Discussions surrounding a Mid-Season Trade Period for the AFL have continued into 2025, with the conclusion of this week's draft and the push from certain coaches adding to the narrative.
The AFL has continued to assess the pros and cons of a player exchange window for the future, with the competition to take a step closer as clubs are allowed to trade 2026 draft picks to get into the Mid-Season draft next year.
Clubs in 2025 would have loved the chance to aid their list instantly as they either look to strengthen their prospects for the premiership or continue to rebuild their list with young talent.
With this in mind, we've looked at a handful of AFL players who could benefit from a mid-year change and the potential landing spots that might be of interest.
Here are five hypothetical trade deals that could've happened if a Mid-Season Trade Period existed in 2025.
2. Peter Ladhams to Essendon
Essendon have managed to address a list need in finding support in their ruck stocks via the selection of Lachie Blakiston at this week's Mid-Season Draft, but if a trade window was open, they may have opted for a more experienced avenue.
A player movement period may have thrown up a few names for Essendon to ponder, with Sydney's Peter Ladhams, Port Adelaide's Ivan Soldo or West Coast's Bailey Williams among the fringe ruckmen who could do the job at Tullamarine for the next 12-18 months.
The Bombers have been relying on veteran Todd Goldstein after Sam Draper and Nick Bryan suffered season-ending injuries, with a player like Ladhams able to step into the first-string ruck role in their absence.
With both sidelined talls likely to miss the start of next year, Ladhams could hold down the fort before being used as a ruck-forward option when they return.
The Swans haven't used Ladhams all that much since he moved from Port Adelaide at the end of 2021, with the 202cm talent playing just 16 games in the red and white.
