Every club rated from the 2022 AFL Trade Period

A Brownlow Medalist, a newly-minted best-and-fairest winner and last year’s No.1 draft pick all changed clubs in a frantic AFL trade period.

Last season’s top pick Jason Horne-Francis moved back home to South Australia, star rucks Luke Jackson and Brodie Grundy also found new clubs, while recently dominant teams Geelong and Richmond only got stronger.  

The Daily Mail Australia rates how all the clubs fared during the trade period, and analyses all the major trades from the league’s most frantic few weeks of the year.

Adelaide

Grade: B

In: Izak Rankine.

Out: Billy Frampton.  

Massive coup for the Crows. Rankine, an Adelaide native and pick 3 in the 2018 AFL draft, joins from the Suns for pick 5 and a swap of future picks. The exciting small goalsneak will belatedly fill the boots of Eddie Betts and joins talls Taylor Walker, Riley Thilthorpe and Darcy Fogarty in a potent Crows forward line. Rankine is coming off a career-best season, where he started to deliver on his generational talent. His goal sense and skill levels are off the charts, and being back home in Adelaide with family will no doubt help his development too.

Crows list manager Justin Reid revealed the seeds of the trade began way back in June, when Rankine played for Gold Coast against Port at Adelaide Oval in front of a big contingent of family and friends. ‘A bit of a lightbulb moment was when he played on Adelaide Oval against Port Adelaide and he had his family in the changerooms. That really opened up the door for us. Once that happened, things moved pretty quickly after that,’ he said.

The Crows will get a future pick for adaptable tall Frampton, who fell out of favour with coach Matthew Nicks in the latter half of the season. Affordable trade as Adelaide has plenty of depth in tall utilities. 

Brisbane

Grade: A

In: Jack Gunston and Josh Dunkley.

Out: Daniel McStay and Tom Berry.

Have the Lions just unlocked the way to go from perennial finalists to premiers? The Dunkley deal went down to the deadline but finally got done as the Bulldogs blinked and accepted only one first-round draft pick and host of future selections. Dunkley is fresh off winnning the best and fairest in a largely defensive midfield role. A big-bodied midfielder is exactly what the Lions need to complement their ace smaller mids in Lachie Neale and Hugh McCluggage.

‘Watching the Lions throughout the finals I thought they were really impressive, and I feel I can add to that and bring in some finals experience of my own. I want to be someone that can stand up in big moments and in big games, so I will try to do that to help the Lions go that next step,’ Dunkley said after securing the move north.

The Lions forwards were poor in the 71-point thrashing to Geelong in the preliminary final – and the arrival of three-time premiership Hawk Jack Gunston adds nouse, versatility and guidance to a forward line that is electric at best, but completely vanishes at worst. The 30-year-old is still performing at a consistently high level, underpinned by kicking 17 goals in the final five games. They didn’t give up a whole lot to get a proven player who could be the final piece of the premiership puzzle. He essentially offsets the loss of Dan McStay to Collingwood. 

‘He (Gunston) is 30 and he has three flags and we haven’t got too many blokes in our side who have played in premierships so it’s always good to get that experience. Even to help our younger forwards coming through, it’s a good acquisition for us,’ said Lions football manager Danny Daly. 

Daniel McStay departed to Collingwood, but the adaptable tall was a justifiable departure with Gunston arriving. Tom Berry, brother of star midfielder Jarrod, moves down the highway to Gold Coast in search of more opportunities.

Carlton

Grade: B-

In: Blake Acres.

Out: Will Setterfield, Liam Jones. 

A quiet trade period for the Blues after last year’s flurry. The 26-year-old Acres was precisely targeted to fill the tall wingman role Carlton had sorely lacked. The former Saint had easily his best season to date in 2022, shining on the wing for the Dockers as he averaged almost 22 disposals per game. A marking outside midfielder is exactly what the Blues needed and they hardly gave up anything to get him. 

Setterfield departs but was really only a depth player as a big-bodied mid behind the likes of Cripps, Kennedy and Hewett. Jones, after a forced year out of the AFL due to his unwillingness to get a Covid vaccination, returns to his original club at the Western Bulldogs in exchange for a late pick. 

Re-signing tall forwards Charlie Curnow and Harry McKay while retaining their first-round selection were the priorities for the Blues, and they ticked all those boxes. 

