Every club's best trade of the AFL era

While some trades look like roadkill in hindsight, if you alter your lens to look from the other end, these same deals have the ability to look like a 12-course banquet. Beauty, as they say, is in the eye of the beholder. After covering off your team's worst ever trades last week, we've turned our frowns upside down this week to shine a light on their best and brightest wheels and deals. SEE ALSO: EVERY AFL CLUB'S WORST TRADE OF THE AFL ERA Adelaide (1994) In: Andrew McLeod and pick 38 (Matthew Collins) Out: Chris Groom A dual Norm Smith medallist and a top-40 pick for a journeyman who would only play seven games out West? For the Crows, this trade looks absolutely sterling in hindsight. Though the Dockers held the rights to draft McLeod ahead of the club's inaugural season, the upstart side passed, with head coach Gerard Neesham believing the Darwin native was too lairy. Still, for a coach who lived and died by the 'chip and draw' from the backline, the five-time All-Australian would have been a perfect fit in his system. Brisbane (1997) In: Pick 31 (Simon Black) Out: Simon Hawking and Brent Green While the Lions were able to land the rights to draft Dayne Zorko from the Suns for a steal, any day you can land a 300-gamer with a Brownlow and Norm Smith to his name for loose change is a banner day. Though Black was just a kid with potential ahead of the 1998 season, by the time the member of Brisbane's 'Big 4' hung up his boots at the end of 2013, the Hall of Famer had eclipsed any of Hawking and Green's deeds 10,000 fold. Carlton (2003) In: Heath Scotland Out: Pick 35 (Brent Hall) What's the only thing better than fleecing a rival at the trade table? Answer: Fleecing your most bitter rival. While Scotland is unlikely to ever end up in the Australian Football Hall of Fame, the hard-nosed Pie-turned-Blue gave the latter club great service, turning out in 215 games across 11 seasons, even earning best and fairest honours in 2012. While the Woods were happy to see Scotland go for a second-rounder, these smiles had turned to frowns by the time Hall had departed Olympic Park in 2006 after just a solitary senior game. Collingwood (2014) In: Jack Crisp, pick 5 (Jordan De Goey) and Pick 25 (Daniel Nielson) Out: Dayne Beams and pick 67 (Josh Watts) Though not as one-sided as the Groom-McLeod trade, the mere fact that Beams found his way back to the Woods before the end of his career certainly adds lustre to this one in the eyes of the Pies. With Crisp - sorry, 'Steak Knives' - now a perennial Copeland Trophy winner and De Goey blossoming into a genuine game-winner, the Pies are still well and truly reaping the rewards of this deal. But what happened to Watts? Well, the Tasmanian is now kicking about for Wantirna South in Melbourne's Eastern Football Netball League after departing the den without a debut. Essendon (1994) In: Pick 4 (Scott Lucas) Out: Tony Delaney The Dockers really were a disaster area head of their debut season, with head coach Gerard Neesham not only drawing a line through Andrew McLeod but also coughing up a generational forward tandem for driftwood. With Delaney departing the Dockers after just 28 games and Lucas booting 471 goals from his 270 starts inside a red-sashed guernsey, this deal is about as lopsided as it gets. Still, after making moves to draw Dale Kickett from Windy Hill in the same off-season, the Dockers traded the Dons the rights to pick first in the compensation draft, a pick they used on a teenager called Matthew Lloyd. Ouch. Fremantle (2003) In: Pick 19 (David Mundy) Out: Steven Koops Just like a broken clock is right at least twice a day, the Dockers haven't lost every single off-season deal. Though there would be more decorated Dockers over the stretch, with plenty bagging more goals and others bowing out with more accolades, few, if any, would garner the respect Mundy would across his 376 games in purple. And all it would cost was the rights to a player who would rack up less than 90. Geelong (2015) In: Patrick Dangerfield and pick 50 (unused) Out: Dean Gore, pick 9 (Wayne Milera) and pick 28 (Mitch Hibberd) While this deal was struck in good faith, the scales were nowhere near even. Not then, and certainly not now. After acting as the linchpin in the trade that saw Patrick Dangerfield move from West Lakes back to Moggs Creek, Dean Gore cemented himself as the answer to a trivia question for future generations. And with such a decorated career, you can bet your bottom dollar that these generations will know who Dangerfield is without much prompt. Gold Coast (2016) In: Jarrod Witts Out: Pick 44 (unused) and pick 62 (Josh Daicos - father-son) Though the deal saw a second generation of Daicos join the club, it's clear that Witts' worth was underrated by the Pies. Now seven seasons on from first joining the Suns, the big man has not only earned club champion honours but has led the club, alongside Touk Miller, since 2019. Not bad for a bloke who was sent packing to accumulate draft points. GWS (2013) In: Shane Mumford Out: Pick 39 (Cameron Giles) Every year, ruckmen are traded for picks outside of the first