A HOMING PIDGEON
Pick 35 was a homing pigeon, starting and finishing the trade period with Fremantle. The Dockers sent the second-round selection to the Bulldogs, as part of a trade for premiership defender Joel Hamling. The Bulldogs then transferred it to Gold Coast, swapping it and pick 43 for the Suns' pick 26. And the Suns then sent it back to the Dockers, trading it and pick 71 for pick 73 and the Dockers' second-round pick in 2017. Does that all sound clear?
Carlton could almost be called GWS Lite these days. The Blues already had six former Giants on their list ahead of this trade period and added another three on the last day, striking deals for Caleb Marchbank and Jarrod Pickett, both drafted as top six selections less than two years ago. Rhys Palmer then came in for pick 135, the Blues getting him for free but also taking on his money. Agreeing to do that helped them get Marchbank and Pickett easily. They join Jed Lamb, Andrew Phillips, Liam Sumner, Kristian Jaksch, Mark Whiley and Lachie Plowman at Ikon Park.
GIANT FOOTPRINTS
You can now put together a handy team of players who made their start on the GWS senior list. Here's how the "Once they were Giants" side might line up. Note: this team doesn't include players the Giants on-traded without listing, such as Jed Anderson and Jake Neade.
B: Lachie Plowman (pick 3), Sam Frost (rookie), Tom Bugg (17 year-old signing)HB: Curtly Hampton (zone), Caleb Marchbank (6), Jack Hombsch (17-year-old signing)
C: Jack Steele (academy), Dom Tyson (3), Jono O'Rourke (2)
HF: Rhys Palmer (uncontracted), Cam McCarthy (14), Will Hoskin-Elliott (4)
F: Josh Bruce (zone), Tom Boyd (1), Jarrod Pickett (4)
Foll: Andrew Phillips (rookie), Taylor Adams (13), Adam Treloar (17-year-old signing)
Interchange from: Paul Ahern (7), Liam Sumner (10) Kristian Jaksch (12), Anthony Miles (rookie), Pat McKenna (23), Jed Lamb (preseason draft), James Stewart (27), Jacob Townsend (zone), Mark Whiley (zone), Simon Tunbridge (17yo), Shaun Edwards (zone)
GENERATIONAL CHANGE
David Cloke and Craig Stewart played together at Collingwood in 1983. On Thursday their sons were traded to new clubs one pick apart. Travis Cloke got his wish to play for the Western Bulldogs, and was sent there for pick 75 after kicking 441 in 246 games for the Magpies and playing in the 2010 premiership. With pick 77, Essendon secured James Stewart from GWS. He had struggled to break into the Giants' star-studded forward line this year after playing some promising footy in 2015. He chose to join Bombers over ... Guess who? The Blues.
THRILLS OF THE CHASE
Free agency began on October 7, and the trade period three days later. It ran for almost 10 days.
But deadlines are no fun unless you really push them; we journalists know that. After all those days, all those conversations, all those catch-ups, all those explored deals, eight trades were lodged in the final 16 minutes of the trade period, with the futures of Brett Deledio, Jaeger O'Meara, Koby Stevens, Marchbank, Pickett and Palmer sorted as Bryce Gibbs was left hanging. Twenty-seven draft picks changed hands in that time, including 12 first-round selections.
FUNNY NUMBERS GAMES
For the most part, the players traded in the past two weeks held very little value. Cloke, Stevens, Hrovat, Jarrod Witts, Lynden Dunn and Nathan Vardy were more than handy depth players and some played some good senior footy this year, but they were traded for very little to basically nothing. Then there is the GWS draft class of 2014, with all five picks gone cheaply. Pickett, Ahern and Marchbank were top 10 picks. Pat McKenna was pick 23, the Giants sending him to Melbourne on Thursday for what is essentially a handful of draft points.
BARGAIN BASEMENT
Sam Mitchell and Jordan Lewis went cheaper than anyone, in the trade period's biggest story. It seemed unlikely at first that the Hawks would have much use for pick 88, which they got from West Coast for Mitchell, but that will be the first of their three selections in the upcoming draft. All clubs need to make a minimum three picks, but they are able to upgrade rookies to fill one or more of those spots.
MANY IN A BIND
Something else is going on when it comes to players. It seems that many clubs now have a small to medium group on huge contracts, in some cases re-signing them to big contracts to ward off potential free agency offers. They are also coming under increasing pressure to sign first-round draftees who play a bit of decent footy in their first year to $300,000 or more in their third years. That has left many players in the middle back – say, those ranked from 20-30 on their club's list – in limbo. Several list managers have said they can't remember such a large number of players still being out of contract at this point in the year. They have a nervous week ahead.
WHAT HAPPENS NEXT?
Clubs must make their first list lodgement by October 31, and put it in their total player payment estimates. This is when they'll announce whether they will be upgrading any rookies to their senior list or retaining them for a second or third year as rookies. Clubs with father-son eligible players must also nominate them by then. The delisted free agency period starts on November 1, and runs until November 8. Could there be another Hamling out there?
