THE EVOLUTION of the Trade Period has been significant in recent years.
But could certain changes have made Luke Ball's move to Collingwood far easier? Or could there have been a deal that saw Carlton land Chris Judd, without having to give up its budding superstar key forward Josh Kennedy?
Speaking on AFL.com.au's trade and draft show Gettable earlier this week, leading agent Paul Connors from Connors Sports Management spoke of how changes in the player movement landscape have helped grow the Trade Period.
Having overseen Judd's move from West Coast to Carlton in 2007 – which saw the Blues give up picks No.3, No.20 and Kennedy to secure his services – Connors suggested that the advent of future trading could have seen the club retain one of its brightest assets, while still landing the dual Brownlow Medal winner.
"The trading of future picks is a wonderful initiative from the AFL," Connors said.
"That's allowed more deals to get done. We're about player movement, and I think everyone wants player movement to be made easier. The trading of future picks has been the most dominant change I've seen in 20 years.
"Chris Judd is the really interesting one. Josh Kennedy, who went from the Blues to the Eagles and is maybe going to be a Hall of Famer, he would have stayed a 'Bagger' (if future trading was around).
"Carlton would have been able to trade its first-round pick, its future first and kept Josh Kennedy. Maybe they would have been able to get something back. That definitely springs to my mind all the time about that."
Connors also raised Ball's defection from St Kilda to Collingwood in 2009 as an example of a move that would have been made far easier, had the AFL already introduced free agency into the game.
After the two clubs couldn't negotiate a trade for Ball – who had spent eight years at the Saints – the midfielder elected to put himself into the national draft where he was taken by the Magpies with the 30th selection.
"Luke Ball actually elected to go into the national draft," Connors said.
"Previously, you were only able to go in the pre-season draft. (But) he would have been able to be a free agent. We would have saved a lot of media time. It wouldn't have been great for the clicks, because there were a lot of newspaper articles and talkback radio about him. He would have just clicked his fingers and gone as a restricted free agent to Collingwood and we would have been done and dusted.
"Hindsight says Luke Ball deserved to go as a free agent. He served eight years at St Kilda, eight years of great service and he was a good person, then he wanted to go. The club would have got some alright compensation and we would be on our way."
