All-Time WORST AFL Trades

All-Time WORST AFL Trades

Dylan Leach

Ahh, the AFL trade period…

It’s already off with a bang, and it hasn’t even started yet but with the prospect that Melbourne could trade, as Neds own Alastair Lynch describes him as “The greatest ever Demon” Clayton Oliver, we could be in for quite an eventful one!

It’s the little things that make the trade period fun.

Constantly refreshing your browser on all the trade day blogs, reading Big Footy forums for more inside word than any actual insider can come up with, and calling into trade radio with some outrageous 18-way trade suggestions which somehow gets Nick Daicos traded to North Melbourne.

However, it’s a sad trade period with Tom Browne calling it a day at Channel 7 and the late, great Matty Rendell sadly no longer with us (RIP)

But some things never change

Kane Cornes is still waging war on long-term contracts.

And in his swansong, Adrian Dodoro is playing the tough guy at the Bombers.

 

To celebrate the AFL trade period, which now drags on longer than the actual footy season itself, we’re recapping just some of the dud deals from over the years.

Feel free to contribute in our comments section on Facebook with some of your own memorable dud AFL trade deals.

Fremantle’s First Draft 1994 

The Dockers first-ever venture into recruitment is considered the gold standard in dud trades.

The card reads as follows:

A young man by the name of Andrew McLeod was all set to join the inaugural Dockers squad for the 1995 season when the then coach of the club Gerard Neesham thought he had a bit of an attitude problem.

Fremantle did a deal for Chris Groom from the Adelaide Crows to head west and for McLeod to become a Crow.

McLeod went on to be a 300 gamer, dual premiership player/Norm Smith Medalist and five-time All-Australian.

Groom played five games for Freo in 1995, was delisted and then played a further five for North Melbourne.

It didn’t just stop with Chris Groom either.

Freo though they got the deal of a lifetime when they lured Tony Delaney and Todd Ridley out West.

The Dockers handed pick 4 in the 1994 draft and a compensation pick which resulted in Essendon drafting Matthew Lloyd and Scott Lucas.

Fremantle 2001 

The Dockers also took a deal that allowed Hawthorn’s Luke McPharlin and Trent Croad to head west in exchange for pick 1 at the 2001 “super draft”.

In exchange, Hawthorn picked up Luke Hodge – a three-time premiership player, Norm Smith Medalist and legend of the game.

Trent Croad also ended up back at Hawthorn in 2004 and McPharlin went on to have a pretty good career overall.

For the Hawks it was a brilliant deal, as for Freo it’s another classic Dockers trade howler.

Josh Kennedy: Hawthorn to Sydney 2009

So Hawthorn didn’t suffer from trading Josh Kennedy away, but it’s one they would most certainly like to take back.

The Hawks trading someone from the Kennedy bloodline could have been seen as sacrilege in the first place but the deal was done.

Hawthorn traded Josh Kennedy to Sydney for pick 39, which saw them draft Sam Grimley – a man who played three games for the Hawks.

Kennedy on the other hand, became a premiership player, named swans captain, three-time All-Australian, three-time Sydney best and fairest and played 290 games before retiring as an all-time Swans great this season.

Brad Ottens: Richmond to Geelong 2004

When Terry Wallace arrived at Tigerland with a five-year plan in 2004, he and his recruiting team opted to trade away the former number 2 draft pick Brad Ottens to Geelong in return for two first-round draft picks.

The draft picks the Tigers picked up was Danny Meyer (pick 12) and Adam Pattison (pack 16).

Meyer managed only 16 games for the Tigers and Pattison played 61 games.

Ottens would go on to play in three Geelong premierships, 116 games for his new club and his noted for his efforts in the 2007 Preliminary Final for the Cats against Collingwood.

Aaron Hamill: Carlton to St Kilda 2000 

Aaron Hamill wasn’t happy with life at Princes Park so the Blues traded him to St Kilda in exchange for pick 4 and another priority pick at the 2000 national draft.

Carlton picked up household names such as Luke Livingston and Sam Cranage.

Hamill would go on to be the captain of the Saints and be a regular feature of finals football.

