While some would contend that 24 rounds of football, a month of finals and a couple of practice matches to kick things off is enough football to poke a boot at, in this era of the 18-team talkback radio pitches, it is clear that the trade period has taken on a life of its own.
Punters may screech that they hate hearing about proposed deals between March and September, but in reality, any article about a player wanting in, out or otherwise rates its socks off analytically as these same fans can't help but want to know the score.
And although footy fanatics may disagree, the analytics tell us that there is only one thing they love more than trade chat, and that's when trades are put under the microscope.
So while you lot may hate us for it, deep down we know that you love it.
From 1990 until the cessation of the 2022 season, here is the trade that every club wishes they had a mulligan for.
Gold Coast (2017)
In- Lachie Weller and pick 41 (Charlie Ballard)
Out - Brandon Matera and pick 2 (Andrew Brayshaw)
Despite the see-saw sitting unevenly on this one, we get what the Suns were doing. After all, it's not often you get elite local talent actively stating they want to play for teams outside of footy's heartland. Still, with Brayshaw already earning league MVP honours in his young career, we'll blame this trade on the marketing team, not the list managers. Ballard's proficiency behind the ball certainly helps offset some of the sting.
