One of the busiest AFL trade weeks on record has come to an end with a massive 23 players changing clubs.
Here is how your club fared:
ADELAIDE:
Gains: Nil
Losses: Nil
Comment: The Crows are never big players in trade week but this week they took their traditional non-interest to new levels with coach Neil Craig instead spending much of the week with Melbourne Victory's A-League coach Ernie Merrick.
BRISBANE LIONS:
Gains: Brendan Fevola (Carlton), Brent Staker (West Coast), Amon Buchanan (Sydney), Andrew Raines (Richmond), Xavier Clarke (St Kilda), Round 2 pick (selection 27), Round 3 (47)
Losses: Round 1 (12), Round 2 (28), Round 3 (39), Round 3 (44), Round 4 (60), Bradd Dalziell (West Coast), Lachie Henderson (Carlton)
Comment: At first glance the Lions appear the big winners of trade week. Not only have they secured Carlton superstar Brendan Fevola but they kept Daniel Bradshaw, who was originally linked to the Blues as part of the deal, giving them three of the AFL's best key forwards in the one team along with their inspirational captain Jonathan Brown. But Fevola comes with a lot of baggage and given he turns 29 in January is hardly at the peak of his career. As for the Lions' other picks, Clarke and Staker are two of the most maligned players in the AFL for good reason while Buchanan is one dimensional and Raines has only ever managed two good seasons. And the Lions have had to give up plenty to secure a haul that in reality is not as good as it appears at first glance and will practically play no role in what will be the last national draft before the addition of the new Gold Coast and West Sydney clubs.
CARLTON:
Gains: Brock McLean (Melbourne), Lachie Henderson (Brisbane), Round 1 (12)
Losses: Brendan Fevola (Brisbane), Round 1 (11), Round 2 (27).
Comment: There will be plenty of Blues fans that will be devastated right now after watching one of the club's greatest forwards ever depart and for less than Blues fans originally expected after they failed to land star forward Bradshaw and the talented Michael Rischitelli and instead got youngster Henderson and a first-round draft pick. But it's not all doom and gloom for supporters of a club that has just emerged from the worst period in its history. Quite simply Fevola had become a cancer at the club with his continual off-field behaviour constantly undermining the Blues' admirable progress and his departure will allow the club to finally develop other key forward options, which they would have to do soon anyway given Fevola's age. And they have gained Melbourne star McLean and still kept a first-round pick.
COLLINGWOOD:
Gains: Darren Jolly (Sydney)
Losses: Round 1 (14), Round 3 (46)
Comment: The Pies might have failed to land St Kilda's Luke Ball but they can be well satisfied with their week's work. In a competition where it is increasingly harder to find quality ruckman, the Pies have landed one of the game's best and a Jolly-Josh Fraser ruck partnership could well be the difference between the Pies being a top-four team and a genuine premiership chance next year.
ESSENDON:
Gains: Mark Williams (Hawthorn), Round 2 (24), Round 2 (33), Round 6 (89),
Losses: Andrew Lovett (St Kilda), Jay Nash (Port Adelaide), Round 3 (42), Round 4 (58).
Comment: The Bombers are another club entitled to be feeling happy with their haul as they welcome classy goalsneak Williams from Hawthorn and gain two additional second-round draft picks. As for their losses, Nash is limited and Lovett may be one of the game's most exciting players but he is inconsistent.
FREMANTLE:
Gains: Round 3 (48), Round 3 (49)
Losses: Brett Peake (St Kilda), Marcus Drum (Geelong)
Comment: The Dockers were little more than bit players in that they gained little but also lost little although Drum has had few opportunities and could yet develop into a good player at a better club such as Geelong.
GEELONG:
Gains: Marcus Drum (Fremantle), Round 2 (28), Round 3 (40), Round 3 (42), Round 4 (56)
Losses: Shane Mumford (Sydney), Round 2 (33), Round 3 (49),
Round 6 (97)
Comment: The Cats were disappointed to lose young developing ruckman Mumford but are likely to still come out in front. Not only do they still have plenty of ruckmen with Trent West and Dawson Simpson still there to support Brad Ottens and Mark Blake but the premiers gained two extra third-round draft picks meaning they now have four picks inside the first 42 in the national draft which is rare for a reigning premiership team.
HAWTHORN:
Gains: Josh Gibson (North Melbourne), Shaun Burgoyne (Port Adelaide),
Round 3 (39), Round 3 (46), Round 4 (58), Round 5 (69), Round 5 (70)
Losses: Josh Kennedy (Sydney), Ben McGlynn (Sydney), Mark Williams (Essendon), Round 1 (9), Round 2 (25), Round 3 (41), Round 6 (89)
Comment: The Hawks reacted superbly to their shock fall down the ladder this year following their equally surprising 2008 premiership win by pulling off two genuine coups during trade week. The addition of Port star and one of the AFL's best midfielders in Burgoyne and a quality defender in Gibson will again make the Hawks a genuine premiership contender in 2010 and apart from Williams, they have given up little.
