THE TRADING CHRONICLES by The Oracle
Part 1
The free agency period opened at 9:00am on Friday morning and will run through the week and finish at the end of the coming weekend.
The first free agency move on day one was Demons premiership player James Jordon who transferred to the Swans with Melbourne getting an end of second round pick (currently number 39) as compensation. He was eligible for free agency because he was delisted and then re-rookied at the end of 2020.
Jordon played 65 games for the club and was an unused substitute in the 2021 premiership victory. The 22-year-old struggled to secure a spot in the Melbourne side in the latter stages of the 2023 season despite some strong form at Casey. He replaced the injured Angus Brayshaw in the semi-final loss to Carlton. He chose to move to further his opportunities in the midfield.
The second free agency move is GWS Giant ruckman Matthew Flynn who travels across the continent to join the West Coast Eagles in return for a compensation pick, currently number 40. The Swans also gained Fremantle’s Joel Hambling with compensation yet to be confirmed.
The list of free agents is not particularly exciting although the Bombers are expected to feature heavily as they have commitments from North Melbourne defender Ben McKay and ruckman Todd Goldstein and are mentioned as a likely suitor for Saint Jade Gresham. The talk in trade circles is that given the inability of clubs to deal with former Essendon recruiting boss Adrian Dodoro in the past, it was probably best that the club does its business through free agency where the league decides on the formula, rather than the parties.
The full list of remaining 2023 AFL free agents
Adelaide - Tom Doedee **
Brisbane - Rhys Mathieson * Dayne Zorko
Collingwood - Cooper Murley *
Essendon Will Snelling *
Geelong - Tom Hawkins Rhys Stanley
Gold Coast - Levi Casboult * Sam Day Jake Stein *
GWS Giants - Lachlan Keeffe *
Hawthorn - Fergus Greene *
Melbourne - Jake Melksham
North Melbourne - Todd Goldstein Ben McKay ** Kayne Turner *
Port Adelaide - Scott Lycett ^
Richmond - Bigoa Nyuon *
St Kilda - Tom Campbell * Jade Gresham ** Daniel McKenzie Liam Stocker * Jimmy Webster
West Coast - Zane Trew *
Western Bulldogs - Taylor Duryea ^ Toby McLean Roarke Smith *
* Previously delisted
** Restricted free agent
^ Previously a free agent
The trade period starts today.
Update: 13 October 2023
The following players changed teams as a result of Free Agency over the past week:
• James Jordon (Melbourne to Sydney Swans)
• Matthew Flynn (GWS Giants to West Coast Eagles)
• Joel Hamling (Fremantle to Sydney Swans)
• Todd Goldstein (North Melbourne to Essendon)
• Tom Doedee (Adelaide Crows to
Brisbane Lions)
• Ben McKay (North Melbourne to
Essendon)
• Jade Gresham (St Kilda to Essendon)
• Toby Pink (delisted free agent)