The biggest movers: Adam Cerra (centre), (from top left clockwise) Robbie Tarrant, Jordan Dawson, Jake Kelly, Mabior Chol.

The expectations weren’t exactly high for this year’s AFL trade period heading in, so the consequent lack of fireworks didn’t really come as a huge surprise.

The scarcity of big names genuinely being up for trade, combined with clubs being gun-shy as a result of list sizes for 2022 still to be confirmed, as well as an anticipated reduction in the salary cap, all conspired to provide a perfect storm of conservatism.

But 20 players did still make their way to new clubs when free agency is included in the equation, and some of them might just end up having an impact on their new team’s fortunes next year that belies the minimal hoopla that surrounded their trades.

Here’s the rundown on how each club fared, and what it means for them in 2022.

ADELAIDE
In: Jordan Dawson (Sydney), pick 33 (Melbourne), pick 44 (AFL), pick 75 (Western Bulldogs)
Out: Jake Kelly (Essendon), pick 23 (Western Bulldogs), pick 37 (Melbourne), pick 44 (Western Bulldogs), pick 62 (St Kilda), pick 66 (St Kilda), future fourth-round pick (St Kilda)
On-traded: Pick 44 (from AFL to Western Bulldogs), future first-round pick (from Melbourne to Sydney)
Current 2021 draft picks: 4, 33, 75, 80

The Crows’ stalemate with Sydney over Dawson lasted up until Tuesday night, but after much toing and froing, and with the threat of losing the talented midfielder for nothing to the pre-season draft looming large, the Swans begrudgingly accepted the Crows’ final offer of a future first-round pick. The kicker is that pick is tied to Melbourne, so if the Demons go deep into September again in 2022, as expected, that pick will likely land in the late teens. All in all, a pretty decent trade period for Adelaide, which crucially hung on to its prized pick four. The Crows did, however, lose dependable backman Jake Kelly to Essendon as a free agent.

BRISBANE
In: Darcy Fort (Geelong), pick 41 (Geelong)
Out: Pick 50 (Geelong), future third-round pick (Geelong)
Current 2021 draft picks: 14, 18, 41, 54, 60, 76, 90

A minor player in this year’s trade period, but the Lions got their man Fort, who will provide a crucial back-up option for their No.1 ruckman Oscar McInerney. As serviceable as Joe Daniher was in the ruck this year, the move will allow Daniher to stay closer to goal in 2022, especially with Eric Hipwood expected to miss most of the season as he continues his recovery from a ruptured ACL. The Lions are content heading into the draft with two picks in the top 20 as well.

CARLTON
In: Adam Cerra (Fremantle), George Hewett (Sydney), Lewis Young (Western Bulldogs)
Out: Sam Petrevski-Seton (West Coast), pick 6 (Fremantle), future third-round pick (Fremantle)
Current 2021 draft picks: 25, 64, 82

One of this year’s most active clubs, Carlton would have been chuffed to get its hands on the headline act of the trade period – former Fremantle young gun Adam Cerra. The Blues also welcomed gritty midfielder George Hewett from Sydney, as well as defender Lewis Young from the Bulldogs. The acquisition of Cerra, who at 22 is coming into the prime of his career, having just completed his best season at AFL level to date, was crucial, as they still rely way too heavily on Patrick Cripps and Sam Walsh in the midfield. Hewett also adds depth in that part of the ground. Having also brought in the likes of Adam Saad and Zac Williams recently, the time for talk is over at Carlton, and with new coach Michael Voss at the helm, it’s time to start challenging for the finals again. Former top-10 pick Petrevski-Seton exits and gets a fresh start at West Coast after a frustrating five years at Princes Park.

COLLINGWOOD
In: Patrick Lipinski (Western Bulldogs), Nathan Kreuger (Geelong), pick 27 (Fremantle), pick 46 (Gold Coast), pick 55 (Geelong) pick 58 (Gold Coast), pick 79 (Gold Coast), future third-round pick (Hawthorn), future third-round pick (Brisbane via Hawthorn)
Out: Max Lynch (Hawthorn), pick 41 (Geelong), pick 43 (Western Bulldogs), future second-round pick (Gold Coast), future third-round pick (Gold Coast), future fourth-round pick (Gold Coast)
On-traded: Pick 22 (from Gold Coast to Fremantle), future third-round pick (from Fremantle to Hawthorn), future fourth-round pick (from Gold Coast to Hawthorn)
Current 2021 draft picks: 27, 36, 46, 48, 55, 58, 78, 79

Paid upfront with a swathe of 2022 selections to guarantee it would have enough points to match any bid for father-son prospect Nick Daicos, who is widely seen as the best young prospect at this year’s draft. He looks like an absolute beauty and would be a strong chance to line up in round one. The Pies further bolstered their midfield with the acquisition of young Patrick Lipinski from the Bulldogs, and have brought in Nathan Kreuger from Geelong for extra height up forward to assist Darcy Cameron and Brody Mihocek. The loss of ruckman Max Lynch to the Hawks is probably negligible considering he has only played three games in five years. It’s hard to get past Brodie Grundy.

