MELBOURNE sent pick two to Greater Western Sydney, Dom Tyson became a Demon, and picks were swapped. And the order of early choices at next month's NAB AFL Draft grew more interesting.
The Demons won back pick nine and 53 off the Giants in the deal, but gave away pick 20 and 72. But what are the ramifications for the list of names read out at the Gold Coast on November 21?
As it stands, and as most have thought all season, Greater Western Sydney is keeping its No.1 pick and will very likely read out the name of Tom Boyd on draft night.
Now that the Giants have also secured pick two, things get fascinating.
There was a feeling earlier in the year the Giants were looking to add some more class to their midfield, which brings Josh Kelly, Jack Billings and James Aish into the picture.
All three were considered the likely picks from two to four when Melbourne held it, and two of them will still probably be picked by St Kilda (pick three) and the Western Bulldogs (pick four).
The draft order as it stands
Kelly is probably the best performed midfielder of the draft, a runner with terrific skills and a determined attitude. He is best placed to be the No.2 choice.
Billings is also in contention, the Giants have monitored him closely, and he is different to most players they have selected with early picks in the last two years.
He's a goalkicker, a natural forward, who in time will be a midfielder. He was right in the picture had Melbourne kept the No.2 selection.
Aish has two SANFL premierships under his belt for Norwood, but had a challenging season in 2013 on the back of a shoulder reconstruction.
However, the Giants now have control to swing in a different way. It is understood they are fans of tall midfielder Marcus Bontempelli, who has shot up into top-10 calculations.
It is believed that was one of the reasons Collingwood is aiming to trade picks 11 and 27 to West Coast for pick six, because the Pies were looking closely at Bontempelli for that selection.
That would have given the Magpies the ability to trump the Giants at pick nine to secure Bontempelli.
But now, with pick two in the hands of the fledgling club, they have reestablished their place in front of the Magpies.
Even though some clubs wouldn't have Bontempelli in their top 12 or 15 picks, he is 193cm, athletic and has a point of difference.
Over the past two years, the Giants have also shown that they aren't afraid to buck consistent opinion and pick the player that fits their need, like overlooking ruckman Brodie Grundy and taking skilful half-back Lachie Plowman last year at pick three.
Still, the Giants going with Bontempelli that early is considered only an outside chance.
Or, the Giants could spend the next week trying to trade pick two to rivals for a seasoned star, however Melbourne had no luck with that approach.
If nothing else, it sets up an intriguing path to the draft.
Kelly is probably the best performed midfielder of the draft, a runner with terrific skills and a determined attitude. He is best placed to be the No.2 choice.
Billings is also in contention, the Giants have monitored him closely, and he is different to most players they have selected with early picks in the last two years.
He's a goalkicker, a natural forward, who in time will be a midfielder. He was right in the picture had Melbourne kept the No.2 selection.
Aish has two SANFL premierships under his belt for Norwood, but had a challenging season in 2013 on the back of a shoulder reconstruction.
However, the Giants now have control to swing in a different way. It is understood they are fans of tall midfielder Marcus Bontempelli, who has shot up into top-10 calculations.
It is believed that was one of the reasons Collingwood is aiming to trade picks 11 and 27 to West Coast for pick six, because the Pies were looking closely at Bontempelli for that selection.
That would have given the Magpies the ability to trump the Giants at pick nine to secure Bontempelli.
But now, with pick two in the hands of the fledgling club, they have reestablished their place in front of the Magpies.
Even though some clubs wouldn't have Bontempelli in their top 12 or 15 picks, he is 193cm, athletic and has a point of difference.
Over the past two years, the Giants have also shown that they aren't afraid to buck consistent opinion and pick the player that fits their need, like overlooking ruckman Brodie Grundy and taking skilful half-back Lachie Plowman last year at pick three.
Still, the Giants going with Bontempelli that early is considered only an outside chance.
Or, the Giants could spend the next week trying to trade pick two to rivals for a seasoned star, however Melbourne had no luck with that approach.
If nothing else, it sets up an intriguing path to the draft.
Callum Twomey's phantom draft
After pick four, things get even harder to predict. Matt Scharenberg has the talent and runs on the board to be around that mark, but Gold Coast (pick five) has been linked with clever, rangey half-back Kade Kolodjashnij, and the Suns have shown a liking to draft Tasmanians in the past.
If, as expected, the Eagles do trade pick six for 11 and 27 (which is likely to be on-traded to the Brisbane lions for homesick defender Elliot Yeo), they may still get the player they are after.
They have been heavily linked to Dom Sheed, a local midfielder from Subiaco, but Victorian Nathan Freeman is also a draft mover and could be considered in that range if not already gone.
One of the two appears likely to be available at pick 11, especially as North Melbourne is locked in to pick father-son Luke McDonald at No.8.
The Brisbane Lions (pick seven), Melbourne (pick nine) and Collingwood (pick 10) round out the top bracket, and players like Ben Lennon and Christian Salem would be around this mark if still available.
A lot has been said about this year's draft being an even one.
It doesn't have the depth of previous intakes, especially in the key position department. It lacks a little bit of excitement: a few players at the top give it a dynamic feel, but that drops away.
After the first handful, a lot of players can be grouped together as 'possibles' for the next 20 picks, and it will just depend which club likes which player.
It's why a lot of recruiters want to be out of the draft by pick 40 (intent on using next year's stronger draft to load up on picks). That means that they either have all three of their mandatory selections in that first two rounds or so, or have two picks there and leave another one, two or however many later on to upgrade rookies to the senior list.
It also means that the jockeying for draft positions during the trade and free agency period is not just window dressing. An inch, clearly, can be a mile in draft terms.
Twitter: @AFL_CalTwomey
After pick four, things get even harder to predict. Matt Scharenberg has the talent and runs on the board to be around that mark, but Gold Coast (pick five) has been linked with clever, rangey half-back Kade Kolodjashnij, and the Suns have shown a liking to draft Tasmanians in the past.
If, as expected, the Eagles do trade pick six for 11 and 27 (which is likely to be on-traded to the Brisbane lions for homesick defender Elliot Yeo), they may still get the player they are after.
They have been heavily linked to Dom Sheed, a local midfielder from Subiaco, but Victorian Nathan Freeman is also a draft mover and could be considered in that range if not already gone.
One of the two appears likely to be available at pick 11, especially as North Melbourne is locked in to pick father-son Luke McDonald at No.8.
The Brisbane Lions (pick seven), Melbourne (pick nine) and Collingwood (pick 10) round out the top bracket, and players like Ben Lennon and Christian Salem would be around this mark if still available.
A lot has been said about this year's draft being an even one.
It doesn't have the depth of previous intakes, especially in the key position department. It lacks a little bit of excitement: a few players at the top give it a dynamic feel, but that drops away.
After the first handful, a lot of players can be grouped together as 'possibles' for the next 20 picks, and it will just depend which club likes which player.
It's why a lot of recruiters want to be out of the draft by pick 40 (intent on using next year's stronger draft to load up on picks). That means that they either have all three of their mandatory selections in that first two rounds or so, or have two picks there and leave another one, two or however many later on to upgrade rookies to the senior list.
It also means that the jockeying for draft positions during the trade and free agency period is not just window dressing. An inch, clearly, can be a mile in draft terms.
Twitter: @AFL_CalTwomey
