Winners and losers of trade period, analysis, best and worst deals, trades, how clubs fared\u060c<\/p>\n
The 2023 trade period is over, with clubs to now turn their attention to next month\u2019s national draft.<\/p>\n
But before that comes, we try and make sense of the key moves that transpired over the past fortnight.<\/p>\n
Foxfooty.com.au<\/i> reviews the immediate winners and losers from the trade and free agency period.<\/p>\n
Watch every match of The ICC Men\u2019s Cricket World Cup Live on Kayo Sports. <\/i><\/b>Join Kayo now and start<\/a> streaming instantly ><\/b><\/i><\/p>\n Ginnivan Hawks move now official! | 04:24<\/p>\n WINNERS<\/b><\/p>\n Sydney<\/b><\/p>\n The Swans went hard early \u2013 and loaded up.<\/p>\n Filling all the holes they needed to fill, Sydney ticked off all the key items on its wish list, most importantly bolstering its midfield. After welcoming James Jordon on the opening day of free agency, one of the shocks of the trade period emerged as they poached Magpies vice-captain Taylor Adams to beef up their engine room. <\/p>\n The Swans also replaced the retiring Tom Hickey with Brodie Grundy, giving up only pick 46 and a future second rounder, plus added to their key defensive stocks, with Joel Hamling signing as a free agent to his fourth club. <\/p>\n Tick, tick, tick, tick \u2014 even if Hamling isn\u2019t exactly a superstar.<\/p>\n After bowing out in the first week<\/a> of finals this year coming off a grand final appearance in 2022, the aggressive approach should see the Swans catapult themselves back into premiership contention in 2024.<\/p>\n They\u2019re certainly the club that, on paper, at least, improved the most and closed the already small gap on premier Collingwood, whereas several other contenders stood still.<\/p>\n Essendon<\/b><\/p>\n Well, fair to say Essendon lived up to talk it was going to be aggressive this off-season in long-time list boss Adrian Dodoro\u2019s last at the helm. <\/p>\n Whether or not you\u2019re completely on board with the Bombers\u2019 additions, you\u2019ve got to respect their urgency to get better. After all, that\u2019s what the trade and free agency and period is for.<\/p>\n Crucially, the Bombers landed the majority of their targets as free agents \u2013 Ben McKay, Jade Gresham and Todd Goldstein \u2013 meaning they didn\u2019t need to give up anything from a trade perspective. <\/p>\n And with the AFL CBA set to increase over the coming seasons, the cashed-up club got reasonable market value and should still have leftover funds to allow it to continue to be aggressive moving forward.<\/p>\n McKay in particular provides a much-needed boost to Essendon\u2019s back six and gives Brad Scott the key stopper he desperately needs, while Gresham\u2019s best footy could yet be ahead of him at 26 years of age.<\/p>\n Brandon Zerk-Thatcher leaves a void after a strong season, but decent business from the Bombers to effectively flip him for Xavier Duursma. <\/p>\n How can Paddy Dow impact the Saints? | 01:31<\/p>\n Collingwood<\/b><\/p>\n Not often do clubs win<\/a> the premiership and then get better instantly. You can safely argue that\u2019s what Collingwood did.<\/p>\n In securing Fremantle small forward Lachie Schultz, who the Magpies say they believe was the best player available in this year\u2019s trade market, the premiers add another offensive weapon to their already potent forward line.<\/p>\n He\u2019s a clear upgrade on Taylor Adams, who spent much of the year somewhat awkwardly at half-forward (which is why he sought a trade) as well as on Jack Ginnivan, who was told to explore his options and found his way to Hawthorn.<\/p>\n It did however cost the club a hefty fee, handing over a future first-round pick plus Pick 34. But Graham Wright is a deal maker and would make no apologies for bolstering the Collingwood list while its premiership window is wide open and while the likes of Scott Pendlebury and Steele Sidebottom are still around.<\/p>\n They did of course lose vice-captain Adams, who\u2019d been marginalised in 2023 after the addition of Tom Mitchell, so he only really costs them midfield depth. Plus the club would already be wanting to give more opportunities to the likes of Finlay Macrae, Ed Allan and Reef McInnes.<\/p>\n Ginnivan, while precociously talented and only 20 years old, did put the club off-side with some of his off-field antics in 2023.<\/p>\n Then there\u2019s the uncertain future of Nathan Murphy, which could leave a considerable void down back they failed to address including missing out on Tom Doedee.<\/p>\n Ultimately, though, the Pies got better by adding Schultz, who could well now be their best forward, and would be feeling content they perhaps narrowly widened an already narrow gap on the rest of the competition. <\/p>\n Premiers land star Docker Schultz | 00:48<\/p>\n North Melbourne<\/b><\/p>\n Props to the Roos, they go into 2024 with a stronger side after boosting themselves around the edges \u2014 of course, helped by the AFL\u2019s assistance package.<\/p>\n North Melbourne added Zac Fisher and Dylan Stephens at little cost, two players who fit the club\u2019s age demographic and should only help the club improve after limited opportunities at Carlton and Sydney respectively. At worst they\u2019re a cheap throw at the stumps.<\/p>\n The departure of Ben McKay is significant and perhaps being undersold given the key defender netted the Roos Pick 3 as compensation; the Roos are already light on defensively, particularly after Griffin Logue\u2019s ACL injury, so that\u2019s an area of concern for Alastair Clarkson. And you can\u2019t get paid $800,000 a year without some talent.<\/p>\n Plus the additions of Toby Pink and Bigoa Nyuon and low-risk throws at the stumps.<\/p>\n Broadly speaking it\u2019s all about the long game at Arden Street and building towards the future. That\u2019s exactly what they\u2019re doing, while armed with a suite of draft picks to add more fresh hope for a supporter base starved of success.<\/p>\n They haven\u2019t yet made a move for the No. 1 pick but the key move there is yet \u2014 they\u2019ve got a few weeks, plus draft night itself, to convince West Coast<\/a> to hand them access to top prospect Harley Reid.<\/p>\n Port Adelaide<\/b><\/p>\n Though the quality of Port\u2019s recruits can be disputed, the Power importantly did what it most urgently needed to \u2013 bolstered its defence. <\/p>\n It\u2019s the area of the ground Ken Hinkley\u2019s men most struggled in last season, and statistically speaking, was the only thing really separating them from the absolute top-tier contenders. <\/p>\n Therefore, should the Power\u2019s defence improve next season, the club could close the gap in the premiership race, and that\u2019s what all sides should be setting out to achieve during the trade period.<\/p>\n Even if Esava Ratugolea and Brandon Zerk-Thatcher aren\u2019t necessarily stars, system defence is arguably more important these days anyway, so it\u2019s how they buy in \u2013 and fit in \u2013 that\u2019s just as crucial.<\/p>\n Jordon Sweet and Ivan Soldo also come in to bolster their ruck stocks, another part of the club\u2019s list that needed to be addressed. <\/p>\n