Aaron Hammil returned to Carlton as an assistant coach where he’s been Vossy’s right-hand man for the past two seasons.

Brendan Fevola: Carlton to Brisbane 2010 

After a string of off-field related incidents including that infamous night at the Brownlow medal, Carlton had no choice but to give Fev the Freo heave-ho.

Despite the warning labels, Brisbane was keen to send Fevola up North and was willing to throw everything including the kitchen sink including Daniel Bradshaw and Michael Rischitelli, who opted to be traded after being used as bait to Carlton.

In the end, Brisbane gave the Blues pick 12 and Lachie Henderson.

Fev’s one season at the Gabba was one to forget and he was sacked by the Lions during the 2010 off-season.

Things have most certainly changed for the Brisbane Lions since the Fev trade.

These days, the Lions are a highly sought-after destination club and many players are knocking on the door to be part of the pride.

Jordan McMahon: Western Bulldogs – Richmond 2007 

Richmond sent pick 19 to the Western Bulldogs in order to lure Jordan McMahon to Punt Road.

The Western Bulldogs used pick 19 to draft Callan Ward, McMahon would only play 34 games for the Tigers – a dud deal, on paper that is.

If anything this is not the all-time worst AFL trade.

This is the sliding doors moment which took Richmond from a laughing stock to the absolute powerhouse they are today.

Jordan McMahon kicked that goal after the siren against Melbourne in 2009, allowing the Dees who did not tank (but got fined) to receive picks 1 and 2 in the national draft for which they recruited Tom Scully (1) and Jack Trengrove (2).

Richmond opted to pick some kid by the name of Dustin Martin at number 3.

It was all part of the plan.

Mitchell White: West Coast to Geelong 2000 

You may remember Mitchell White as the player Kevin Sheedy did a throat-slitting action at when playing for West Coast in 2000.

Later that year, White was lured to Geelong from the Eagles on a three-year deal which was rumoured to be worth $1 million in exchange for draft picks.

White was 28 years old at the time when he arrived at Geelong and had injury issues with his knee.

He would go on to play 23 games for the Cats which averages out to around $43.5k per game.

Essendon Winning Every Trade Period Premiership 

Like clockwork, the name Adrian Dodoro, and constant speculation about Essendon landing a big-name player that will bring the Bombers back to the promised land.

Then once they land the messiah, the media froths over Essendon’s prospects – case in point from 2018:

It wasn’t that long ago that the Trade Period was trade week, everything all done in a nice tidy package.

Instead, it drags on and on, and given that the Trade period gives fans of clubs that haven’t had much success in recent years hope and something to be excited about, in typical AFL style they milk it for all it’s worth.

Essendon is a great example of this.

The Bombers haven’t won a flag in over 23 years and a final for 19 years.

Yet, somehow every trade period Adrian Dodoro talks up a big game and the Bombers somehow come out victorious and are set for a glorious season with their new recruits playing a starring role….even with their third coach in four years.

Rinse. Wash. Repeat.

With Dodoro to take a different role after this draft, expect our man to go out with a bang.

Josh Gibson: North Melbourne – Hawthorn 2009 

North Melbourne opted to trade young defender Josh Gibson to Hawthorn and received two mid-round draft picks.

As a result, the Kangaroos picked up Aaron Black and Ayden Kennedy.

Black did ok for the Roos and Kennedy failed to play a game in his four years at the club only to be delisted at the end of 2013.

Josh Gibson, on the other hand, played in three Hawthorn premierships, two B&F’s and was an All-Australian in 2015 along with a stint in the jungle on “I’m A Celebrity…Get Me out Of Here!”

Today's wacky offseason thread: The hottest AFL footballer currently playing! : r/AFL

North Melbourne’s Photoshop Job on Aiden Bonar

Perhaps this is why number one draft pick Jason Horne-Francis wants to leave Arden Street

Whatever he may achieve in his football career, he’ll always be remembered for this botched-up Photoshop job by the Kangaroos media team in 2019

Photoshopping new jumpers onto players is a Trade Period tradition and this North Melbourne job will live in infamy.

Fortunately, the North digital team rectified the situation and provided a far more superior Photoshop image of what Bonar would look like in a Kangaroos jumper.