ESSENDON
In: Jake Kelly (Adelaide)
Current 2021 draft picks: 11, 51, 56, 87

Jake Kelly is a very handy addition to a drastically-renovated defence that, despite being quite effective in 2021, is still building chemistry. The retirement of Cale Hooker and the uncertainty surrounding Michael Hurley’s future further highlights how welcome Kelly will be in 2022. However, the Bombers, who are looking to replace the small forward spot on their list vacated by Irving Mosquito, missed out on Greater Western Sydney’s Ian “Bobby” Hill as well as former Adelaide and Richmond player Tyson Stengle, who will join Geelong. Hill nominated the Bombers, but still has a year to run on his contract, and GWS rejected an offer of a future second-round selection. Essendon will once again turn its attention to the draft with pick 11 after hitting it hard last year and picking up top-10 selections Nik Cox, Archie Perkins and Zach Reid.

FREMANTLE
In: Jordan Clark (Geelong), Will Brodie (Gold Coast), pick 6 (Carlton), pick 19 (Gold Coast), pick 61 (Gold Coast), pick 69 (Gold Coast), future fourth-round pick (Geelong)
Out: Adam Cerra (Carlton), Pick 27 (Collingwood), future second-round pick (Gold Coast), future third-round pick (Collingwood), future fourth-round pick (Gold Coast)
On-traded: Pick 22 (from Gold Coast via Collingwood to Geelong), future third-round pick (from Carlton to Geelong)
Current 2021 draft picks: 6, 8, 19, 61, 69, 84

The loss of Cerra is a big one, but on the flip side, the Dockers, along with Richmond and Hawthorn, have one of the best hands at this year’s draft with three picks inside the top 20. They also managed to soften the blow of losing Cerra somewhat by holding their ground and snaring Clark for pick 22 when the Cats were after pick 19. Crucially, they also retained big forward Rory Lobb, who wanted to head back to GWS. But with two years still to run on his contract at the Dockers, and at 206 centimetres tall, Fremantle wasn’t prepared to let him go. Will Brodie also arrives from the Gold Coast and has potential to add some extra grunt to Freo’s on-ball division.

GEELONG
In: Jonathon Ceglar (Hawthorn), pick 22 (Gold Coast via Collingwood and Fremantle), pick 50 (Brisbane), future third-round pick (Carlton via Fremantle), future fourth-round pick (Hawthorn)
Out: Jordan Clark (Fremantle), Darcy Fort (Brisbane), Nathan Kreuger (Collingwood), pick 55 (Collingwood), future fourth-round pick (Fremantle)
On-traded: Pick 41 (from Collingwood to Brisbane), future third-round pick (from Brisbane Lions to Hawthorn)
Current 2021 draft picks: 22, 30, 32, 34, 50, 91

The loss of Fort is cancelled out by the acquisition of Ceglar, who will provide some much-needed support for Rhys Stanley in the ruck. Stanley showed some strong form late in the season, but needs assistance. With Ceglar turning 31 in February, it’s a clear sign that the ageing Cats still view themselves in the premiership window next year. Meanwhile, they lose another couple of youngsters in Clark and Kreuger, but with picks 22, 30, 32 and 34, will be hoping to start adding to their young brigade.

GOLD COAST
In: Mabior Chol (Richmond), future second-round pick (Collingwood), future second-round pick (Fremantle), future third-round pick (Collingwood), future fourth-round pick (Collingwood), future fourth-round pick (Fremantle)
Out: Will Brodie (Fremantle), pick 19 (Fremantle), pick 22 (Collingwood), pick 46 (Collingwood), pick 58 (Collingwood), pick 61 (Fremantle), pick 69 (Fremantle), pick 79 (Collingwood), future fourth-round pick (Collingwood)
Current 2021 draft picks: 3

Chol could end up being a good pick-up and has shown plenty of promise at the Tigers, despite only managing 31 games in six years. A four-year deal might appear to be “overs”, but it underscores the faith the Suns have in his potential. The Suns off-loaded a stack of 2021 draft picks, as well as Brodie, but have significantly enhanced their position at the 2022 draft with a pair of second-round picks from the Magpies and Dockers. Signing up marquee youngsters Ben King and Jack Lukosius is crucial as they enter the final year of their contracts with the wolves circling.

GREATER WESTERN SYDNEY
In: Future third-round pick (Port Adelaide)
Out: Jeremy Finlayson (Port Adelaide)
Current 2021 draft picks: 2, 13, 53, 71, 89

The Giants had a crack at Lobb, Chad Wingard and Luke Breust, but came up empty-handed on each occasion. They did, however, hang on to Bobby Hill on the plus side. Having parted ways with Jeremy Finlayson, and Shane Mumford expected to retire, Lobb would have been the ideal recruit, but alas, for GWS, it wasn’t to be. Still with pick two in their keeping after finishing in the top six, it’s not all doom and gloom for the Giants.