Collingwood

Grade: C+ 

In: Tom Mitchell, Bobby Hill, Daniel McStay, Billy Frampton and Tom Mitchell. 

Out: Brodie Grundy and Ollie Henry.

The Magpies pulled off a coup by nabbing Brownlow Medallist Mitchell on the cheap from a rebuilding Hawthorn. His clearance numbers are elite, and while there are questions about the defensive side of his game, Collingwood’s ultra-attacking gameplan under Craig Macrae should make that less of an issue. The two-time All Australian may be 29 but provides a bridge to the younger generation of midfielders with the like of Pendlebury, Sidebottom and Adams coming toward the end of their careers. Mitchell’s arrival could also allow the likes of Jordan De Goey and the Daicos brothers to push further forward. 

‘We’ve had some interest in Tom for some time now and are pleased to have come to terms with him arriving at the club. Tom has been a prolific ball-getter and clearance player across his career, which made him an attractive get,’ said recruiting chief Graham Wright.

The departure of Brodie Grundy can only be described as a blow, as he is arguably the game’s top ruckman when fit. But two years into a mammoth seven-year, $7million deal, the Pies were feeling the salary cap squeeze, and the Pies feel they are well enough served by the much cheaper Darcy Cameron in ruck. Mason Cox provides ruck relief, while Collingwood is bullish about Nathan Kreuger.

‘A man I have the highest respect for on and off the field. Learnt so much from him and one of those people that every time you chat you leave a better person. Someone who makes this world better. Going to miss you,’ Cox wrote about his departing teammate Grundy.

Bobby Hill has been wanting to return for Victoria for two years, and the Giants loss is Collingwood’s gain. The exciting 22-year-old suffers the fate of many small forwards – exciting one game, anonymous the next – and Collingwood will be banking on growing maturity evening out his performance levels.

Daniel McStay comes in from Brisbane as a much-needed tall forward option, pinch-hitting in ruck. Brody Mihocek has been a warrior in fronting up each week, but the Pies sorely missed able back-up. 

Ex-Crow Billy Frampton also adds tall coverage, both forward and back and in ruck. 

Collingwood had tried hard to retain the promising Olly Henry, but from the time he lost his role as third tall forward to Ash Johnson, he had his heart set on a move down to Geelong to join brother Jack. 

Essendon

Grade: C- 

In: Will Setterfield and Sam Weideman. 

Out: Aaron Francis.

Essendon had boasted all year that it room under the salary cap for one or two big recruits in this off-season, so their haul of Weideman and Setterfield is very underwhelming. This is what happens when you oust your coach and TWO chief executives in quick time. The instability put off many players the Bombers approached, from Jordan De Goey to Ben King, Izak Rankine, Angus Brayshaw, Jack Bowes and Jack Gunston. 

Setterfield was an in-and-out player at Carlton after not living up to expectations at GWS as an early draft pick. Has the size to fit into a midfield led by the smaller Zach Merrett and Darcy Parish. Setterfield did an effective job on Melbourne ace Clayton Oliver in a late-season clash, and that may have won over the Bombers.

Weideman flattered to deceive at Melbourne, with some impressive performances always followed with quiet ones. That inconsistency had him as only a back-up at the Demons, but if he can produce his best regularly, he would be make a handy second tall forward behind Peter Wright.

‘He never needs a shower Sam Weideman, he just never gets dirty and invests in the game in its absolute totality. I want to see some urgency from him. Maybe a spark or a shock of being traded to another club can do that and might just be the prod that he needs,’ King said on Fox Footy on Wednesday night. 

Fremantle

Grade: A-

In: Josh Corbett, Luke Jackson and Jaeger O’Meara. 

Out: Rory Lobb, Blake Acres, Griffin Logue, Darcy Tucker and Lloyd Meek. 

The Dockers got their man in signing up Luke Jackson, who emerged as the game’s next big thing during Melbourne’s run to the 2021 premiership. While he did not quite back it up this year, his mind could well have been on his move back home to WA. The athletic 199cm 21-year-old should be a generational player for the Dockers – though two first round and one second round pick sure is a high price to pay. Might turn out to be a win-win trade for both parties. Sean Darcy and Jackson will be a phenomenal ruck duo for many years to come.

‘He’s got so much versatility and so much scope to improve as a player. We’re really only scratching the surface with what he can do. He’s only just turned 21, when you look at what he’s doing with his relative age rating for a player in his position, he’s off the charts,’ Dockers player personnel manager David Walls said of Jackson.

