Club-by-club trade period report card: From Hawthorn's awful flop to St Kilda's big swing

With the trade period in the books, we can now run our eyes over every team's ins and outs and assess whether they got the most out of a chaotic fortnight.

Some clubs were incredibly busy. St Kilda, Carlton, Sydney and others spent every day of the period in the headlines, while the likes of Collingwood, North Melbourne and Richmond were a little less busy.

It's easy to overreact to quantity and big moves, but how much growth will these teams truly get from their moves - that's the question we will unpack as we grade all 18 teams.

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ADELAIDE

INS: Finnbar Maley, (Callum Ah Chee)

OUTS: Nil

Draft hand: 16, 48, 55, 64, 73, 75, 93, 111

In this grading of the Crows, we're going to just hand them Callum Ah Chee given that is clearly what will eventuate come the pre-season draft - and they didn't have to give up anything for him, in a nice bonus.

The Crows brought in Finnbar Maley from North, a ruck-forward with some upside at no cost, they kept their first round pick as well.

They tried to get Christian Petracca, but fell short, and opted against plays for Clayton Oliver and Jack Steele to assess the midfield depth issue.

Presuming Ah Chee gets in the door without a hitch, the Crows get an unenthusiastic thumbs up for their trade period.

Trade period grade: C+

BRISBANE

INS: Oscar Allen, Sam Draper

OUTS: Brandon Starcevich, (Callum Ah Chee)

Draft hand: 17, 23, 44, 51, 59, 68, 79, 97, 115

Any time you can win the premiership and add in two quality players in their prime for no draft cost, you're probably going to have a pretty good trade period.

They lose Oscar McInerney to retirement and bring in Draper to plug that hole. Joe Daniher retires and Oscar Allen arrives (a year later) to fill that void.

Both are injury risks, but the upside for the Lions is clear as day. They also will add one of the best five players in the draft through their academy in Daniel Annable, which is just another draft win for them.

Losing Starcevich hurts, but they got a decent pick for him, and get back Keidean Coleman, Jack Payne and Tom Doedee from long term injuries in defence.

They get dinged to an A- for not getting any assets for Callum Ah Chee, and deciding they'd rather not trade him at all than settle for second and third round picks, which was a fair price for him regardless.

Trade period grade: A-

CARLTON

INS: Will Hayward, Liam Reidy, Campbell Chesser, Ben Ainsworth, Oliver Florent

OUTS: Charlie Curnow, Jack Silvagni, Tom De Koning, Corey Durdin

Draft hand: 9, 11, 43, 54, 67, 72, 87, 105

This is going to be one of those trade periods that's tough to assess in real time. Carlton will say they got rid of players who didn't want to be there and potentially cultivated the morale funk at the club in 2025.

Losing Curnow is a brutal blow, but three firsts and Will Hayward softens the pain there a bit. Tom De Koning showed signs of being a future superstar, but somewhere in their hearts they'll maybe not feel terrible about having to hand a ruckman seven figures, and Silvagni has barely played since 2022 anyway.

They've added a bunch of interesting pieces. Hayward, Florent and Ainsworth are ready-made guys who will play 23 games next year. Reidy is handy ruck depth and Chesser is more the wildcard in the mix.

They're flush with draft picks. They have six first rounders across the next three seasons now. They did fail to add Buku Khamis from the Bulldogs, who requested a trade but ultimately was held onto.

Trade period grade: B

COLLINGWOOD

INS: Jack Buller

OUTS: Brody Mihocek

Draft hand: 39, 45, 56, 61, 77, 95, 113

It was hard for Collingwood to do much of anything this year after selling the farm for Dan Houston last trade period. They had no picks to work with and only Brody Mihocek moving out.

The Pies need to get younger and quickly, but don't have a pick in the top 35 of this draft to correct that.

Jack Buller showed some nice signs and he could play right away for them, but ultimately it was a pretty nothing fortnight from Collingwood.

They had a crack at Jy Simpkin and Clayton Oliver, suggesting the need for another star midfield piece, but missed on both.