MELBOURNE:
Gains: Round 1 (pick 11)
Losses: Brock McLean (Carlton)
Comment: While McLean is a loss, the Demons were well compensated and following the Saints failure to do a trade deal with Collingwood with Luke Ball, the Demons are now perfectly poised to select an ideal replacement for McLean in the former Saints captain who they can now grab for nothing in the pre-season draft.
NORTH MELBOURNE:
Gains: Round 2 (25), Round 3 (41)
Losses: Josh Gibson (Hawthorn), Round 5 (69)
Comment: The Roos were minor players this week but despite the loss of Gibson are well-poised to begin re-building under new coach Brad Scott with five picks in the first 41 selections in the upcoming national draft, after keeping their own first three picks as well as gaining the Hawks' second- and third-round selections.
PORT ADELAIDE:
Gains: Jay Nash (Essendon), Jay Schulz (Richmond), Round 1 (9), Round 1 (16), Round 6 (97)
Losses: Shaun Burgoyne (Hawthorn), Mitch Farmer (Richmond), Round 2 (24),
Round 3 (40), Round 4 (56), Round 5 (72)
Comment: The Power ends a difficult season at least with a great chance to re-build after snaring two additional first round picks as compensation for losing the classy Burgoyne. Port now has a staggering three first-round draft picks - three of the first 16 overall - which in a draft lacking depth compared to previous years will ensure the Power should grab at least one future star in what will be the last uncompromised draft before the addition of the new clubs.
RICHMOND:
Gains: Mitch Farmer (Port Adelaide), Round 3 (44), Round 5 (72)
Losses: Jay Schulz (Port Adelaide), Andrew Raines (Brisbane).
Comment: Like his fellow coaching debutant Scott at North, new Tigers coach Damien Hardwick took a low-key approach to his first trade week although Richmond fans will be disappointed to see the popular Raines go. However few will bemoan the loss of serial underperformer Schulz and while little is known about Farmer, Tigers fans would have been happy to see Schulz depart for nothing let alone in return for a young player and an additional draft pick.
ST KILDA:
Gains: Andrew Lovett (Essendon), Brett Peake (Fremantle), Round 4 (60)
Losses: Xavier Clarke (Brisbane), Round 1 (16), Round 3 (48)
Comment: The Saints will hope the pacy Lovett can be the man to turn around this year's narrow grand final loss into premiership glory next season but will have to find a way to make him more consistent. Peake is limited but is certainly no worse than Clarke while Ball also looks certain to depart but overall the Saints have still done well.
SYDNEY:
Gains: Mark Seaby (West Coast), Shane Mumford (Geelong), Josh Kennedy (Hawthorn), Ben McGlynn (Hawthorn), Round 1 (14), Round 4 (55),
Losses: Amon Buchanan (Brisbane Lions), Barry Hall (Western Bulldogs), Darren Jolly (Collingwood), Round 2 (22), Round 3 (46), Round 5 (70), Round 8 (118)
Comment: The Swans may have lost one of the game's best ruckmen in Jolly as well as veteran spearhead Hall but have done well in replacing them with younger ruck duo Seaby and Mumford while Kennedy and McGlynn will be handy. And they gained an additional first-round draft pick as well as compensation for Jolly, leaving the Swans in a great position for the upcoming national draft.
WEST COAST EAGLES:
Gains: Bradd Dalziell (Brisbane), Round 2 (22), Round 8 (118)
Losses: Brent Staker (Brisbane), Mark Seaby (Sydney), Round 3 (39), Round 4 (55)
Comment: The Eagles are another club that has done well. Seaby and Staker have both had plenty of chances but have never lived up to their potential while in return the Eagles not only get an additional second-round pick but get the talented Dalziell, a proven ball winner whose playing style looks ideally suited to Subiaco.
WESTERN BULLDOGS:
Gains: Barry Hall (Sydney)
Losses: Round 3 (47)
Comment: There is no doubt recruiting the fiery Hall is a risk but unlike Fevola, his problems are mostly on-field and should be solved by the Bulldogs' more attacking game style compared to the dour style of his former club. And if Hall can stand up and give the Dogs the power forward they have lacked for so long and help finally win the Dogs the flag they have been so close to in the past two years then sacrificing merely a third-round pick will be the trade deal of the century for Rodney Eade's team.