AFL Trade Analysis 2006
Tarrant was the big move, and everyone involved in that trade got what they needed. The Dockers got the player to help Pavlich get to the Grand Final, the Magpies added another Top 10 draft pick and the Tigers got big Polak. The Magpies also get Medhurst and he should provide some goals. The Dockers added Dean Solomon with a later deal.
In other trades, Everitt did get to Sydney and the Saints also added a ruckman with Michael Gardiner. Earlier in the week the Saints acquired Shane Birss. The Bulldogs had as good a week as anyone in trade week with the additions of Akermanis and McDougall.
The teams that traded all got something useful out of the deals, those that sat out the trading missed out on an opportunity to improve. Hawthorn said they offered picks 24 and 33 to Carlton for Thornton, and the preseason draft will show if this was an offer they needed to accept.
Trades:
Collingwood: Paul Medhurst, picks 8 and 63
Fremantle: Chris Tarrant, pick 42
Richmond: Graham Polak, pick 13, pick 60
Polak is a big body that the Tigers need, he can replace Stafford. Richmond didn’t spend a lot getting him either.
Fremantle were one game from the Grand Final, Tarrant has played in the big one before and that is what the Dockers are aiming for next season.
The Magpies were the only team to add an extra first round pick, there will be huge benefits from this but they are several years away.
Fremantle: Dean Solomon, pick 52
Essendon: picks 42 and 47
Fremantle get a player who has won the Grand Final before, and that experience will be welcomed to their backline. The addition of Solomon will also allow a player like Mundy to go into the midfield for the Dockers.
Essendon kept Jason Johnson, they would have let Solomon go into the preseason draft but at the last minutes got something useful for him.
Sydney: Peter Everitt
Hawthorn: pick 33
Sydney did well, Everitt is worth more than pick 33, he should keep the Swans playing deep into September for the next couple of years.
Hawthorn made the right move by taking the pick, they already have a father/son selected and now have another pick to use.
Bulldogs: Jason Akermanis
Brisbane: pick 34
The Bulldogs didn’t pay a lot for the best player traded this week. They are now Victoria’s best AFL team.
Brisbane would have been in trouble if they didn’t trade Akermanis, pick 34 will give them another shot in the draft and the salary saved allowed them to bring back Daniel Bradshaw.
Bulldogs: Andrew McDougall, picks 34 and 66
West Coast: picks 29 and 59
The Bulldogs have always needed some big forwards, but in 2007 they will get a healthy Murphy and Darcy and will now add big McDougall.
West Coast were not going to keep McDougall, there was no spot for him with Lynch there, so they improved their drafting position by dealing him.
St Kilda: Shane Birss
Bulldogs: pick 59
Ross Lyon seems very happy to have Birss, and said he will replace some of the things that Powell and Peckett did. The Saints will rotate plenty of midfielders during the game and Birss should have a regular spot on the team.
Birss was one of a large number of Bulldogs midfielders and would not have played many games if he did stay there.
St Kilda: Michael Gardiner, pick 59
West Coast: pick 43
Pick 59 did a lot more during trade week than quite a few AFL teams. It started at the Saints and returned there with Gardiner. Gardiner is the ruckman that Lyon wanted.
West Coast were happy to let Gardiner walk, they again improved their draft spot so it was a bonus for them.
Adelaide: No trades. May have talked about Playfair or Faulkner but nothing happened.
Brisbane: Had to trade Akermanis and got this out of the way early. Signed Bradshaw and hope to keep Notting and McDonald. Keating was not traded and will go elsewhere in a draft.
Carlton: Could lose Russell and/or Thornton. Missed out on Polak through the preseason draft. Didn’t make any trades and didn’t seem to try a lot. Still have pick 1, and other picks. Maybe they concentrate on Notting for the preseason pick, unless they are really willing to bring back Thornton.
Collingwood: Nearly went after Steve Johnson but may be worried about his health. Medhurst will be a good addition to the Magpies’ forward line and will have a bigger role than he did with Fremantle. Pick 8 is a great return for Tarrant, now the Magpies have to make sure they select the right player with it. Didn't trade any Clokes which is somewhat of a surprise.
Essendon: Looked like they were sitting this one out, but managed to trade Solomon right at the last second. They talked about Milne and Steve Johnson but nothing happened.
Fremantle: They have had success with trading for premiership players like Peter Bell and Josh Carr, and Solomon is another player with experience. Tarrant is a sure thing, as opposed to pick 8, and Fremantle will be happy they have him. They kept him away from the Eagles as well. If you consider that Polak, Medhurst and their draft picks were not part of the Dockers’ success last season, then they have added Tarrant and Solomon to their team that finished top 4 and have not lost a player that was playing for them in September.
