Each year, the AFL trade period transforms the league into a living negotiation — not merely of players and picks, but of ambition, timing, and institutional will. This year, six clubs have positioned themselves at the centre of that negotiation: Port Adelaide, Essendon, North Melbourne, Sydney, West Coast, and Gold Coast, each carrying distinct pressures and possibilities into a fortnight that will redraw the competitive landscape. What unfolds between now and the national draft will reflect not just football strategy, but the deeper human calculus of risk, loyalty, and reinvention that defin
Six AFL clubs poised to shape 2023 trade period with major list overhauls
The keys to reshaping the entire draft order rest with six clubs
Mark
So Port Adelaide needs three tall forwards, but their draft hand is basically empty. How do they actually pull this off?
Mimi
The Duursma move is the key. If he goes to Essendon as expected, Port Adelaide can use that as a trade chip with Essendon to get Zerk-Thatcher without giving up much draft capital. It's a domino effect.
Luke
But that assumes Duursma actually requests the move and that Essendon agrees to the structure. We're talking about two separate negotiations that have to align perfectly.
Mark
And Essendon—this is Dodoro's last trade period. Is he trying to go out with a bang?
Mimi
It looks like it. Free agents like McKay and Goldstein come in without cost, Gresham nominates them, and they're moving out salary with Shiel. It's efficient list management.
Luke
Though North Melbourne can match the McKay offer. That's not guaranteed money for Essendon yet.
Mark
North Melbourne seems to have all the leverage with those draft picks. Can they really trade up for Harley Reid?
Mimi
They have the pieces. Pick two, likely pick three as compensation, plus their assistance package. West Coast says they'd need something special, but North Melbourne might be able to construct that offer.
Luke
The question is whether West Coast actually wants to move pick one. They said they'll listen, but "special" is doing a lot of work in that sentence.
Mark
And Sydney is just going aggressive across the board?
Mimi
Very. Jordon's in, Grundy's coming, they're hunting midfielders. It's a genuine list refresh.
Luke
But Grundy's deal could drag on. That's one variable that might not resolve cleanly.
Mark
Gold Coast trading down from pick four—that seems like it could reshape everything.
Mimi
Exactly. One trade there triggers movement across the entire top ten. It's the domino that starts the cascade.
Luke
If they actually find a partner willing to move up. We don't know yet that anyone will bite at the price they're asking.
El Pulso
- Port Adelaide must conjure three tall forwards from a nearly empty draft hand, making creative deal-making not a luxury but a survival requirement.
- Essendon's list manager Adrian Dodoro is conducting his final trade period, and the Bombers' sprawling agenda — free agents, salary dumps, and incoming trades — means the margin for error is vanishingly small.
- North Melbourne holds an unexpected arsenal of draft picks and compensation selections, making them the period's most unpredictable actor and a potential kingmaker in the race for top prospect Harley Reid.
- Sydney is aggressively rebuilding its engine room, with Brodie Grundy's arrival still unresolved and Taylor Adams emerging as a surprise target — signalling the Swans are willing to spend big to contend again.
- Gold Coast's readiness to trade away pick four could set off a chain reaction of first-round selections shifting hands, reshaping the draft order for every club watching from the sidelines.
Each year, the AFL trade period transforms the league into a living negotiation — not merely of players and picks, but of ambition, timing, and institutional will. This year, six clubs have positioned themselves at the centre of that negotiation: Port Adelaide, Essendon, North Melbourne, Sydney, West Coast, and Gold Coast, each carrying distinct pressures and possibilities into a fortnight that will redraw the competitive landscape. What unfolds between now and the national draft will reflect not just football strategy, but the deeper human calculus of risk, loyalty, and reinvention that defines every organisation at a crossroads.
The AFL trade period has opened, and for the next two weeks the league's attention will fix on six clubs whose decisions will ripple through every negotiation and draft calculation. Last year, Collingwood shaped the entire landscape on the way to a premiership. This year, a different constellation holds the keys.
Port Adelaide faces a genuine puzzle. List manager Jason Cripps must bring in three tall forwards — Esava Ratugolea, Brandon Zerk-Thatcher, and Jordon Sweet — all of whom have requested moves to Alberton Oval, yet the Power's draft hand is thin. The potential unlock is Xavier Duursma, expected to request a move to Essendon, a deal that could free Port Adelaide to land Zerk-Thatcher without surrendering heavy draft capital.
Essendon carries perhaps the longest to-do list of any club, and it arrives with symbolic weight: this is Adrian Dodoro's final trade period as list manager. Free agent arrivals Ben McKay and Todd Goldstein cost no outgoing assets, while Jade Gresham is expected to nominate the Bombers as a free agent, with Dylan Shiel heading to St Kilda as part of the arrangement. Zerk-Thatcher's negotiation with Port Adelaide could loop Duursma back to Essendon as part of the package.
North Melbourne's position is unusually fluid. A recently granted draft assistance package, combined with expected compensation for losing McKay, gives the Kangaroos genuine optionality — including a credible path to trading up for pick one and securing Harley Reid. Their flexibility makes them a wild card in how the entire period unfolds.