The O’Meara arrival came out of the blue – with not a whisper until the last day of the trade period. The Dockers get a super consistent midfielder who is over the injury issues that blighted the early part of his career, and will fill the gap left by the retirement of David Mundy. 

Corbett was down the pecking order at Gold Coast but impressed many with his form at state league level, and earns another chance in the west.

Lobb has wanted out of the Dockers for two seasons now, and while Freo played hard-ball on the trade, they finally relented after the outstanding acquisition of Jackson as the ruck/forward option. 

Acres and Logue were locked-in first-team players and will not be easy to replace as a wingman and lock-down defender respectively. However both were offered much more money to move than the Dockers could match after signing up Jackson on a mega-deal.

Meek too had a suite of admirers but was bound to be only a back-up behind Darcy and Jackson. Not sure Freo got enough for him, as he could become a long-term first-choice ruck for the Hawks. 

Geelong

Grade: A+ 

In: Tanner Bruhn, Jack Bowes and Ollie Henry. 

Out: Cooper Stephens. 

TRADE – Get: Jack Bowes (Gold Coast) and pick 7. Lose: Future third-round pick.

Something is not right with the equalisation measures when the reigning premier can recruit three highly-credentialed players plus pick 7 in the draft and give up next to nothing.

Bruhn, Bowes and Henry were all first-round draft picks, and the Cats have earmarked them as replacements for their ageing stars – if not this coming season then soon after. 

The Bowes deal will go down as one of the most contentious trades of the entire period – but it’s a huge win for the Cats. Not only will they get the talented 83-game defender but they’ll also get pick 7 in the upcoming draft: the Cats’ highest pick  for 16 years. Unbelievable get for the club thanks to the Suns’ controversial $1.6million salary dump. How did the reigning premiers get even better?!

Bruhn, a highly-skilled and talented midfielder has spent much of his career on the half forward flank, and the Geelong native will likely continue that at the Cats while he continues to grow into his body before moving permanently into the midfield.

Henry joins brother Jack at the Cats, and the 20-year-old will compete for the third tall forward role behind Hawkins and Cameron. Showed flashes at Collingwood and has plenty of upside. 

Stephens is a promising running mid who had a few senior opportunities at Geelong but will get many more at his new home. 

‘The Cats would be absolutely pumped at the moment, getting Tanner Bruhn, Jack Henry, Jack Bowes and Pick 7. They’ve just got these older guys that’ll just go out of their system in the right way and they’ve got these young guys that’ll just come through. When you look at the Cats, it’s nine lives – they just keep standing up,’ Bulldogs legend and pundit Brad Johnson told Fox Sports.

Gold Coast

Grade: F 

In: Ben Long and Tom Berry. Out: Izak Rankine, Josh Corbett and Jack Bowes  

TRADE – Get: Future third-round pick. Lose: Jack Bowes and pick 7.

What a disaster for the Suns. After signing talented defender Bowes to a whopping five-year extension in 2019, Gold Coast were forced to not only give away one of their top players because he is owed $1.6million over the next two seasons, but they also handed over pick 7 to Geelong. 

They got virtually nothing in return. Goodness me, this so-called ‘salary dump’ will absolutely come back to bite them. Bowes is reportedly ‘feeling betrayed’ according to the Herald Sun, and wanted to remain at the club. His whole family uprooted their lives to move to the Gold Coast and help Bowes and the club out. Watch Bowes shine for the Cats next season and deliver on his undoubted potential as a midfielder.

Gold Coast do get tough rebounding defender Ben Long, and after a stellar end to the season he might prove to be a bargain.  

Gold Coast will be rightly annoyed that Rankine wanted out just three seasons after being picked up at pick 3 despite all the club had done to accommodate him and his family. Pick 5 is decent compensation who was just starting to shine but the Suns will be under pressure to absolutely nail that selection. 

Corbett was down the depth charts for the tall forward role behind King, Chol and Lukosius, while Berry will have a battle to squeeze into an improving Suns team. 

GWS

Grade: D

In: Toby Bedford.

Out: Bobby Hill, Tim Taranto, Tanner Bruhn and Jacob Hopper. 

