THE AFL trade period is the most hotly anticipated week in the Australian Rules off-season, and with every passing year, momentum builds.
While clubs work feverishly behind closed doors to secure the best deal for their team, fans have no choice but to wait with baited breath in the hope their list manager can pull of the heist of the century.
Clubs in the past have been able to pull off miracles and secure marquee players that have defined a generation at their respective teams, while others have crippled their clubs for decades and spelled the end of some coaching careers.
We take a look at the five biggest trades of the modern era of AFL and their long-lasting effects on the clubs and players involved.
Brendan Fevola and pick 27 to Brisbane – Lachie Henderson and pick 12 to Carlton (2009)
In terms of bad trades, it does not get much worse than this.
Carlton were looking to offload their enigmatic goal kicking superstar Brendan Fevola after a litany of off-field indiscretions, culminating in a drunken Brownlow medal performance that was the final straw for the Blues.
After it was declared Carlton were going to move the Coleman medallist on, Brisbane quickly came to the party, giving up former top-10 draftee Lachie Henderson and pick 12 for Fevola and pick 27.
In the aftermath, the move saw premiership forward Daniel Bradshaw leave the club after he was mooted as being one of the pieces of the puzzle despite originally not wanting to leave the Lions.
After five weeks the Lions were flying, winning their first five games in a row with Fevola leading the charge.
It quickly fell apart for them though, with the rest being history, Fev’s off-field issues become too hard to deal with, resulting in him being dismissed from the Lions.
The club is still dealing with the ramifications of this bungled trade.
Pick 4 (Scott Lucas) to Essendon, Pre-draft compensation pick (Matthew Lloyd) to Essendon – Tony Delaney to Fremantle (1994), Todd Ridley to Fremantle (1995)
In AFL terms, this is the closest thing you will see to highway robbery in the AFL.
When the Fremantle Dockers entered the AFL, they were afforded the luxury of selecting some of the best youngsters in the land, as well as getting several high end draft picks.
Rather than use these selections, Essendon pulled off one of the greatest trades of the modern era, securing goal kicking machine Matthew Lloyd and long-kicking centre half forward Scott Lucas for Tony Delaney and Todd Ridley.
You probably will notice the two Fremantle players did not receive the superlatives that Lloyd and Lucas did; that is because both players failed to make an impact at the Dockers.
If you have ever heard Fremantle be the butt of trade jokes, this exchange here is essentially the reason why they were the trade laughing stock since the club’s inception.
It is the type of trade you dream about if you are Essendon – two of the centrepiece forwards for your premiership glory in 2000, and the type of trade that gives you nightmare of you are Fremantle.
Josh Kennedy, pick 3 (Chris Masten), pick 20 (Tony Notte) to West Coast – Chris Judd, pick 46 (Dennis Armfield) to Carlton (2007)
In terms of blockbuster trades, few deals can compete with the sheer magnitude of the Judd to Carlton trade in AFL/VFL history.
Chris Judd, the undisputed best player in the AFL at the time decided he was ending his time in the West with the Eagles and set his sights on a return to Victoria.
After a courting process which saw just about every club in the state attempt to sell the Brownlow medallist on why he should play for them, Judd finally settled with the Blues and the negotiations began.
The Blues, who had both picks one and three in the draft after finishing at the bottom of the ladder; were reluctant to give the first selection which would eventually be Matthew Kreuzer.
Instead, a trade was engineered which sent former pick four and former Western Australian Josh Kennedy to West Coast, along with pick three in the draft which saw the Eagles secure Chris Masten.
Unlike the other aforementioned trades in this article, this one could be described as a genuine win/win for all parties.
The Blues found hope with the Judd-era, as the new skipper took the Blues to the finals for the first time in almost a decade, won multiple All-Australian honours and a second Brownlow medal.
The Eagles’ investment has taken a little bit longer to bear fruit but Kennedy is now their spearhead up forward with a Coleman medal to his name, and Masten is a midfield leader at the club.
Chris Groom to Fremantle – Andrew McLeod to Adelaide (1993)
It could not have been a trade list without another Fremantle trade blunder could it?
You could be forgiven for never hearing of the name Chris Groom before – with good reason.
Groom played his junior career with the Adelaide Crows and their affiliates, showing great promise in the under 17s, but his talents failed to transfer through to the senior league, managing only 12 games and eight goals for the Crows.
He was traded in 1995 for a young kid by the name of Andrew McLeod – who we bet you have probably heard of.
Groom only managed seven games and 18 goals at his new club, while McLeod’s sparkling career saw him become a two-time Norm Smith medallist, five time All-Australian and one of the most decorated indigenous players in AFL/VFL history.
The story has it that the Fremantle officials drew a line through McLeod’s name when he turned up to a club meeting with an earring.
We suspect the Dockers won’t be so prejudicial in future meetings.
Josh Kennedy, Ben McGlynn to Sydney – Picks 39, 46 and 70 to Hawthorn(2009)
It is not often that Hawthorn make mistakes in their trade dealings, but this one is an all-time mistake.
Josh Kennedy, the grandson of Hawthorn legend John Kennedy showed signs of quality but failed to break his way into the Hawks line up, and was traded after just three seasons in the brown and gold.
The very next year Kennedy’s star stone.
Kennedy finished third in the Swans’ best and fairest in his first year with the club, and has since gone on to win the Brett Kirk medal and has been a member of the All-Australian team twice.
His crowning moment was defeating his old side in the 2012 Grand Final, where a long range goal was the catalyst for the upset victory.
Along with Kennedy, McGlynn was traded from the Hawks to the Swans and has shown moments of brilliance at his new club, averaging well over a goal a game in the red and white.
While it was not an absolute disaster given one of the picks saw the Hawks recruit premiership defender Ben Stratton, in hindsight both players were worth at least a first round pick in their own right.
