We’ve never seen a trade period quite like the one we are about to immerse ourselves in.
The big names are bigger, the money is seemingly limitless, and the aggro will be fierce.
St Kilda is moving and shaking like the 60s, throwing around cash like jelly beans in its shameless pursuit of a second premiership.
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They will bring in Sam Flanders for pick seven, Leek Aleer for picks swaps, Liam Ryan for pick swaps, and have already acquired Jack Silvagni and Tom De Koning.
St Kilda coach Ross Lyon. AFL Photos via Getty Images
They are in danger of losing ruck Rowan Marshall to Geelong, which has been on the cards the moment de Koning was presented with an eye-watering offer.
The Cats will be asked to cough up a first rounder for Marshall, who agonised over his decision before settling on a trade request late last week.
Then there is Jack Steele, who has gone from captain to trade bait in the space of a week.
Steele wants to stay. But if a club needs a reliable, experienced midfielder of strong character, then he’s a good option.
And that club might be Adelaide, following its failed pursuit of Christian Petracca. The Crows were all in, but did have some reservations around his salary, which is more than $5.75m across the next four years.
Matthew Nicks would like to add midfield depth to his team but will lock in Callum Ah Chee over the next 10 days from Brisbane, who have already welcomed Sam Draper and Oscar Allen via free agency and will soon lose Brandon Starcevich to West Coast for Pick 19.
The Eagles will lose Campbell Chesser to the Blues and Ryan to the Saints, but don’t look to be an attractive option for any players hoping for success. They missed out on Hawk Sam Butler, but have convinced Tigers defender Tylar Young to join on a three-year deal.
This is not to say they can’t improve, but it will be difficult from their lowly position. Picks one and two help, once the Allen compensation comes through from the AFL.
Fremantle will be relatively quiet now that Luke Jackson is staying. Losing Liam Reidy to Carlton and Will Brodie to Port Adelaide are neither here nor there for a club well positioned to rise in 2026.
Charlie Curnow celebrates a goal. AFL Photos via Getty Images
Speaking of the Blues, they are battling to keep star forward Charlie Curnow from the grasp of rival clubs.
Curnow’s most likely avenue appears to be Sydney, though it won’t stop the Cats from having a crack.
Carlton’s position is clear: It will only trade the two-time Coleman Medallist for an outrageous deal. The Swans appear more equipped to offer an attractive trade than the Cats.
Sydney’s Will Hayward said last week he is happy at the club, but would consider a move if they asked him to. Oliver Florent is in a similar boat.
How hard does Curnow want to push? That’s the question now.
The Swans will top up via trades for Malcolm Rosas Jnr (Gold Coast) and Jai Serong (Hawthorn), but would love a big fish like Curnow.
Across the city, GWS is making a move for Clayton Oliver, who is being punted from Melbourne. The Demons are so eager for their four-time best and fairest to leave, they’ve even offered to pay up to $700,000 of his $1.4 million annual salary across the next five years.
Yes, you read correctly. That’s potentially $3.5 million in total for Oliver to play for a rival. The Giants see their clearance game as a weakness and have a history of turning around players who have had off-field issues. Oliver fits the bill.
Clayton Oliver meets with GWS. Twitter
Gold Coast looms as a critical cog in the trade machine yet again. For the first time in their history, they can call themselves a destination club. Petracca was wooed by Damien Hardwick and wants to go there, while Jamie Elliott seriously considered a three-year deal.
The Petracca deal was made less complex the moment Flanders chose St Kilda on Saturday morning. Pick seven will get to the Suns, who can then hand it to the Demons. Whether that’s enough for Tim Lamb and co remains to be seen.
Melbourne won’t pay a cent of Petracca’s contract and would ideally like a player in return. Having gone for a walk around ‘The Tan’ with Bailey Humphrey on Friday, Steven King can dare to dream.
But these dreams may be short-lived, with the Suns adamant Humphrey – who has three years remaining on a deal – is going nowhere. If Melbourne asked for Humphrey in return for Petracca, Gold Coast would walk away from the deal.
The Suns have also put pick six on the table, while they are getting closer to locking in Jamarra Ugle-Hagan from the Dogs. This will need AFL and board approval.
The Power won’t do much following a productive few years in the trade space. Jacob Wehr will arrive from GWS, and Brodie from the Dockers. There’s a genuine chance Jason Cripps doesn’t even draft a kid on national draft night. Instead, they would upgrade three rookies.
And even though Zak Butters would ideally like to be back in Melbourne, he won’t push the envelope. Expect the gun midfielder to depart as a free agent in 12 months though, with up to half a dozen clubs clamouring for his services.
One of these clubs will be Collingwood, which doesn’t have a first round pick but is ambitiously attempting to top up year on year.
The Magpies met with former Richmond tall Jacob Blight late last week, but missed out on Silvagni. Justin Leppitsch will be active in conversations, but it remains to be seen whether they can land anyone of note.
Silvagni’s decision to join the Saints, plus Callum Wilkie’s re-structured contract, have been blows to the Western Bulldogs.
The Dogs were keen for precisely that sort of player, and will now go back to the drawing board after delisting Liam Jones, who is keen to find a new home.
Jamarra Ugle-Hagan of the Bulldogs AFL Photos via Getty Images
Luke Beveridge’s men are not keen on Steven May, nor is Collingwood at this stage. And they won’t stand in the way of Ugle-Hagan’s exit following a nightmare 2025.
North Melbourne is trying to navigate an awkward situation around its captain Jy Simpkin, who is on a juicy contract and wants to play in the midfield.
The issue is, the Roos see him as a winger and flanker these days, which has frustrated the two-time best and fairest.
There would be clubs interested in Simpkin, but not for his $1 million price tag and a first round draft pick. And North is not inclined to pay any of his salary to play elsewhere given the club is not particularly stretched as it is.
The Tigers will go to the national draft with North’s first selection, courtesy of a remarkable trade last year. So that gives Blair Hartley picks two and three to play with, following a significant haul in 2024.
Essendon will be busy, probably for the wrong reasons. Captain Zach Merrett wants to join Hawthorn, though president Andrew Welsh has repeatedly knocked that on the head.
Merrett is yet to formally request a trade, though that should take place in the coming days.
The Hawks are in pursuit of not just Merrett, but also Humphrey. Losing James Worpel to the Cats via free agency leaves a hole in their midfield that must be filled.
Strap yourself in, the 2025 trade period is set to be the busiest, angriest, wildest one yet.