Geelong: They talked a lot but Geelong will have the same coach and the same players next season. One change is Kingsley is gone and they will have Tom Hawkins in his place next season.
Hawthorn: The Hawks have a young team and wanted to keep it together, they achieved this and also got value for Everitt at the last moments of trading. Pick 33 can be used on another young player.
Kangaroos: Delisted Troy Makepeace, but didn’t trade.
Melbourne: Had a little look at Jason Johnson but kept quiet most of the week.
Port Adelaide: May yet get Jordan Russell through the preseason draft. Couldn’t make a trade with Carlton for him.
Richmond: Should be very happy with what they did. Moved down 5 spots in the draft for Polak, but with a draft that has quality up to the 30s that is not a big deal. Getting Polak here also means they can still use their preseason selection on another player.
St Kilda: It didn’t cost a lot for them to add two players who could play every game next season. All they really sent out was pick 43 and they now have the type of ruckman they wanted as well as another onballer. Gardiner is on a 1-year deal so if it doesn’t work it won’t hurt them.
Sydney: Traded first rounders for Jolly and Richards in previous years, getting Everitt, who is better than both of them, for only a second rounder is a steal.
West Coast: Made some small moves that got them ahead of the Dockers in some rounds of the draft, but in the end that didn’t matter as Fremantle traded a lot of their picks. In the end they moved up 5 spots with one pick and also turned number 66 into number 43, they did this by trading players that they were not going to keep anyway.
Western Bulldogs: They won trade week as soon as Akermanis said he only wanted them. McDougall was just an added bonus, and whether he is important for them or Werribee is still to be determined, but the Bulldogs are just happy to have another tall to choose from.
After a week of talking, and only action during the last hour, there are four teams that are favourites for the Top 4 now. West Coast obviously after their win, Sydney would have been there without Everitt but with him they are even better, the Dockers are playing to win now and Tarrant improves them. Adelaide didn't address their ruck situation while the Bulldogs added Akermanis, that probably puts the Bulldogs ahead of the Crows next season, especially when the Bulldogs get back Darcy while the Crows lose two ruckmen.
In other trades, Everitt did get to Sydney and the Saints also added a ruckman with Michael Gardiner. Earlier in the week the Saints acquired Shane Birss. The Bulldogs had as good a week as anyone in trade week with the additions of Akermanis and McDougall.
The teams that traded all got something useful out of the deals, those that sat out the trading missed out on an opportunity to improve. Hawthorn said they offered picks 24 and 33 to Carlton for Thornton, and the preseason draft will show if this was an offer they needed to accept.
Trades:
Collingwood: Paul Medhurst, picks 8 and 63
Fremantle: Chris Tarrant, pick 42
Richmond: Graham Polak, pick 13, pick 60
Polak is a big body that the Tigers need, he can replace Stafford. Richmond didn’t spend a lot getting him either.
Fremantle were one game from the Grand Final, Tarrant has played in the big one before and that is what the Dockers are aiming for next season.
The Magpies were the only team to add an extra first round pick, there will be huge benefits from this but they are several years away.
Fremantle: Dean Solomon, pick 52
Essendon: picks 42 and 47
Fremantle get a player who has won the Grand Final before, and that experience will be welcomed to their backline. The addition of Solomon will also allow a player like Mundy to go into the midfield for the Dockers.
Essendon kept Jason Johnson, they would have let Solomon go into the preseason draft but at the last minutes got something useful for him.
Sydney: Peter Everitt
Hawthorn: pick 33
Sydney did well, Everitt is worth more than pick 33, he should keep the Swans playing deep into September for the next couple of years.
Hawthorn made the right move by taking the pick, they already have a father/son selected and now have another pick to use.
Bulldogs: Jason Akermanis
Brisbane: pick 34
The Bulldogs didn’t pay a lot for the best player traded this week. They are now Victoria’s best AFL team.
Brisbane would have been in trouble if they didn’t trade Akermanis, pick 34 will give them another shot in the draft and the salary saved allowed them to bring back Daniel Bradshaw.
Bulldogs: Andrew McDougall, picks 34 and 66
West Coast: picks 29 and 59
The Bulldogs have always needed some big forwards, but in 2007 they will get a healthy Murphy and Darcy and will now add big McDougall.
