THE TRADING CHRONICLES 2007: DAY FIVE by The Oracle

MUCH ADO ABOUT "WHAT"?

Adelaide Advertiser, columnist Michelangelo Rucci summed up trade week by writing yesterday that the week is "about false hope" and that leaving aside Chris Judd's move to Carlton, it has been "much ado about nothing."

Rucci maintains that despite the enormous amount of the public attention on AFL players during the week, it is essentially a period that brings forward only three themes encompassing players. They have either -

(1) "lost currency at their clubs get to find more opportunities elsewhere" – e.g the move of Melbourne’s Travis Johnstone to Brisbane,

(2) "lost patience at their clubs - usually with the coach" and move on e.g Adelaide’s Ben Hudson to the Western Bulldogs, or

(3) "annoyed their coaches" and are moved on – e.g. Brad Moran from the Kangaroos to Adelaide.

He concluded that the reason why the week is one of unfulfilled expectation is that no trade, not even the move of a Brownlow Medallist and the game's number one player will tip a club from contender to premier. The trade week simply does not work that way in practice.

When the clock struck the hour of two in the afternoon yesterday, the feeling was generally one of anti-climax as supporters of the various AFL clubs sat down to assess how their teams had fared over the AFL Trade Week. I suspect that the overwhelming majority would agree with Rucci's assessment that the week was much ado about nothing.

Certainly, the supporters of three clubs – Essendon, Fremantle and Hawthorn would feel that way because their clubs ended the week completing no trades. A number of others managed to engage in what you might describe as "low level" trading involving players with lesser profiles and their fans might also be feeling empty handed now that the dust has settled.

However, Rucci's "false hope" scenario can't yet be seen to apply to the likes of Carlton, a club that clearly achieved its main objectives over the exchange period. The Blues netted Judd, retained the top selection in the National Draft, snared premiership midfielder Richard Hadley (admittedly now an AFL "lesser light") from Brisbane and still retain the leverage and power of pick 2 in the Pre season Draft which promises the possibility of attaining a handy uncontracted player in December. There's plenty of hope there as long as the golden groin stands up!

Paradoxically, the hopes and aspirations of West Coast Eagle fans should also be flying high right now. Although they have lost their brilliant skipper, they will go into 2008 with four of the best 22 young players in the land courtesy of National Draft picks numbered 3, 13, 20 and 22 together with a player who might just fill the bill in their desperate search for a much needed key forward in Josh Kennedy. Deep in the gloom created by the loss of Judd, the drug and crime related scandals and the death of a club icon, these prospects also fill the WA club with renewed hope for the future.

St. Kilda fans would also be brim full of hope for 2008 because their club gained four players - Adam Schneider and Sean Dempster from Sydney and Charlie Gardiner and 2007 premiership player Steven King from Geelong – for peanuts thanks mainly to salary cap concerns at their old clubs. The Saints have milked the system well!

Even Sydney coach Paul Roos came out and stated that "his club achieved all of its trade week goals". That's one that I simply can't work out but then again, Roos is a successful premiership coach so who am I to argue with that? Roos did however make the most profound comment about the exchange period and the system in general when he described Carlton's reward at trade week (Chris Judd and the keeping of the number 1 draft pick) after losing its last 11 games of the season as the "ugly side of football we don't need". Amen to that!

Which brings me to Melbournefc. There was a lot said and written about its aims for trade week. A lot of names have been bandied about but the reality is that at week's end, the only new face at the club is a young ruckman who once was a first round draft selection but has spent three years in the wilderness at Adelaide which he represented only twice in AFL company. John Meesen joins the trio of Jeff White, Mark Jamar and Paul Johnson to augment the club's ruck strength but will have a battle on his hands to break into the ranks. On the other hand, the Demons have lost a former best and fairest winner who was the number 1 draft pick when he arrived. Many will feel entitled to ask, where's the hope there?

