AFL Trades 2024: Report card from the penultimate day of trading as massive deals go through

Harry Sharp’s move to Melbourne is complete with the Dees giving up pick 43 and a future third (tied to Essendon) in return for Sharp and Brisbane’s future third.

The penultimate day of the AFL trade period is over, and it saw some gigantic deals get done.

Here’s how The West Australian graded each one.

TRADE ONE

West Coast D

Liam Baker, Matt Owies Pick 12 and pick 73

Carlton - A

Pick 3, Pick 63 and pick 68

Richmond - A -

Pick 14

Richmond get what they want all along with Pick 14 for Liam Baker. It was generally seen as overs but there is no doubt of his talent and fills the middle-aged gap for West Coast.

But that means West Coast effectively traded pick three for Matt Owies and pick 12 and there’s no amount of mental math that makes that a good deal for the Eagles.

Carlton will be delighted and likely target Finn O’Sullivan in the draft.

The Eagles pick up two talented middle-aged players that could have been walked through the draft but instead, slide down the order and even throw in the steak knives to Carlton with their lower-order picks.

If all this somehow gets Chad Warner next year then maybe it’s a masterstroke but it looks a shocker in isolation.

TRADE TWO

St Kilda - C+

Pick 32 and Pick 45

Brisbane - C-

Pick 27

Not the biggest move on the penultimate day but a slightly odd one given Brisbane need points to secure Levi Ashcroft and Sam Marshall.

The Lions give up more than 200 draft points to move up five spots and perhaps point to a deal to secure an existing player from somewhere else given Joe Daniher’s retirement.

The Saints split turn their second rounder into a second and third and gives them a greater chance to add some depth.

TRADE THREE

Port Adelaide - C-

Jack Lukosius, Joe Richards, Rory Atkins, pick 13, pick 29, pick 36 and pick 50

Gold Coast - B

John Noble, future first (Port Adelaide), future first (Collingwood) and pick 39

Collingwood - A -

Dan Houston, pick 58

A mega-trade in every sense with five players and a host of picks on the move. Jack Lukosis has plenty of talent but fell out of favour with Damien Hardwick while it’s hard to see Rory Atkins getting near the Power’s best 22.

Joe Richards showed promise but to give up two-time All-Australian is a big price. Pick 13 will be useful as it gets them in the first round of the draft but Port rejected this same deal last night with only pick 50 the difference.

Gold Coast picks up John Noble and now has a very strong draft hand heading into next year with three first-round picks.

Collingwood are the undoubted winners having come into the trade period with no first-round draft picks but have now secured Houston to go alongside Harry Perryman from GWS. Noble was surplus to their requirements and they should have the depth in small forwards to cover the loss of Richards.

The Lions wingman was an emergency for the 2024 grand final and will be looking for regular playing time at the Dees.

“I did catch up with Harley the other day, I had a good chat to him. He’s a ripping kid, a country boy from Victoria and being away from home is something I can relate to as a country boy as well,” he said.

“I’ve still got a couple of holes in my chest from where he buried that fend-off on me.”

“You never really know what can happen with a new coach, they’ve got some young talent in there’s a lot of good players and it’s my role in that middle-aged group to get everyone improving as quickly as possible and turn to those older guys as well,” he says.

“There’s plenty of work to be done but hopefully the ball can be moved really quickly.”

“The challenge is exciting, they showed some good signs this year and the other boys that are heading there are as well.”

The new Eagle joined Trade Radio to discuss how the move panned out.

“I nominated to go to West Coast and they got the job done at the end of the day and now it’s up to me to do the job and play some good footy,” he said.

“It was definitely a release today to get through.”

Baker said he had already made his mind up to move to the Eagles even before Andrew McQualter was appointed.

“It definitely swayed me that direction when his name was in the mix but I’d made my mind up before he was announced,” he said.

“But if I hadn’t I would have been straight there.

“I was wrapped for Mini after missing out last year and even seeing him a few weeks ago and talking footy and how he sees the game I though yeah Min’s going to have a good crack at this.

“I’m excited to get that and see what it has to offer and so are the other boys.”

He raged at West Coast’s trade this morning and it’s fair to say he’s not happy with what his former club have just executed.

PORT ADELAIDE GET

Lukosius, Richards, Atkins and picks 13, 29, 36 and 50

FOR

Dan Houston, future first rounder and picks 39 and 58.

COLLINGWOOD GET

Dan Houston and pick 58

FOR

Future first, Joe Richards, John Noble and pick 36

GOLD COAST GET

John noble, future first (Collingwood), future first (Port Adelaide) and pick 39.

FOR

Jack Lukosius, Rory Atkins and picks 13, 29, 50

and breathe

Dan Houston is a Pie after three-clubs executed a five-player mega-deal.

Houston joins the Pies while, Jack Lukosius, Joe Richards and Rory Atkins go Port Adelaide’s way.

John Noble joins the Suns. More details to come