This year HPN will cover the trade and free agency period slightly differently than in past years. Key trades will be covered at ABC news at this link with rolling updates.
HPN will provide a recap of the each day’s action, with other breakdowns happening periodically.
Trade 5: Gold Coast pay a premium to get Will Brodie off their books
As low as Brodie projects due to lack of recent game time, the pick swap alone is in favour of Fremantle, even if Brodie were to be valued at zero. In other words, Gold Coast are paying Fremantle to take him.
However, Gold Coast have an important second objective.
Trade 6: Collingwood and Fremantle exchange picks
Having traded strongly out of next year’s draft by sending all their tradeable picks to the Suns for Daicos matching fodder, the Pies drop a bit of surplus points value this year to gain a future third rounder.
Tied to Fremantle, that pick likely comes around the middle of the round next year, somewhere in the 40s or very late 30s. At this stage this pick shapes to be just the second Collingwood draft selection next year, after their own first round pick.
For Fremantle, they also traded other future picks to bring in Brodie and pick 19 above. Reports are the pick upgrade is linked to further on-trades, so the overall equation for them looks like it will settle on mostly future 2022 draft capital being swapped for the moves they’re after this year.
Verdict: The Pies gain more value at the expense of Freo’s need to climb the draft order.
Trade 7: Adam Cerra to Carlton
Unfortunately for coach Justin Longmuir and Fremantle, the Dockers will have to find a way to bridge the loss of Cerra. For a Fremantle side that was so strong at stoppages in 2021, the coaching set up will need to work out how to cover his loss.
For Carlton, it heightens expectations for finals contention next year, and adds further midfield depth after the addition of George Hewett via free agency.
Trade 8: Three way swap sending Petrevski-Seton to West Coast and Lewis Young to Carlton
The Blues may see him (Young) as a defensive option, who could come into the frame should new coach Michael Voss decide to rejig a tactical setup where two brilliant intercepting and rebounding big men were left isolated with way too much work to do.
Sam Petrevski-Seton has not had much chance in the Carlton midfield in recent years. With the addition of Adam Cerra and George Hewett, Petrevski-Seton would have found his prospects even more tenuous.