round. Sometimes these big men fizzle; sometimes the deals are mutually beneficial; sometimes they favour the club keen for known quantities over draft captial. Take the Giants' choice to send a second-rounder to the Swans for Shane Mumford. While the monster from Bunyip would earn best and fairest honours, as well as a Kirk Medal, during his days in charcoal and orange, Giles would never lace the boots as a Blue, after the Swans sent pick 39 to Princes Park to bring Andrejs Everitt north of the border. Hawthorn (2001) In: Pick 1 (Luke Hodge), pick 20 (Daniel Elstone) and pick 36 (Sam Mitchell) Out: Trent Croad and Luke McPharlin If you are the winner of perhaps the most uneven deal of all time, then it's only natural that it rates as the greatest trade boon in club history. Two premiership skippers for a sturdy defender and a player that would return to win a flag in brown and gold? Sign us up. Melbourne (1994) In: Jeff Farmer Out: Phil Gilbert Fremantle really stained the bedsheets ahead of their first season, didn't they? While Farmer wasn't strictly a Docker ahead of 1995, the expansion side held the rights to draft 'The Wiz'. However, in step with the many other deals made that off-season, Farmer was sent East for Gilbert, a Claremont product who would depart the Dockers after just 14 games. Freo would haul Farmer back West before too long, but it would cost them pick 17 at the 2001 'Super Draft', a selection eventually used to make James Kelly a Cat. North Melbourne (2000) In: Pick 23 (Drew Petrie) Out: Evan Hewitt Though the Roos would land Daniel Wells in a deal that saw Wayne Carey leave Arden Street in acrimony, this particular trade was all win, no loss. Petrie would eventually leave the Roos' huddle after 316 games, 428 goals, five goalkicking gongs and an All-Australian blazer, while Hewitt's career would close at the cessation of 2002, with the fellow forward managing just 28 goals from 48 starts. Port Adelaide (2000) In: Pick 12 (Shaun Burgoyne) Out: Matthew Bode and pick 48 (Matthew Smith) If you are a Crows disciple, this one is sure to sting, but if you back Port, this is the brightest feather in your cap. Landing an All-Australian premiership player for the cost of a serviceable small forward and a spearhead that never played a game? That's almost as good as a 15-goal Showdown win. Richmond (2016) In: Toby Nankervis Out: Pick 46 (Jack Maibaum) After trading Mumford and Nankervis for proverbial packets of chips, the lesson here is if Sydney are willing to part with a ruckman, take them up on their offer. Like the Mumford deal, the Tigers gave up the rights to draft a player who never played a game, Jack Maibaum rather than Cameron Giles in this case. And with Nankervis now a co-captain and a triple premiership winner while Maibaum gets his kicks in the WAFL, there is no need for a jury to decide who won this exchange. St Kilda (2007) In: Sean Dempster and Adam Schneider Out: Pick 26 (Brett Meredith) The Saints and the Swans have made multiple deals over the years, with Barry Hall and Tony Lockett both trading Moorabbin's dim for the bright lights of the Harbour City. Still, with a partner for Stephen Milne and an underrated stopper secured for the price of a draftee that would feature on just 16 occasions, St Kilda fans will look back on this deal with a bit more fondness. Sydney (1999) In: Pick 8 (Jude Bolton) Out: Jason Mooney There's no doubt about it, the Swans have an eye for talent. While Mooney would serve the Sydneysiders well for 97 games over seven seasons, his legacy in red and white would be eclipsed, time and time and time again, by Bolton, the hard-nosed midfielder that laid 1490 tackles across his 325 AFL games. West Coast (2013) In: Elliot Yeo Out: Pick 28 (Lewis Taylor) While Taylor would earn Rising Star honours during his days at the Lions' den, Yeo's CV has become stacked since shifting across the Nullarbor. Though injuries have halted the midfielder of late, Yeo has a pair of AA blazers, a set of best and fairests and a premiership medallion to his name. Meanwhile, Taylor is turning out for Terang-Mortlake in the Hampden league, his Rising Star trophy is still on the mantel, however. Western Bulldogs (2014) In: Tom Boyd Out: Ryan Griffen and pick 6 (Caleb Marchbank) Sometimes you need to give a bit to get a bit. While this particular deal would see a leader in Griffen depart the Kennel, the arrival of Boyd brought with it expectation that was eventually delivered on in spades. Sure, Boyd's Dog days would only last for 52 games, but with the former No.1 pick cobbling together a September to remember in 2016, playing a leading hand in the club breaking its premiership drought, few red, white and blue barrackers would have any regrets here.

		P	W	L	PTS	%
1	SYD	1	1	0	4	191.3
2	CARL	1	0	1	0	52.3
3	ESS	0	0	0	0	0
4	WB	0	0	0	0	0
5	GEEL	0	0	0	0	0
6	ADEL	0	0	0	0	0
7	MELB	0	0	0	0	0
8	FRE	0	0	0	0	0
9	WCE	0	0	0	0	0
10	GWS	0	0	0	0	0

Every club’s best trade of the AFL era

What’s the only thing better than landing a gem at the trade table? Landing them for a packet of chips, of course.

Port Adelaide (2000)

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