedy-Harris and Dean Kent in the forward half.
“By packaging up the Howe and Toumpas trades, it has allowed us to get the best overall net outcome for the club. It also gives us the picks needed to facilitate further trades before Thursday’s trade deadline.”
Dalgety Carrington
Roar Guru
Do they have the tatt station next to the massage table or do they have it more strategically nestled in behind the reception desk?
Dalgety Carrington
Roar Guru
He's actually from Echuca, but was mates with Viney apparently. Still a mystery as to how the Demons didn't put him on their list. I agree it'd be a massive departure from Port and they'd be doing all they can to keep him, but as you say they'll probably have a bit of salary cap space tied up around the place.
Paul D
Roar Guru
I hadn’t heard that one – that would be a bitter pill for Port, given he’s a local lad. But I gather they are at bursting point on their salary cap, and if they do wind up signing Dixon they may find themselves with some key names leaving for more $ next year. Gee they wouldn’t want him to go though.
Dalgety Carrington
Roar Guru
Yeah, just did a brief post about the Toumpas/Wines intersection on the trades dialogue. There is some buzz around Wines being a flight risk for next year though and some Melbourne clubs wafting the sweet scent of hefty moolah his way.
Paul D
Roar Guru
Another indictment on the shambles that was Melbourne’s drafting over the previous 6-7 years. They took Toumpas ahead of Wines, and now Port Adelaide has both of them for a bargain price. The club is going somewhere, but I doubt very much it’s going to be fast or far enough to sustain any interest in them long-term. If this rebuild fails and they don’t turn into a competitive side I reckon they’re stuffed. 20-25 years of mediocrity will mean a whole generation of fans has been lost.
Jamie Radford
Roar Pro
Most players at Collingwood can be identified by their tatts - name tags not necessary. Holden Centre is pretty big, but at least Aish won't need a boat to get around the place.
Dalgety Carrington
Roar Guru
I think you guys are going to have to provide name tags when they start training again at Collingwood. Perhaps also hire a tour guide at the Whatever Centre as there'll be quite a lot of new faces trying to find their way around.
Graeme D
Guest
This is a really interesting mega trade and its hard to pick which club has come out of it best. Any of the four clubs could turn out as the winner in a year or two. Toumpas and Kennedy probably have the most upside so it could be great for Melbourne and Port. My money is on Kennedy to thrive the most. He has suffered from having too many similar types to compete with at Collingwood, but there will be less so at Melbourne. I reckon it was a surprise when he slipped through to pick 19 in 2012 so there probably wasn't a lot between he and Toumpas in that draft year. Of the others, Seedsman should add some depth to the Crows without being a standout and Howe similar. Its a bit hard to know what role Howe will play apart from standing on Travis Cloke's head.
Jamie Radford
Roar Pro
Wasn't sure about this one when I first heard about it, but warming to it pretty quickly. Will be used either as a wing or high half forward depending on whose report you believe. In his first year and a half kicked 37 goals, which considering how well Melbourne were going is a pretty good return for a first and second year player.