Trade period grade: C-

ESSENDON

INS: Brayden Fiorini

OUTS: Sam Draper

Draft hand: 5, 6, 21, 27, 30, 83, 101

Lost Sam Draper and didn't get the top compensation pick they would have been after, which would frustrate Essendon fans.

Brayden Fiorini is fine as a midfield-wing piece. He doesn't move the needle, but is at least a steady contributor.

They held onto Zach Merrett, ultimately turning down three first round picks and Henry Hustwaite for him. Time will tell if they can turn him around, but while all that chaos was going on, they didn't actually get a heap done themselves in the trade period.

Their focus is clearly on the draft, where they have a very strong hand.

Trade period grade: C-

FREMANTLE

INS: Judd McVee

OUTS: Will Brodie, Liam Reidy

Draft hand: 20, 47, 69, 90, 103, 108

A very quiet trade period for the Dockers, particularly when you consider they got the Judd McVee and Liam Reidy trades done super early on, meaning all they did across the remainder was acquire pick 103 for Will Brodie.

McVee is a very handy addition to an already stacked defensive group and paying a pick in the 20s for him in this draft shouldn't upset Freo fans.

He will slot in nicely alongside Jordan Clark and Liam Ryan, you would imagine.

They probably need to consider some ruck depth over summer after losing Reidy, but that shouldn't be particularly hard.

Trade period grade: C+

GEELONG

INS: James Worpel

OUTS: Patrick Retschko

Draft hand: 19, 40, 60, 78, 96, 99, 114

The Cats made two big plays for contracted stars in this trade period, going after Carlton's Charlie Curnow and St Kilda's Rowan Marshall, both of whom requested trades to the club.

They got neither done. In Marshall's case, they offered a first round pick and some change, but the Saints were never budging. In Curnow's case, they refused to meet Carlton's demands to include a player in the deal.

Geelong won't overreact, but their ruck stocks are now paper thin and Curnow feels like the first big swing they've missed in a while.

James Worpel adds some midfield depth and some on-ball grunt they were after, but for a team that usually finds a way in the trade space, they were far too rigid this year.

Trade period grade: D-

GOLD COAST

INS: Christian Petracca, Jamarra Ugle-Hagan

OUTS: Ben Ainsworth, Connor Budarick, Brayden Fiorini, Sam Flanders, Malcolm Rosas jnr

Draft hand: 15, 18, 24, 28, 29, 36, 52, 92, 110

Christian Petracca is the big fish Gold Coast has been crying out for since Gary Ablett Jr, and they got it done.

Another forward-midfield game-winner they can put alongside Bailey Humphrey, Matt Rowell and Noah Anderson, giving them an embarrassment of riches.

Jamarra Ugle-Hagan is a free swing that costs them nothing. The upside is tremendous, and the downside is he gets cut next September and nobody bats an eyelid.

Lost a bunch of depth, but have an army of academy players ready to fill those voids. Flanders the best of the bunch, while Ainsworth and Budarick were also clear best 23 players.

They'll add two of the best five players in the draft this year with Zeke Uwland and Dylan Patterson, making it seven first-round academy additions in three years, which has allowed them to trade first round picks like candy in that period.

They're ready to make a premiership splash in 2026.

Trade period grade: A

GWS

INS: Clayton Oliver

OUTS: Jacob Wehr

Draft hand: 12, 35, 91, 109

The Giants jumped at the opportunity to add Clayton Oliver once it was clear Melbourne would pay a fair chunk of his salary through to 2030, and fair enough too.

Oliver has been a shell of himself the last few years, but at least got through the 2025 season and seems to be somewhat back on track.

GWS doesn't need him to become a superstar again. They paid a third round pick for him and they'll hope to get some quality out of him in the midfield alongside Tom Green and Finn Callaghan. The Giants need the depth given Josh Kelly will miss most of 2026 with a hip injury.

No big swings, no gut wrenching losses; just a solid trade period for the Giants overall.

Trade period grade: B

HAWTHORN

INS: Nil

OUTS: Changkuoth Jiath, Jai Serong, James Worpel

Draft hand: 10, 22, 62, 76, 94, 112

It's fair to say Hawthorn went all-in on acquiring Essendon captain Zach Merrett in this trade period given they got literally nothing else done in their favour.

