Free agency compensation needs to go
Free agency was a hard-won concession by the players during the 2011 Collective Bargaining Agreement negotiations with the AFL so to appease the clubs, the League introduced compensatory picks for those clubs whose players walked out the door. Two years on, what these picks do is slow down the trade process and cause anger because they are linked to ladder position. It is time to scrap the picks and if Hawthorn loses Lance Franklin, then the compensation in return should be the ability to use all that spare cash to lure a big name to take his place. Or several medium-sized names. - Ashley Browne
The Swans took a Buddy big gamble
The Swans' decision to sign Lance Franklin to that nine-year deal represented an almighty risk and the results won't be known for some time. Franklin is a proven winner and has shown plenty of durability, averaging more than 20 games a season to date, something that will need to continue if he is any hope of playing out his $10 million deal. But the Swans have lost a significant amount of depth, something they relied so heavily upon during last season's injury-ravaged campaign. Shane Mumford, Jesse White, Jed Lamb and Andrejs Everitt have left, with Tony Armstrong likely to join them. In return they have a swag of draft picks: 15, 32, 35, 44, 53, 71, 89, 107 and 125. Few if any of them will be ready to contribute in 2014, so the Swans will be hoping for a much cleaner bill of health and a big contribution from their new marquee man. - James Dampney
Patience still required but the Saints have done well
There's no easy way to rebuild a list but the Saints have taken positive steps in the past two years. Twelve months ago, they acquired Tom Lee and Tom Hickey, and this year added ruckman Billy Longer, midfielder Shane Savage and defenders Josh Bruce and Luke Delaney. They may yet recruit Darren Jolly to support their young trio of talls. While their movement this year came at the expense of Ben McEvoy and Nick Dal Santo, they've plugged gaps – especially in their previously lean stock of defenders – and improved their draft order to add picks No.18 and 19 to No.3. They've added young talent that will take a few years to make an impression but they've ensured a solid base to grow from. - Jennifer Phelan
Shane Savage was acquired by St Kilda in the Ben McEvoy trade. Picture: AFL Media
The Magpies played their cards better than anyone
Losing premiership midfielder Dale Thomas as a free agent was a hit, while a class player like Heath Shaw can't be replaced immediately. The Magpies, however, made the moves work for them and set themselves up for the future. The immediate gains are midfielders Taylor Adams and Pat Karnezis and forward Jesse White. Most importantly though, they used the Thomas compensation pick to trade their way into pick No.6, taking that and selection No.10 to next month's NAB AFL Draft. By freeing up significant salary cap space, the club has positioned itself as a major free agency player in 2014, meaning the full benefit of this Trade Period may not be felt for 12 months. – Nathan Schmook
The biggest loser is the Lions, of course
With five young players signalling their intention to leave the club before trade period began, the Lions had one arm tied behind their back. That effectively became both arms when each of them nominated their preferred destination. It quickly became a matter of 'take what you can get' or let them walk to the pre-season draft for free. Maybe the Lions should have sent a message to future draftees by making one of them walk to the PSD, but realistically they had no bargaining power and when Elliot Yeo, Billy Longer, Jared Polec, Sam Docherty and Patrick Karnezis walked out, the Lions easily became the trade period's biggest loser. The club's recruiting, welfare, coaching and leadership all need a good hard review, which is now under way. - Michael Whiting
Everyone wants ready-made ruckmen
Clubs now seem reluctant to spend high draft picks on big blokes. Instead, they are bringing them in via their rookie lists – a low-risk option – or trying to snare ready-to-go ruckmen during the player exchange period. This time around, Richmond chose to bring in some support for Ivan Maric by taking Shaun Hampson off Carlton's hands. In the following two weeks, Shane Mumford crossed from the Sydney Swans to Greater Western Sydney, Hawthorn traded Ben McEvoy in from St Kilda, Billy Longer went from the Brisbane Lions to St Kilda and Trent West transferred from Geelong to take Longer's place at the Lions. The rucking merry-go-round might not be done yet, as Collingwood and Sydney Swans premiership big man Darren Jolly might yet join the Saints as a delisted free agent. - Adam McNicol
Shaun Hampson joined the Tigers as handy support for ruckman Ivan Maric. Picture: AFL Media
Beware of the cashed-up Hawks
Beware of the cashed-up HawksNot so much this year, but come the end of 2014 the Hawks will have a gaping hole in their salary cap and should be in a position to make some key acquisitions through free agency and the draft. The $1.1 million set aside for the departed Lance Franklin in 2014 will be used in the short term to frontload existing contracts, bearing in mind that a number of other Hawks penned new deals this year at considerably under the odds. Look also for Hawthorn to offer a contract extension to finals hero Jack Gunston before the start of next year. - AB
Trade period is for players, not fidgeting minds