That question is not an easy one to answer other than to say the expectations can only be fulfilled in the future. We all need to take deep breaths, sit back and see what the many changes at the cub will bring over the coming months and years. The club is pinning its faith on its as yet undeveloped cluster of promising players in the under 23 age group. We all know who they are, we all know that they are full of potential and we all know that "potential" is a dirty word at a club where so much potential has gone unfulfilled for so long. But that's where the hope lies at the Melbournefc – in the very fact that change is taking place.

The complete list of trades during this week's official AFL exchange period:

ADELAIDE

Gains

Brad Moran from the Kangaroos

Brad Symes from Port Adelaide

Round Two Selection (NDP 30) from West Coast, via Western Bulldogs on-trade

Round Three Selection (NDP 38) from the Western Bulldogs

Round Two Selection (NDP 28) from Sydney, then on-traded to Port Adelaide

Round Three Selection (NDP 37) from Melbourne, then on-traded to the Kangaroos

Losses

Martin Mattner to Sydney

John Meesen to Melbourne

Ben Hudson to the Western Bulldogs

Round Two On-Traded Selection (NDP 28) from Sydney to Port Adelaide

Round Three On-Traded Selection (NDP 37) from Melbourne to the Kangaroos

Round Three Selection (NDP 43) to the Western Bulldogs

Draft Picks 10, 27, 30, 38, 59, 75, 91 (ND) 9, 25 (PSD)

BRISBANE LIONS

Gains

Travis Johnstone from Melbourne

Round Four Selection (NDP 52) from Carlton

Round One Selection (NDP 14) from Collingwood, then on-traded to Melbourne

Losses

Cameron Wood to Collingwood

Richard Hadley to Carlton

Round One On-traded Selection (NDP 14) from Collingwood, to Melbourne

Draft Picks 8, 25, 41, 52, 57, 73, 89 (ND) 7 , 23 (PSD)

CARLTON

Gains

Chris Judd from West Coast

Richard Hadley from the Brisbane Lions

Round Three Selection (NDP 46) from West Coast

Losses

Josh Kennedy to West Coast

Round One Selection (NDP three) to West Coast

Round Two Selection (NDP 20) to West Coast

Round Four Selection (NDP 52) to the Brisbane Lions

Draft Picks 1, 36, 46, 68, 84 (ND) 2, 18 (PSD)

COLLINGWOOD

Gains

Cameron Wood from the Brisbane Lions

Round Six Selection (NDP 96) from the Kangaroos

Losses

Ben Davies to the Kangaroos

Round One Selection (NDP 14) to Melbourne, via Brisbane Lions on-trade

Draft Picks 31, 47, 63, 79, 95, 96 (ND) 13, 29 (PSD)

ESSENDON

Gains

Nil

Losses

Nil

Draft Picks 6 23, 39, 55, 71, 87 (ND) 5, 21 (PSD)

FREMANTLE

Gains

Nil

Losses

Nil

Draft Picks 7, 24, 40, 56, 72, 88 (ND) 6 , 22 (PSD)

GEELONG

Gains

Round Three Selection (NDP 44) from Sydney

Round Four Selection (NDP 62) from West Coast, via Western Bulldogs on-trade

Round Six Selection (NDP 90) from St Kilda

Losses

Henry Playfair to Sydney

Steven King to St Kilda

Charlie Gardiner to St Kilda

Tim Callan to Western Bulldogs

Draft Picks 17, 34, 44, 50, 62, 82, 90, 98 (ND) 16, 32 (PSD)

HAWTHORN

Gains

Nil

Losses

Nil

Draft Picks 12, 29, 45, 61, 77, 93 (ND) 11, 27 (PSD)

KANGAROOS

Gains

Ben Davies from Collingwood

Sam Power from the Western Bulldogs

Round Three Selection (NDP 37) from Melbourne, via Adelaide on-trade

Losses

Brad Moran to Adelaide

Round Three Selection (NDP 48) to the Western Bulldogs

Round Six Selection (NDP 96) to Collingwood

Draft Picks 15, 32, 37, 48, 64, 80 (ND) 14, 30 (PSD)