The rich Giants midfield is being gutted, with hard-nosed inside bull Jacob Hopper and former pick 2 Tim Taranto heading to Richmond. The talented pair have both inked rich seven-year deals, and have their best footy ahead of them. It’s a huge blow for GWS, with both midfielders victims of the intense salary cap squeeze at the club. At his best, Taranto has the potential to be one of the top midfielders in the competition. Can the quantity of the picks they’ll bring in, increasing an already burgeoning draft hand, equal the quality of him and Hopper?

On the plus side, the Giants traded up to pick one in the draft which they are expected to use on boom youngster Aaron Cadman. But given past history, how long will the Victorian stay? 

Beford requested a trade earlier this month after struggling for opportunities at Melbourne, and should get plenty more at GWS. He is a like-for-like replacement for the departing and inconsistent Hill.

Right from the moment Bruhn went viral for his less-than enthusiastic response upon being picked up by the Giants on draft night in 2020, you knew this would go south quickly. The talented midfielder has spent much of his career on the half forward flank, and the Geelong native will likely continue that at the Cats while he continues to grow into his body before moving permanently into the media.  Yet ANOTHER top Giants draft pick departs the club to head back to Victoria for more opportunities. 

‘It’s disappointing, particularly given the disruptions of the past two seasons, to lose Tanner back to Victoria only two years after drafting him (Bruhn),’ Giants football manager Jason McCartney said.   

Hawthorn

Grade: D-

In: Karl Amon, Cooper Stephens and Lloyd Meek.

Out: Jack Gunston, Tom Mitchell and Jaeger O’Meara. 

Amazingly, Hawthorn now has only one player – Luke Breust – left from the triple premiership era of 2013-15.

Far from taking a stride forward in the second year under coach Sam Mitchell, the Hawks still appear very much in rebuild mode by trading away three very accomplished and experienced players.

Free agent arrival Karl Amon will be wondering what he’s got himself in for as the Hawks strip bare to restock via the draft. The 27-year-old is a hard runner and an excellent user of the ball by foot but not a game breaker. However he will add some polish to a now raw looking Hawks midfield. 

‘He is an incredibly gifted athlete and can be damaging by foot. With more than 100 games under his belt, we believe his skillset and experience will complement our young and developing list,’ Hawks list manager Mark McKenzie said at the start of the trade period.   

Melbourne

Grade: A

In: Brodie Grundy, Josh Schache and Lachie Hunter.

Out: Jayden Hunt, Toby Bedford, Luke Jackson and Sam Weideman. 

The Grundy arrival could quickly thrust Melbourne back among the premiership favourites if he can pick up where he left off after a 2022 season decimated by injury. His combination with Max Gawn has the potential to be one of the best of all time, with the pair boasting eight All Australian jumpers and four Best and Fairest trophies between them. They might be losing Jackson, a star of the future, but Grundy, if he can get back to his 2018-19 form will be an upgrade for the next few years regardless. Not only do they only have to give up a moderate pick, Collingwood will contribute to a fair bit of Grundy’s salary, given their diabolical list management. BIG tick on this trade for the Dees, and key defenders will be having nightmares about Gawn being able to spend much more time in the forward line.

No doubt the Dees wanted Jackson to be a donning the red and blue for the next decade, but you can’t win them all. Clearly the youngster was intent on being back home in Western Australia, but losing the prodigious talent has allowed them to not only drastically improve their draft hand, but also acquire a sensational replacement. 

Speedy wing/halfback Hunt is off to the Eagles, but the Dees pulled off a canny move by bringing in former best-and-fairest winner Lachie Hunter from the Bulldogs. Seems to have been around forever but is only 27 and reads the play expertly. 

‘Lachie is an experienced player who possesses extremely high football IQ. He is an elite runner who is a proven high level and consistent performer at AFL level. We were keen to add another player with really strong decision making and a high skill level and Lachie brings that in spades,’ he told AFL.com.au on Wednesday. 

Schache comes in to replace Weideman as a tall forward option, but also showed at the Bulldogs that he was capable as a key defender. The former No.2 draft pick has not made it work at Brisbane or the Bulldogs, but a new environment and a dose of confidence could see him thrive.

North Melbourne 

Grade: C

In: Griffin Logue and Darcy Tucker.

Out: Jason Horne-Francis. 

Really they had no choice but to let Horne-Francis go back to Adelaide and his departure will end what was a destabilising situation as he agitated for an exit. They’ve made the best of a bad situation, and are likely to have a choice of Elijah Tsatas, Harry Sheezel and George Wardlaw at picks 2 and 3 as well as a mid-range first-rounder next year. 

