3 minute read
Bailey Smith got his wish to move to Geelong and Richmond ended with a first-round trade bounty following an intriguing final day to the AFL trade period.
MAJOR TALKING POINTS FROM THE AFL TRADE PERIOD
* It's just too long. After a couple of trades went through when trading opened on Monday of last week, nothing happened until Hawthorn traded pick No.14 to Carlton on Friday. Then came the weekend and finally two big trades on Tuesday. The final 30 minutes of Wednesday's trade deadline was crazy as Bailey Smith (Geelong), Tom Barrass (Hawthorn), Jake Stringer (GWS), Caleb Daniel (North Melbourne), Jack Macrae (St Kilda), Matt Kennedy (Western Bulldogs), James Peatling (Adelaide), Jacob Konstanty (North) and Luke Parker (North) all found new homes.
* Richmond's rebuild now comes with plenty of draft capital. The Tigers have a whopping eight round-one picks in next month's draft, thanks mainly to the Daniel Rioli and Shai Bolton trades. They'll be hoping to strike rich with picks one, six, 10, 11, 18, 20, 23 and 24.
* West Coast fans are fuming. The Eagles faithful lit up the Perth airwaves when the club traded pick No.3 to Carlton as part of the trade that brought in Richmond's Liam Baker and pick No.12. West Coast chief executive Don Pyke acknowledges it's "a bit odd", but has called for patience and perspective.
* A talent-rich draft is next. One of the reasons for trades taking so long to happen this year is clubs putting a high price on their top draft picks. The consensus is that next month's draft is a deep well of raw talent. Gold Coast put their No.13 selection on the table and it attracted a lot of interest.
* The Dan Houston trade was interesting. It emerged on Monday that Port Adelaide were negotiating with Collingwood and Gold Coast in a five-player trade with the two-time All-Australian as the headline name. By Monday night, the Power had paused negotiations, only for the deal to go through on Tuesday with a minor change. Port's opinion is that they had no choice but to agree to the deal.
* Is Shai Bolton merely the entree for Fremantle? The Dockers had to pay up big to get the Richmond star, but they now at least boast a noted goalkicker who can also star in the midfield - the exact type of X-factor player Fremantle were lacking. With Bolton locked away on a five-year deal, the Dockers will now turn their attention to luring Sydney star Chad Warner their way during next year's trade period.
* Port Adelaide ruckman Ivan Soldo was one of the big losers out of the trade period. Having openly expressed his desire to join St Kilda, the Saints put him through a medical before politely saying 'no thank you', reportedly because of concerns over his knee. He now has to go back to Port, where he played second fiddle to Jordon Sweet this year
* Is Clayton Oliver truly ever off the trade table? Oliver's shadow has loomed large over the past two trade periods without any deal going through, but there's mixed messages galore. One day you hear Melbourne are shopping him around, the next they declare they want to keep him. Oliver meeting with Geelong players at Rhys Stanley's farm sent the rumour mill into overdrive. Nothing eventuated this year, but don't be surprised if Oliver's name is raised again during next year's trade period.
* Win-win trades do exist, especially when it comes to highly-paid veterans entering the twilight of their careers. Jack Darling's move from West Coast to North Melbourne is a perfect example of that. Darling had just one more year remaining at the Eagles and was no longer considered a part of their best 22. He now has a two-year deal at North - with a trigger for a third - and the chance to add a nice final chapter to his glittering career. West Coast only received pick No.68 for Darling, but his departure freed up significant salary cap space that helped give emerging star Jake Waterman a better deal.