MELBOURNE

Gains

John Meesen from Adelaide

Round One Selection (NDP 14) from Collingwood, via Brisbane Lions on-trade

Losses

Travis Johnstone to the Brisbane Lions

Round Three Selection (NDP 37) to the Kangaroos, via Adelaide on-trade

Draft Picks 4, 14, 21, 53, 69, 85 (ND) 3, 19 (PSD)

PORT ADELAIDE

Gains

Round Three Selection (NDP 28) from Sydney, via Adelaide on-trade

Losses

Brad Symes to Adelaide

Draft Picks 16, 28, 33, 49, 65, 81, 97 (ND) 15, 31 (PSD)

RICHMOND

Gains

Jordan McMahon from the Western Bulldogs

Mitch Morton from West Coast

Losses

Round Two Selection (NDP 19) to the Western Bulldogs

Round Three Selection (NDP 35) to Western Bulldogs, via West Coast on-trade

Draft Picks 2, 18, 51, 67, 83 (ND) 1, 17 (PSD)

ST KILDA

Gains

Sean Dempster from Sydney

Adam Schneider from Sydney

Steven King from Geelong

Charlie Gardiner from Geelong

Losses

Round Two Selection (NDP 26) to Sydney

Round Six Selection (NDP 90) to Geelong

Draft Picks 9, 42, 58, 74 (ND) 8, 24 (PSD)

SYDNEY

Gains

Martin Mattner from Adelaide

Henry Playfair from Geelong

Round Two Selection (NDP 26) from St Kilda

Losses

Sean Dempster to St Kilda

Adam Schneider to St Kilda

Round Two Selection (NDP 28) to Port Adelaide, via Adelaide on-trade

Round Three Selection (NDP 44) to Geelong

Draft Picks 11, 26, 60, 76, 92 (ND) 10, 26 (PSD)

WEST COAST

Gains

Josh Kennedy from Carlton

Round One Selection (NDP three) from Carlton

Round Two Selection (NDP 20) from Carlton

Round Two Selection (NDP 22) from Western Bulldogs

Round Four Selection (NDP 54) from Western Bulldogs

Round Three Selection (NDP 35) from Richmond, then on-traded to Western Bulldogs

Losses

Chris Judd to Carlton

Mitch Morton to Richmond

Round Two Selection (NDP 30) to Adelaide, via Western Bulldogs on-trade

Round Three Selection (NDP 35) from Richmond, to Western Bulldogs

Round Three Selection (NDP 46) to Carlton

Round Four Selection (NDP 62) to Geelong, via Western Bulldogs on-trade

Draft Picks 3, 13, 20, 22, 54, 62, 78, 94 (ND) 12, 28 (PSD)

WESTERN BULLDOGS

Gains

Ben Hudson from Adelaide

Tim Callan from Geelong

Round Two Selection (NDP 19) from Richmond

Round Three Selection (NDP 35) from Richmond, via West Coast on-trade

Round Three Selection (NDP 43) from Adelaide

Round Three Selection (NDP 48) from the Kangaroos

Round Four Selection (NDP 66) from Geelong

Round Two Selection (NDP 30) from West Coast, then on-traded to Adelaide

Round Four Selection (NDP 62) from West Coast, then on-traded to Geelong

Losses

Jordan McMahon to Richmond

Sam Power to the Kangaroos

Round Two Selection (NDP 22) to West Coast

Round Two Selection (NDP 30) from West Coast, to Adelaide

Round Three Selection (NDP 38) to Adelaide

Round Four Selection (NDP 54) to West Coast

Round Four Selection (NDP 62) from West Coast, to Geelong

Draft Picks 5, 19, 38, 43, 48, 66, 70, 86 (ND) 4, 20 (PSD)