AFL trade period recap: Detail in Blakey exit reveals Swans’ true feelings

Thank you for joining us on the AFL trade period’s penultimate day.

The nine.com.au team will be back tomorrow to guide you through the final hours before the deadline hits.

Goodbye!

Giants general manager of football Jason McCartney thanked Lachie Whitfield for his 14 seasons at the club, saying that it was in the “best interests” for both Whitfield and the club for the trade to go through.

“When the opportunity presented itself, we took the time to work through what was in the best interests of both Lachie and our footy club in the long term,” McCartney said.

“We understand Lachie’s desire to return home to Victoria, and we were keen to work with him to facilitate that opportunity while also ensuring we made a decision that benefits our club moving forward.

"This trade provides us with valuable draft capital and greater flexibility as we continue to strengthen our list whilst also allowing Lachie to return home.

“We’re in a strong position as a club, and our focus remains on building a list capable of sustained success. This deal gives us further opportunities to invest in our future while continuing to build on the work already in place.”

The Lachie Whitfield trade has now been lodged and approved.

Carlton has been busy, with the latest addition being Lachie Whitfield on Tuesday afternoon from the Giants.

Joel Amartey, Cody Walker and Wil Parker will also bolster the Blues squad into 2027.

North Melbourne reportedly has their 2027 first round pick and pick No.33 on the table for contracted Adelaide defender Nick Murray, which feels like significant overs for a player who was not in the Crows’ best 23 across 2026.

However, Adelaide has reportedly rejected that offer and is holding firm. They are concerned about their depth following the loss of Jordon Butts to the Bulldogs. They also want a top 20 pick in this year’s draft.

Former Carlton coach Michael Voss however believes the Crows should take the deal, saying it’s “more than fair” for a player of Murray’s calibre.

“The only sticking point is clearly depth. That can be the only sticking point for Adelaide because on face value of what’s being offered, we’re talking about a guy who might work his way back into the team, but the reality is he wasn’t part of their finals calculations,” Voss told Trade Radio.

“Right now he’s a SANFL player. So to be able to get a first round pick next year, even if that is pushed back into the 20s or 30s, and pick 33 this year, seems more than fair enough.”

Another big one gets done before deadline day! Lachie Whitfield has been traded to Carlton for, effectively, pick 25 and a few swaps.

The Blues lose pick 26, but slide back to 31 and the two teams swap third round picks in different years as well.

The 32-year-old will finish his career in navy blue.

Remember, tomorrow isn’t a normal trade period day. Teams aren’t actually allowed to submit/finalise deals until after 2-3pm AEDT.

This is manufactured to create some drama and tension before the 7:30pm deadline.

All 18 clubs will be at Marvel Stadium locked in rooms to negotiate the final deals of the trade period.

One the buzzer sounds, players cannot be traded until the following year.

Pick trades can still go through until the end of the National Draft.

Coming into this trade period, the big names with the potential to headline deadline day were Zach Merrett, Rowan Marshall or potentially Zak Butters/Ben King if a trade was forced.

Then Nick Blakey emerged and loomed at the 7:29pm top candidate.

All of those deals are now done.

It doesn’t seem as though we are going to get the explosive trade deadline we had last year, with Merrett, Marshall, Curnow and others going down to the final second.

Instead, the biggest remaining names are Lachie Whitfield, and whether he gets to Carlton, Jayden Short and Collingwood, Josh Goater and Hawthorn, Luke Pedler and Port Adelaide, Nick Murray and North Melbourne … the star power certainly isn’t as captivating.

Will McLachlan and Kiddy Coleman will attempt to force their way out of Brisbane, Jack Viney and Trent Rivers at Melbourne potentially getting to West Coast – Could we see Gryan Miers or Sam De Koning pop up somewhere late?

There’s a lot to get done between now and tomorrow night, but we certainly took last year’s madness for granted.