They took the risk in winning over the contracted Bombers skipper and assumed the external pressure and trade request would naturally see them land him as the missing piece of their midfield puzzle for 2026.

But they forgot to factor in the fact that their arch rivals in Essendon had zero intention of doing them a favour. The Dons asked for the world. They wanted four first round picks and a second rounder for Merrett, and the Hawks folded their cards and slinked out of Marvel Stadium.

With Worpel departing, they actually left the trade period with less midfield depth than they started. Mission failed, try again next year, maybe.

Trade period grade: F

MELBOURNE

INS: Max Heath, Changkuoth Jiath, Brody Mihocek, Jack Steele

OUTS: Judd McVee, Clayton Oliver, Christian Petracca, Charlie Spargo

Draft hand: 7, 8, 37, 66, 71, 84, 102

Melbourne clearly wanted a cultural reset in this trade period. They told Clayton Oliver to find a new home, were fine dealing Christian Petracca to Gold Coast and even told Steven May to explore his options, though that led nowhere.

They got an absolute haul for Petracca, bringing in picks seven and eight as well as Gold Coast's 2026 first round pick, which made up for the fact that they got peanuts for Oliver.

Had they traded the midfielder last year, Geelong would have handed them a first round pick and paid $1m of his salary. Had they traded him to Adelaide a year earlier, the return would have been even greater. Instead, they get a third rounder and have to pay $700,000 per season until 2030 for Oliver to play for GWS.

Bringing in Jack Steele and Brody Mihocek shows Melbourne wants new leaders in the locker room to set standards for a young core, and they would struggle to find two better options than they found.

Losing McVee hurts, of course, but that was the only real blemish for the Dees and was outside of their control.

Trade period grade: B

NORTH MELBOURNE

INS: Charlie Spargo

OUTS: Finnbar Maley

Draft hand: 25, 26, 46, 57, 82, 100

The Kangaroos have a hard job on their hands selling this off-season to their fans.

They made no big swings at any stars in this trade period, only made a tentative push in Leek Aleer's direction when that opportunity fell into their hands, and finished the fortnight with free agent small forward Charlie Spargo as their only addition.

North Melbourne doesn't even have a pick in the top 20, having bafflingly traded it last year.

They asked the world for Jy Simpkin, who was never going anywhere given his hefty salary, and reasonably made the call to not let him go. They'll now have to decide whether he can captain the club in 2026.

Trade period grade: F

PORT ADELAIDE

INS: Will Brodie, Corey Durdin, Jacob Wehr

OUTS: Nil

Draft hand: 49, 85

Port Adelaide effectively pressed the 'simulate off-season' button at the end of the 2025 season. They have no draft picks and brought in some depth pieces while losing no players in the trade period.

The Power plan to upgrade three rookies and might not even take a live draft pick this year.

They're certainly not giving new coach Josh Carr much to work with, but they also didn't have much ammunition coming off a busy few trade periods.

Trade period grade: D-

RICHMOND

INS: Patrick Retschko

OUTS: Tylar Young

Draft hand: 3, 4, 38, 81

The priority for Richmond remains the draft as they look to pump as much young talent into this list as they can coming off their premiership era.

They'll hit the draft with picks three and four, the latter thanks to North Melbourne's generosity last year.

The Tigers would've added nobody in this trade period if not for a last minute grabbing of Patrick Retschko off Geelong's rookie list, who they actually planned to delist.

They got a decent draft pick for Tylar Young, who departed for West Coast as well. After last year's chaos, it made sense for Richmond to be pretty quiet this year.

Trade period grade: D

ST KILDA

INS: Jack Silvagni, Tom De Koning, Sam Flanders, Liam Ryan

OUTS: Jack Steele, Max Heath

Draft hand: 50, 65, 86, 104

St Kilda was unquestionably the most aggressive team in this year's trade period, luring a pair of free agents from Carlton in Tom De Koning and Jack Silvagni.

