ESSENDON stole the show in the last days of free agency with the signing of James Gwilt from St Kilda and the decision by veteran Dustin Fletcher to continue his brilliant career for one more season.

 

With the restricted and unrestricted free agency period closed as of 5pm Sunday, former Bomber Leroy Jetta, former Saint Clint Jones, and Port Adelaide utility Tom Logan remain the only players on the free agent list who want to play on but are yet to be contracted for 2015.

 

Those three players will now have to hope to be picked up during the delisted free agency period, which begins on November 1. 

 

Only five of the original 57 free agents in 2014 changed clubs via free agency with Melbourne's James Frawley being the biggest name to move. The All Australian defender made his way to the defending premier Hawthorn and the Demons received the very handy pick No.3 as compensation.

 

Jarrad Waite and Shaun Higgins joined North Melbourne from Carlton and the Western Bulldogs respectively. While the Blues received no compensation for the 31-year-old Waite, the Bulldogs got pick No.27 for the 26-year-old Higgins.

 

Nick Malceski accepted a three-year deal to join Gold Coast, leaving the Sydney Swans after 176 games. The 30-year-old was a key player in the club's 2012 premiership but he left with their best wishes.

 

St Kilda delisted Gwilt but Essendon signed the defender on Saturday, beating Melbourne and Greater Western Sydney who had expressed interest but looked unlikely to recruit him until the delisted free agency period.

 

Fourteen players on the original list of 57 retired with Adelaide's Jason Porplyzia, the Sydney Swans' Ryan O'Keefe and Hawthorn's Brad Sewell joining the likes of Collingwood's Nick Maxwell, the Brisbane Lions' Jonathan Brown, West Coast's Darren Glass and Dean Cox, St Kilda's Lenny Hayes, Port Adelaide's Domenic Cassisi and the Bulldogs' Daniel Giansiracusa in recent weeks.

 

Adam Goodes, Fletcher and Luke McPharlin agreed to saddle up for another season while Bomber Jason Winderlich waxed and waned between retiring, joining Richmond and playing on with the Bombers before deciding this week to stick with Essendon.

 

A proposal to make Patrick Ryder a free agent to avoid the prospect of him being traded or having to go to the grievance tribunal for breach of contract dissipated as the 5pm deadline drew near.