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Your club's best trade of the 21st century: Part 3 - GWS, Hawthorn, Melbourne and North Melbourne

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Roar Rookie
7th April, 2022
5

Welcome to the third instalment of who your club’s most beneficial trade acquisition has been since 2000.

GWS – Shane Mumford (114 games from 2014-2021)
During the 2013 trade period, the enforcer referred to as ‘Mummy’ was traded across the harbour to GWS in exchange for pick 35 (Toby Nankervis) in the AFL draft.

Mumford’s departure from the Bloods was a by-product of the Swans’ record-breaking signing of Lance Franklin.

He would make an instant impact upon arrival at the Giants, named in the club’s leadership group ahead of the 2014 season and also winning the club’s best and fairest award in the same year.

Mumford was not only viewed as a ruckman and spiritual leader by the Giants’ developing midfield brigade, but also an 108-kilogram battering ram and intimidating presence, which made opposition midfielders slightly on edge.

The 2012 premiership player was instrumental in the Giants’ unlikely surge towards a maiden grand final appearance in 2019, with his negating role on the Pies’ star ruckman Brodie Grundy in the preliminary final victory being critically important.

Shane Mumford

(Photo by Sarah Reed/AFL Photos via Getty Images)

Although Toby Nankervis is a three-time premiership player with Richmond, the acquisition of a seasoned, battle-hardened ruckman like Mumford was vital in taking some physical heat off the Giants’ young ruck stocks and enabling them to slowly transition into AFL footy.

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Other candidates: Heath Shaw was traded from Collingwood to the Giants in a direct swap, which saw Taylor Adams head to the Pies.

Although Shaw was a welcomed addition to the Giants’ inexperienced back six, with his on-field mentoring and leadership being evident, Adams has been an integral part of Collingwood’s midfield in the past few seasons.

He also became vice-captain of the club, ensuring this was a win-win deal for both clubs.

Hawthorn – Josh Gibson (160 games from 2010-2017)
Gibson was traded to the Hawks during the 2009 trade period alongside pick 69 (which Hawthorn used to draft fellow premiership defender Taylor Duryea) in exchange for pick 25 (Aaron Black) and pick 41 (Ayden Kennedy).

Gibson quickly became a defensive pillar in the club’s sustained success throughout the early to mid 2010s.

Considering the key defender would finish his career in 2017 as a triple premiership player, the fact he was acquired for the loss of just two mid-tier draft picks – neither of which really came to fruition for North Melbourne – made this an emphatic trade win for the Hawks.

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At a time when Hawthorn were in desperate need of key defenders, especially after the premature retirement of Trent Croad due to injury, Gibson repaid the faith shown by the club and then some.

At just 189 centimetres, he regularly played undersized against the competition’s monster key forwards and more often than not neutralised, if not won, the overall battle.

He was also renowned for leaving his direct opponent to go across and assist one of his fellow defenders in the air by being the third man in and killing the contest.

Gibson’s list of achievements in the brown and gold should not be understated, winning the club’s best and fairest award in two of the premiership years (2013 and 2015), as well as being selected at back pocket in the 2015 All Australian team.

Other candidates: No club has fared better at the trade table since 2000, making this selection incredibly difficult.

Shaun Burgoyne was traded to the club from Port Adelaide alongside pick 58 in a three-way deal also involving Essendon. He finished a 250-game, three-time premiership player with the club and did come into close consideration.

Other worthy candidates include 2013 Norm Smith Medallist Brian Lake, Jack Gunston and Tom Mitchell.

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Melbourne – Michael Hibberd (89 games from 2017-current)
The old saying ‘you win some and you lose some’ is a fitting statement when analysing Melbourne’s history of trades and interactions with opposition clubs.

One they did emerge victorious from was bringing rebounding defender Michael Hibberd to the club during the 2016 trade period in exchange for picks 29 (Josh Begley) and 68 (Dylan Clarke), who have both been delisted by Essendon in recent years.

Into his sixth season at the club, Hibberd has been a valuable addition to the Demons’ back line, with his penetrating left-foot kicking and line-breaking leg speed being a constant feature.

Michael Hibberd

(Photo by Michael Dodge/Getty Images)

He also complied with the quote ‘you only get one chance to make a first impression’, as Hibberd’s first season in the red and blue saw him average career-high numbers in disposals (27.4) and rebound 50s (6.8) per game, as well as lead the competition in metres gained per match (545.7).

Hibberd was subsequently awarded selection in the back pocket of the 2017 All Australian team. Since then, the backman has been a contributing factor behind Melbourne’s resurgence back up the AFL ladder, and he was a vital cog in the historic and drought-breaking 2021 premiership victory.

Other candidates: Jeff Garlett was traded from Carlton (along with draft pick 83, which wasn’t used) in exchange for pick 61 (Clem Smith, who only played seven games for Carlton in 2015) and pick 79 (wasn’t used) during the 2014 trade period.

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Although Garlett’s career petered out and he was delisted by the Demons at the end of 2019, he was a valuable goal-kicker for the club in his five years there.

Former Crow Bernie Vince, who was traded to the club at the end of 2013, won the Demons’ 2015 best and fairest. However, Adelaide used pick 23 they received from this deal to draft gun midfielder Matt Crouch.

North Melbourne – Drew Petrie (316 games and 428 goals from 2001-2016)
During the 2000 AFL trade period, North Melbourne completed a trade with Adelaide, which saw them receive pick 23 in the AFL national draft in exchange for key forward Evan Hewitt.

Hewitt only played 33 games across four seasons for the Shinboners, often finding himself on the periphery of what was a successful footy team in the late 1990s.

This is where North’s recruiting and list management staff would complete their finest work. With the club’s second selection in the draft, North selected a young and promising key position player by the name of Drew Petrie, who then proceeded to have an inspirational, 16-year, 316-game career at Arden Street.

Upon reflection, Petrie was arguably one of the top three players from the 2000 AFL national draft (with number one draft pick and St Kilda legend Nick Riewoldt being a clear standout).

So at pick 23, he was a definite draft slider, and one the North Melbourne Football Club will always be grateful for. In his first few seasons, Petrie was used as the club’s  Mr Fix-It of the key position stocks, playing in a variety of roles before settling in as a permanent forward during the early stages of 2007.

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Petrie went on to lead the Roos’ goal-kicking list five times (2009, 2011, 2012, 2014, and 2015) as well as earn selection in the 2011 AFL All Australian team.

He also currently sits second on North Melbourne’s all-time list for games played (316), and sixth for goals scored (428).

Other candidates: Brad Moran was traded to Adelaide in 2004 in exchange for pick 37 in the national draft – which North would then use to select Scott Thompson, who became a defensive rock for the club over an underrated 238-game career, which included All Australian selection in 2013.

Key forward Nathan Thompson was traded to the club from Hawthorn in exchange for pick ten (Chris Egan, who was on-traded to Collingwood) and pick 26 (Matthew Little). He was the club’s leading goal kicker in both 2005 and 2006 and provided a focal point up forward.

Part 4 of this series will be covering Port Adelaide, Richmond, St Kilda and Sydney.

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