De Koning they're paying $1.7m per season, making him the highest paid player in the competition - behind now-teammate Nasiah Wanganeen-Milera. They're also paying Jack Silvagni $800,000 a season, which is an enormous risk given he has played 29 games since the middle of 2022.

But they loved what they saw from Silvagni in his new role as a key defender for the Blues and will hope they can get consistent footy out of him in 2026.

They gave up pick seven for Sam Flanders, an incredibly hefty price to pay for a midfielder who's never made an All-Australian squad, but maybe that comes with the opportunities St Kilda will present him.

Liam Ryan is actually the only player the Saints brought in with an All-Australian blazer to their name, and they'll hope he has a few strong years left in the latter stage of his career.

They went so hard in this trade period that they ultimately had to backflip on defender Leek Aleer, leaving him hanging and forcing him to re-sign with the Giants.

The question for the Saints is whether they've picked the right moment and right players to go all-in on and whether this group can now contend, which is what you'd have to hope when maxing out your salary cap like this. Particularly when it means you need to shove your captain out the door to help balance the books.

Trade period grade: B+

SYDNEY

INS: Charlie Curnow, Jai Serong, Malcolm Rosas jnr

OUTS: Will Hayward, Ollie Florent, Jack Buller

Draft hand: 31, 32, 42, 63, 88, 106

The kings of landing generational key forwards have done it again, with the Swans landing Charlie Curnow from Carlton.

They made him their key focus, but unlike Hawthorn, they got the job done. It looked rocky late as they had to part with a third first-round pick to get it over the line, but now they get to parade him in the red and white and feel great about it.

The Swans also got back a bunch of second and third round selections that they can use to hit the draft and grab academy prospects so that they're not stung too hard by the first rounders traded.

Losing Will Hayward and Ollie Florent was tough from a cultural perspective given both were contracted and overseas, but Sydney, unlike a few other teams, did what they had to do to get the trade done.

Now they have to hope Curnow's body holds up through the rest of the decade to make the investment worth it, which is no guarantee. If he delivers, the Swans are absolutely premiership contenders again in 2026.

Jai Serong is also a sneaky great pick-up. Probably the best defender in the VFL in recent years, but stuck behind quality players at Hawthorn.

Trade period grade: A-

WEST COAST

INS: Brandon Starcevich, Tylar Young

OUTS: Oscar Allen, Campbell Chesser, Liam Ryan

Draft hand: 1, 2, 13, 34, 41, 53, 58, 80, 98

The Eagles lose their captain in Oscar Allen, but would have driven him to the airport once they knew his departure would trigger band one compensation, handing them pick two.

Allen has barely featured for West Coast across the last two seasons and it appeared certain as early as April that a split loomed. It might be a shallow and compromised draft, but that matters less when you control the top two selections.

Losing Chesser would be frustrating given the work they've put into the former first round pick to get his body right, while they were well compensated for Ryan.

Starcevich is the risk. The Eagles gave up a quality pick and have handed him a lengthy contract. If it pays off, it's a brilliant addition to their back six, but the mounting concussion history means he's one bad knock from another extended period on the sidelines.

Trade period grade: C+

WESTERN BULLDOGS

INS: Connor Budarick

OUTS: Jamarra Ugle-Hagan

Draft hand: 14, 33, 70, 74, 89, 107

The Bulldogs did all they could to land a star key defender in this trade period, but ultimately couldn't tempt Callum Wilkie out of St Kilda or Mark Keane out of Adelaide.

They certainly refused to die wondering on that front, at least. In the end, they chose to keep the contracted Buku Khamis likely in part because of their inability to find an upgrade. He had requested a trade to Carlton.

Connor Budarick is a handy defensive addition and will slot straight into their best 22 without moving the needle.

Freeing the club of the Jamarra Ugle-Hagan headache will certainly be welcome, as will knowing they have room opening up in their salary cap for a tilt at Zak Butters this time next year now.

But they will have every right to be frustrated if he does find form with the Suns, given the investment they've made in him over the years, and only getting pick 74 for the former No.1 pick.

Trade period grade: C-