Sydney is preparing an aggressive overhaul of its midfield. James Jordon has already arrived from Melbourne, Brodie Grundy's move remains unresolved, and Taylor Adams has unexpectedly emerged as a trade target. The Swans will hold firm on Dylan Stephens, refusing to release him to North Melbourne without fair return.
West Coast's period may hinge entirely on pick one. List manager Rohan O'Brien has signalled the Eagles will listen but require something special to move the selection, with North Melbourne shaping as the leading contender. Meanwhile, West Coast has quietly added ruckman Matt Flynn and is negotiating for Tyler Brockman from Hawthorn — low-cost moves to accelerate their rebuild.
Gold Coast enters as the period's auctioneers. The Suns hold pick four and are prepared to trade it down in exchange for later selections and points to secure their academy trio. That single transaction could trigger a cascade of first-round picks changing hands across the league. Over the next ten days, these six clubs will determine not just who plays where next season, but how the entire draft order reshapes itself.
The AFL trade period opened today, and for the next two weeks, the league's attention will fix on six clubs whose decisions will ripple through every negotiation, every draft calculation, and every team's off-season strategy. Last year, Collingwood shaped the entire landscape with a methodical, aggressive approach to list-building that culminated in a premiership. This year, a different constellation of clubs holds the keys.
Port Adelaide faces a particular puzzle. List manager Jason Cripps is tasked with bringing in three tall forwards—Esava Ratugolea, Brandon Zerk-Thatcher, and Jordon Sweet—all of whom have requested trades to Alberton Oval. The constraint is real: the Power's draft hand is thin, with their earliest pick sitting at 38, followed by 44 and 71. To make the math work, they'll need to be creative. The potential unlock is Xavier Duursma, a young midfielder at Essendon who is expected to formally request a move to the Bombers. If that deal happens, it could free up the bandwidth for Port Adelaide to land Zerk-Thatcher without surrendering significant draft capital.
Essendon enters this period with perhaps the longest to-do list of any club, and it carries symbolic weight: this is Adrian Dodoro's final trade period as the Bombers' list manager. The free agent signings of Ben McKay and Todd Goldstein require no outgoing assets, though North Melbourne retains the right to match McKay's offer if the compensation doesn't satisfy them. Jade Gresham, St Kilda's midfielder, is expected to nominate Essendon as a free agent, with the two clubs engineering a deal that sends Dylan Shiel to Moorabbin as a partial salary dump. Massimo D'Ambrosio will move to Hawthorn with minimal resistance, but Brandon Zerk-Thatcher will demand harder negotiation with Port Adelaide, potentially bringing Xavier Duursma back to Essendon as part of the package.
North Melbourne's position is unusually fluid. The AFL granted the Kangaroos a draft assistance package last month that includes an end-of-first-round pick this year and multiple such picks next year. More significantly, they are expected to receive pick three as compensation for losing Ben McKay to Essendon as a restricted free agent. The club will also acquire Dylan Stephens and Zac Fisher through the trade period. With this arsenal of draft selections, North Melbourne has genuine optionality: they could trade up to West Coast's pick one to secure Harley Reid, or they could consolidate their picks into mature players. The Kangaroos' flexibility makes them a wild card in how the period unfolds.
Sydney is preparing for an aggressive overhaul. James Jordon has already arrived from Melbourne as a free agent, and his teammate Brodie Grundy is expected to follow, though the shape of that deal remains uncertain and could extend throughout the period. The Swans are hunting inside midfielders to shore up their engine room, and Taylor Adams, Collingwood's vice-captain, has unexpectedly emerged as a trade option. They also brought in Joel Hamling from Fremantle, adding depth to their backline. The club will hold firm on Dylan Stephens, refusing to move the winger to North Melbourne without fair compensation.
West Coast's entire trade period may hinge on one decision: what to do with pick one. List manager Rohan O'Brien stated publicly that the Eagles will listen to offers but would require something special to move the selection. North Melbourne, armed with pick two and likely pick three, shapes as the leading contender to acquire it. The Eagles have already added ruckman Matt Flynn as a free agent and are negotiating with Hawthorn over small forward Tyler Brockman—two low-cost moves that could accelerate their rebuild.
Gold Coast, finally, enters the period as the auctioneers. The Suns hold pick four, a selection they don't need, and they're prepared to trade it down in exchange for later picks and points to secure their academy trio of Jed Walter, Ethan Read, and Jake Rogers. This single transaction could trigger a cascade of first-round picks changing hands across the league. The Suns have also committed to facilitating trades for Mabior Chol and Elijah Hollands, using those deals as another mechanism to accumulate picks for their academy prospects. Over the next ten days, these six clubs will determine not just who plays where next season, but how the entire draft order reshapes itself.
Citas Notables
The club will listen to offers should they come for pick one, but it would take something special to tempt the Eagles from trading the selection.— West Coast list manager Rohan O'Brien, via AFL Trade Radio
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