Most observers believed three weeks was too long for the Gillette AFL Trade Period. Indeed, as each day passed, calls to shorten the player movement window grew louder. The Trade Period is not in place, however, to appease football administrators, media or supporters – it is there to help players. The popular belief is that 10 days would be plenty of time. If you were told to pack up your desk and given 10 days to arrange your next career move, how would you fare? Measures might be put in place to streamline player movements next year, with free agency compensation certainly holding up the process. But if a three-week window is required again, so be it. The players aren't complaining, and it's their livelihoods on the line. – NS
Gumby is worth a gamble
It's a good opportunity for both club and player. Scott Gumbleton gets a chance to restart his career in his home state after an injury-hit seven years at Essendon, Fremantle gets a key position player who could still live up to his No.2 draft pick hype from 2006. He's on a one-year deal with a trigger clause so if his body fails again, the Dockers won't lose much considering they snared him for the third-round selection of No.55. They needed another forward and Gumbleton is expected to be able to cover the long ground at Patersons Stadium with his body reportedly in good shape. A nice deal for all involved if the popular clubman can stay fit. - JP
Scott Gumbleton has headed west to Fremantle. Picture: AFL Media
Gold Coast thinks it has the list for a premiership
It was no surprise the Suns were the quietest club in the trade period – they think they already have the pieces in place to win a flag. They flirted with the idea of looking for a rebounding half-back, but are confident Matt Shaw, David Swallow or Jesse Lonergan will fill that role. Gold Coast has Jack Martin coming on to the list next season and will add three more kids inside the first 27 picks of the draft. The Suns' only move was to grab West Coast's round three compensation pick for 2014. It's another step to spread out the age profile of the list, with next year's draft expected to provide a bumper crop. The Suns started with a youthful model, added in touches of experience where needed, but are now confident Scott Clayton and his recruiting staff can provide the final pieces of the puzzle to deliver a premiership in the coming year. - MW
Adelaide has a lot of faith in its list
The Crows were stripped of their first- and second-round picks in this year's national draft as punishment for the Kurt Tippett affair that blew up at the end of the 2012 season. Many pundits expected Adelaide to try and aggressively trade its way back into the early rounds, but it did no such thing. Instead of giving up an emerging star for a top-10 pick, its only deal was to send 28-year-old midfielder Bernie Vince to Melbourne for a second-round pick (23). After that the Crows chose to bring in a player rather than a pick by throwing former Geelong forward James Podsiadly a lifeline. They did get some offers for Ricky Henderson, but none of them were deemed fair value. In defending their approach, the Crows will point to the fact that they had already done their hard yards during the free agency period, when they snared for Carlton forward Eddie Betts. And their overall approach suggests that Brenton Sanderon and his crew are confident they have the cattle to push back into the top eight next year. - AM
Melbourne is not yet a destination club
There wasn't a rush to join the Melbourne revolution under Paul Roos. Dom Tyson took the opportunity to return home from the Giants because he was homesick, Adelaide's Bernie Vince jumped at the chance for a longer contract and Fremantle's Viv Michie was looking for opportunity. Add Daniel Cross – who will arrive as a delisted free agent next week – and the Demons will have a better and deeper midfield than last year. With a solid backline, a potentially great forward line and of course, the Roos factor, the Demons could win between six and eight games next year. And then might shape as a destination club. - AB
Dom Tyson is now under the tutelage of new Melbourne coach Paul Roos. Picture: AFL Media
Geelong knows how to make hard calls with class
The Cats faced some tough decisions when it came to the make-up of their list, and they made them, with premiership players Joel Corey, Paul Chapman, Josh Hunt, James Podsiadly and Trent West all leaving the club. Corey retired on his own terms, but the club went out of its way to help others keep their careers alive. Rather than simply delisting Chapman, Hunt and Podsiadly, Geelong chose to trade the trio to their preferred destinations of Essendon, Greater Western Sydney and Adelaide. And although they would have kept West if there were no suitors for him, the Cats happily shipped him off to the Brisbane Lions when he decided he was keen for a change. It was classy all round. - AM
Tough start, but GWS ultimately kicked some significant goals
The trade period did not start well for Greater Western Sydney, hoodwinked in its long pursuit of Lance Franklin by none other thancross-town rivals the Sydney Swans. But the Giants responded quickly, with premiership-winners Shane Mumford and Heath Shaw committing their futures to the club. GWS then nabbed Jed Lamb from under the Swans' nose, although that is yet to be finalised, and added Josh Hunt to its list. The Giants also pulled off another coup by securing the rights to Melbourne's No.2 draft pick in exchange for Dom Tyson and their No.9 selection. They were sorry to see defender Josh Bruce orchestrate a move to St Kilda and also lost Taylor Adams, Shaun Edwards, Sam Darley and Kurt Aylett to Victorian clubs. But overall the Giants have reshaped their list and ticked off some key goals and loom as a far more competitive outfit for 2014 and beyond. - JDback line
