THE trade period for 2015 has ended with some huge names swapping teams in one of the most frantic off-seasons in recent memory.
Several teams attacked the fortnight hoping to add some experience to their list and make an immediate impact, while others elected to bring in draft picks in order to rebuild their team with youth.
As a consequence, the teams with premiership aspirations have seen their odds tumble for the 2016 flag, while others have taken a big hit in the eyes of the bookies heading into next season.
Let’s take a look at who made the moves that mattered in the 2015 trade period.
Cats and Collingwood clean up – Dons prepared to look to youth
Geelong were one of the biggest winners in this year’s trade period, with their acquisition of former Crow Patrick Dangerfield undoubtedly the coup of the off-season.
The Cats had been hit hard by the retirements of club greats Matthew Stokes and James Kelly, while Steve Johnson was respectfully moved on.
The club quickly and decisively went about finding adequate replacements for the trio, with Dangerfield and former Eagle Scott Selwood – who moved to the Cats as an unrestricted free agent – joining Geelong in an effort to bolster its midfield stocks.
Sportsbet is running a Dangerfield trade period special on the new Cat, with four markets and an over/under market on the amount of goals the former Crow will kick in 2016.
The preferred choice at this early stage is for Danger to win the 2016 Cats best and fairest, which is currently at $3.50.
Also joining the club is Carlton swingman Lachie Henderson (who was traded for the Cats’ future first round pick) and out of favour Gold Coast ruckman Zac Smith, who only cost Geelong a series of late round draft selections.
As a consequence, the Cats’ premiership odds have tumbled in, with Sportsbet moving the Cats into fifth favourite for the flag at $12.
Another team that had a terrific start to their off-season was Collingwood.
The Pies landed their man in former Giant Adam Treloar after a prolonged timeframe that stretched out to the second last day of the trade period.
Treloar cost Collingwood their first round selection in this year’s draft (pick 7) and their future first round pick in 2016, but given that Treloar has the potential to be a top five player in the competition, the Pies were prepared to pay the cost.
Along with Treloar, Collingwood also acquired Melbourne high flier Jeremy Howe in a complicated three-way trade that saw elusive forward Ben Kennedy depart the club to join the Demons.
If securing two of the most exciting talents in the league was not enough, the Pies also rounded out the period by securing former Lion James Aish in a three-way deal involving North Melbourne which saw Roo midfielder Ryan Bastinac join the Lions along with an exchange of draft picks.
The only departure of note was the loss of Nathan Freeman to St Kilda for a future second round pick.
Freeman failed to break into the senior side in his two injury-plagued years at the Pies, but was still considered a great prospect for the future, with former Collingwood skipper Nick Maxwell comparing him to Patrick Dangerfield.
The inclusions that Collingwood have made to its list have given the Magpies one of the strongest and deepest midfields in the AFL, with finals now an expectation, rather than an estimation.
Despite this, the Pies have only slightly come in with Sportsbet in premiership betting, sitting on the 11th line of betting at $23.
2015 Grand Finalists West Coast quietly went about its business early in the period, acquiring star Lion midfielder Jack Redden for its first round selection (pick 17) in the 2015 draft.
Redden is an immediate upgrade on the departing Scott Selwood, and will add tackling pressure around the Eagles’ midfield – something that the runners up lacked in the 2015 Grand Final loss to Hawthorn.
Along with Redden, the Eagles also swapped out ruckman Callum Sinclair for former flag-winning Swan and Western Australian native Lewis Jetta.
Sinclair – who would always be surplus to requirements while Nic Naitanui is in Blue and Gold – was a straight swap for the speedy Swan, who will walk directly into the Eagles line up and add line-breaking speed and premiership experience.
The only loss of note was Scott Selwood’s departure to Geelong as a free agent and Matt Rosa’s trade to the Gold Coast for pick 31.
The Eagles were already sitting towards the peak of premiership betting, but with their off-season pickups Crownbet has seen it fit to wind them in even further, placing West Coast as second favourites for the flag at $6.00.
While bringing in big names was very much en vogue in 2015, not every team elected to trade away draft picks to gain top level talent.
Essendon took a different approach to the aforementioned teams, trading out their ready-made players with an eye on adding some much needed young talent from the 2015 draft.
Essendon will take picks 4, 5, 24 and 25 into November’s draft, the most selections they have had in the top 25 for over a decade.
Of the past 17 drafts, Essendon has only had two of a possible 85 top five picks in the AFL draft – in 2015 they will have two.
In order to get the prized picks, the Dons let Jake Carlisle depart to the Saints in a three-way trade with Sydney which saw the Bombers attain premiership winning Swan Craig Bird.
Bird joined the Dons along with pick five and 24, St Kilda got their man Carlisle along with pick 14, while the Swans acquired Essendon’s pick 23 and a bevy of late round selections.
Also on the way out of Essendon was Jake Melksham, who joins the Demons in exchange for their second round selection, pick 25.
Even though draft picks were the order of business for the Bombers, they also looked to boost their depleted ruck stocks, with Brisbane’s Matthew Leuenberger joining the club as a restricted free agent.
As a consequence of losing two of their senior players, the Dons have taken a significant hit in the premiership market, with Sportsbet placing Essendon as $67.00 outsiders to win the 2016 premiership.
Full 2016 premiership betting
Odds provided by Sportsbet.com.au
Hawthorn $4.00
West Coast $6.00
Fremantle $8.00
Port Adelaide $10.00
Sydney $11.00
Richmond $13.00
North Melbourne $15.00
Adelaide $18.00
Western Bulldogs $18.00
Collingwood $23.00
Greater Western Sydney $23.00
Gold Coast $41.00
Essendon $67.00
St Kilda $101.00
Melbourne $101.00
Brisbane $151.00
Carlton $251.00