West Coast were not going to keep McDougall, there was no spot for him with Lynch there, so they improved their drafting position by dealing him.
St Kilda: Shane Birss
Bulldogs: pick 59
Ross Lyon seems very happy to have Birss, and said he will replace some of the things that Powell and Peckett did. The Saints will rotate plenty of midfielders during the game and Birss should have a regular spot on the team.
Birss was one of a large number of Bulldogs midfielders and would not have played many games if he did stay there.
St Kilda: Michael Gardiner, pick 59
West Coast: pick 43
Pick 59 did a lot more during trade week than quite a few AFL teams. It started at the Saints and returned there with Gardiner. Gardiner is the ruckman that Lyon wanted.
West Coast were happy to let Gardiner walk, they again improved their draft spot so it was a bonus for them.
Adelaide: No trades. May have talked about Playfair or Faulkner but nothing happened.
Brisbane: Had to trade Akermanis and got this out of the way early. Signed Bradshaw and hope to keep Notting and McDonald. Keating was not traded and will go elsewhere in a draft.
Carlton: Could lose Russell and/or Thornton. Missed out on Polak through the preseason draft. Didn’t make any trades and didn’t seem to try a lot. Still have pick 1, and other picks. Maybe they concentrate on Notting for the preseason pick, unless they are really willing to bring back Thornton.
Collingwood: Nearly went after Steve Johnson but may be worried about his health. Medhurst will be a good addition to the Magpies’ forward line and will have a bigger role than he did with Fremantle. Pick 8 is a great return for Tarrant, now the Magpies have to make sure they select the right player with it. Didn't trade any Clokes which is somewhat of a surprise.
Essendon: Looked like they were sitting this one out, but managed to trade Solomon right at the last second. They talked about Milne and Steve Johnson but nothing happened.
Fremantle: They have had success with trading for premiership players like Peter Bell and Josh Carr, and Solomon is another player with experience. Tarrant is a sure thing, as opposed to pick 8, and Fremantle will be happy they have him. They kept him away from the Eagles as well. If you consider that Polak, Medhurst and their draft picks were not part of the Dockers’ success last season, then they have added Tarrant and Solomon to their team that finished top 4 and have not lost a player that was playing for them in September.
Geelong: They talked a lot but Geelong will have the same coach and the same players next season. One change is Kingsley is gone and they will have Tom Hawkins in his place next season.
Hawthorn: The Hawks have a young team and wanted to keep it together, they achieved this and also got value for Everitt at the last moments of trading. Pick 33 can be used on another young player.
Kangaroos: Delisted Troy Makepeace, but didn’t trade.
Melbourne: Had a little look at Jason Johnson but kept quiet most of the week.
Port Adelaide: May yet get Jordan Russell through the preseason draft. Couldn’t make a trade with Carlton for him.
Richmond: Should be very happy with what they did. Moved down 5 spots in the draft for Polak, but with a draft that has quality up to the 30s that is not a big deal. Getting Polak here also means they can still use their preseason selection on another player.
St Kilda: It didn’t cost a lot for them to add two players who could play every game next season. All they really sent out was pick 43 and they now have the type of ruckman they wanted as well as another onballer. Gardiner is on a 1-year deal so if it doesn’t work it won’t hurt them.
Sydney: Traded first rounders for Jolly and Richards in previous years, getting Everitt, who is better than both of them, for only a second rounder is a steal.
West Coast: Made some small moves that got them ahead of the Dockers in some rounds of the draft, but in the end that didn’t matter as Fremantle traded a lot of their picks. In the end they moved up 5 spots with one pick and also turned number 66 into number 43, they did this by trading players that they were not going to keep anyway.
Western Bulldogs: They won trade week as soon as Akermanis said he only wanted them. McDougall was just an added bonus, and whether he is important for them or Werribee is still to be determined, but the Bulldogs are just happy to have another tall to choose from.
After a week of talking, and only action during the last hour, there are four teams that are favourites for the Top 4 now. West Coast obviously after their win, Sydney would have been there without Everitt but with him they are even better, the Dockers are playing to win now and Tarrant improves them. Adelaide didn't address their ruck situation while the Bulldogs added Akermanis, that probably puts the Bulldogs ahead of the Crows next season, especially when the Bulldogs get back Darcy while the Crows lose two ruckmen.
It isn't just Akermanis, but Darcy and Murphy will also be additions to the 2006 team. So Top 4 has to be expected.
The Bulldogs kept their first round pick too, they can add another young key position player with that. So while they are playing to win now they didn't have to sell the future to do it.