WEST Coast is tipping Hawthorn to finish below Carlton on the ladder in 2025, while Essendon will be praying Melbourne has another horror season next year.
The Eagles made a bold prediction about the Hawks on the final day of the Continental Tyres AFL Trade Period when they landed three 2025 draft picks tied to Hawthorn in the deal that saw Tom Barrass depart the club.
The picks are tied to the Hawks' ladder position next year meaning the lower Hawthorn finishes on the ladder, the better the picks will be for the Eagles.
In negotiations, the Hawks had given the Eagles the choice of future first- and future second-round picks tied to the Blues or tied to the Hawks. West Coast opted for the latter, essentially betting that Hawthorn will finish below Carlton on the ladder in 2025.
The Hawks finished sixth in 2024 after a stunning late-season surge, while the Blues finished in eighth spot after slumping in the second half of the year.
As a result of the Eagles' call, the Hawks will now be hoping the Blues fall away in 2025 having picked up Carlton's future first- and future second-round pick in a trade last Friday.
The Bombers, meanwhile, hold Melbourne's future first-round pick so will be hoping for a repeat of the Dees' horror 2024 campaign.
The only other club to secure extra 2025 first-round picks during the trade period was Gold Coast, which got round one picks tied to Collingwood and Port Adelaide in the five-player mega deal.
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However, the Suns will likely look to trade out those picks before they get swallowed up by a bid on Academy prospect Zeke Uwland, who is a contender to be the No.1 pick in the 2025 Telstra AFL Draft.
While the trade period for players is over for another year, clubs are still able to trade picks until November 8 and again during the draft on November 20-21.