Logue, 24, and Tucker, 25, are both the perfect age for North Melbourne’s list, and the former in particular has a lot of upside as a swingman key defender or forward. 

‘Griffin and Darcy are a fantastic fit for our club and we are really pleased to have finalised this deal early in the trade period. On-field they both provide great versatility, skill and football maturity. Off-field, they are young guys of high character and are eager to contribute to making our club better,’ list manager Brady Rawlings told AFL.com.au after the trade.

Port Adelaide

Grade: A+ 

In: Jason Horne-Francis and Junior Rioli.

Out: Karl Amon. 

Give Port list manager Jason Cripps a raise. STUNNING trade for the Power. They got Horne-Francis and Rioli without giving up a single player in return, and it’s enough to make Power fans they might be in premiership contention this year. Horne-Francis might not have had the year the Kangaroos would have liked after investing pick 1 in him, but make no mistake – this is a generational midfield talent right here. He’ll be much more settled back home in Adelaide, out of the Melbourne fishbowl and away from the Roos’ drama. Rioli will help offset the loss of club legend Robbie Gray, too. Could be the best trade in the club’s history.

Amon is a loss, and earned the most Brownlow votes for Port this season, but the Power has plenty of depth in pacy outside mids/flankers.

Richmond

Grade: A

In: Tim Taranto and Jacob Hopper.

Out: None 

With an ageing midfield, Richmond were in dire need of rejuvenating that part of the list so they can continue to keep at least a sliver of their premiership window open.

Hopper should come straight into the centre square as tough ball-winner and high accumulator of possessions, allowing the likes of Dustin Martin and Trent Cotchin to play half-forward. The talented Taranto is adaptable as a inside or outside mid and forward. This is a superbly astute piece of business from the Tigers, who also held onto back-up ruck Ivan Soldo who the Giants were keen to acquire. 

St Kilda

Grade: F

In: Zaine Cordy.

Out: Ben Long. 

Ben Long has promised so much as a footballer, and has only just began to deliver and scratch the surface of what he is capable of. But he wanted to leave, and the club got a second round pick out of it. 

The Saints improve their defensive depth with the acquisition of unrestricted free agent Zaine Cordy from the Bulldogs, and his arrival should free up the talented Callum Wilkie to play a third-up tall and rebounding half-back.

Retained Hunter Clark despite interest from North, but this was an oddly passive trade period for a club whose age profile would suggest they should be have been topping up with talent. 

Sydney

Grade: C+

In: Aaron Francis.

Out: None. 

Highly-rated as a big-bodied junior in Adelaide, the talented but frustrating tall defender Francis was always unsettled at Essendon. The Swans made him a priority though in the trade period, and will be hoping they can rejuvenate his career like they did with Paddy McCartin. Hard to see it happening, but happy to be proved wrong. 

For beaten grand finallists, the Swans did well to go into the draft with two late first-round selections. 

West Coast

Grade: D

In: Jayden Hunt.

Out: Junior Rioli. 

The Eagles are the biggest losers in the mega trade. They never wanted to lose Rioli, but had no choice, and they’ve given up the second pick in a top-heavy draft just to likely draft two Western Australians later.

Hunt will add some dash but after a diabolical 2022 season and very little young talent coming through, the Eagles will be at long odds to be in finals contention anytime soon.  

Western Bulldogs

Grade: C-

In: Liam Jones and Rory Lobb.

Out: Zaine Cordy, Josh Schache, Lachie Hunter and Josh Dunkley. 

The loss of Dunkley will hurt, with his tough ball-winning ability allowing the likes of Bontempelli and Macrae to run free. No shortage of players seeking the exit door at the Whitten Oval which is odd for a team that has been a consistent finals side for years.

Jones is a ready-made replacement for Cordy as a key defender alongside Alex Keath. If Jones can recapture some of the lockdown form he showed at Carlton, he’ll hugely improve the backline. 

Lobb’s arrival adds to the forest of tall forwards and ruckman at the Bulldogs. Just how and where does he fit into a side with Tim English as first ruck, that is trying to accommodate early draft picks Jamarra Ugle-Hagan and Sam Darcy, while also  playing Aaron Naughton and Josh Bruce?

‘Players of Rory’s size, athleticism and experience, who can have an impact up forward and through the ruck, are difficult to find in the modern game,’ said fomer Bulldogs player, now list manager, Sam Power.