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HAWTHORN
In: Max Lynch (Collingwood), future third-round pick (Fremantle via Collingwood), future fourth-round pick (Gold Coast via Collingwood)
Out: Jonathon Ceglar (Geelong), Tim O’Brien (Western Bulldogs), future third-round pick (Collingwood), future fourth-round pick (Geelong)
On-traded: future third-round pick (from Brisbane via Geelong to Collingwood)
Current 2021 draft picks: 5, 21, 24, 59, 65, 81

Fireworks were expected to come out of Waverley Park when president Jeff Kennett wrote in a letter to members last week: “We may be surprised at some of the decisions made” during the trade period. But by Wednesday night, despite plenty of speculation surrounding five of the Hawks’ most senior players, Tom Mitchell, Chad Wingard, Jaeger O’Meara, Luke Breust and Jack Gunston will all be in Hawthorn colours again next year. However, the Hawks were involved in a couple of moves, with big men Ceglar and Tim O’Brien joining Geelong and the Bulldogs respectively, while the unheralded Lynch comes back the other way. Three picks inside the top 24 is a good draft hand.

MELBOURNE
In: Luke Dunstan (St Kilda), pick 17 (Western Bulldogs), pick 37 (Adelaide), pick 49 (St Kilda)
Out: Pick 33 (Adelaide), pick 45 (Western Bulldogs), future first-round pick (Adelaide)
Current 2021 draft picks: 17, 37, 49, 57, 94

Having lost Nathan Jones and Aaron vandenBerg from their midfield group, Dunstan, at 26 years of age and with 116 games under his belt, serves as an ideal recruit for the Demons’ midfield depth. After managing just one game in the first 10 rounds, Dunstan went on a career-best tear, gathering 11 Brownlow votes in his next six games and finishing the year with an average of 25 disposals per game. A good insurance policy if or when one of the midfield guns is unavailable next season.

NORTH MELBOURNE
In: Callum Coleman-Jones (Richmond), pick 42 (Richmond), pick 47 (Richmond), future fourth-round pick (Richmond)
Out: Robbie Tarrant (Richmond), pick 40 (Richmond), future second-round pick (Richmond)
Current 2021 draft picks: 1, 20, 42, 47, 72, 77

Durable defender Robbie Tarrant departs for one last crack at a flag with Richmond, but Coleman-Jones looks like a really good pick-up. The 22-year-old showed a lot of promise as a forward this year with Richmond, kicking 11 goals from eight games, including an impressive bag of four in round 11 against Adelaide – just the second game of his career. The Kangaroos will hope he can provide not only much-needed support for the emerging Nick Larkey in attack, but be able to give a chop-out in the ruck for Todd Goldstein (despite how much he loves riding solo in that position). North also saw off a pair of audacious offers from Adelaide and Richmond for its No.1 pick. And it’s all because of South Australian star Jason Horne-Francis, who looks like a readymade jet. North will enjoy adding him to its list.

PORT ADELAIDE
In: Jeremy Finlayson (GWS), pick 12 (Sydney), future third-round pick (Sydney)
Out: Peter Ladhams (Sydney), pick 16 (Sydney), future third-round pick (GWS)
Current 2021 draft picks: 12, 63, 73, 74, 92

The acquisition of Jeremy Finlayson to an already-stacked key-forward division featuring Charlie Dixon, Mitch Georgiades and Todd Marshall, who are all walk-up starters, will ensure competition for spots in that part of the ground remains fierce next year. It also basically stamped Peter Ladhams’ papers, and he heads to Sydney in search of more game time, frustrated at being behind Scott Lycett in the ruck pecking order at the Power.

RICHMOND
In: Robbie Tarrant (North Melbourne), pick 38 (AFL), pick 40 (North Melbourne), future second-round pick (North Melbourne)
Out: Mabior Chol (Gold Coast), Callum Coleman-Jones (North Melbourne), pick 42 (North Melbourne), pick 47 (North Melbourne), future fourth-round pick (North Melbourne)
Current 2021 draft picks: 7, 15, 26, 28, 38, 40, 83

The Tigers traded in Tarrant for much-needed defensive reinforcement after the retirements of Bachar Houli and David Astbury, but lost promising key position pair Chol and Coleman-Jones. Armed with arguably the best hand at this year’s draft with four picks inside the top 30, Richmond also acquired a future second-round pick from the Kangaroos as part of the Tarrant deal. The Tigers clearly believe they’re still in contention for a flag, and who could blame them with 22 premiership players still on their list? It was mainly a host of injuries to key players in 2021 which stymied their full potential.

ST KILDA
In: Pick 62 (Adelaide), pick 66 (Adelaide), future fourth-round pick (Adelaide)
Out: Luke Dunstan (Melbourne), pick 49 (Melbourne)
Current 2021 draft picks: 9, 62, 66, 67, 85

A ho-hum trade period for the Saints, with North ruckman Tristan Xerri their only meaningful target, but the Kangaroos’ asking price of a second-round pick for the 12-gamer put the Saints off. The loss of Dunstan was a formality given his papers were stamped well before the brilliant form he produced in the second half of the year.

SYDNEY
In: Peter Ladhams (Port Adelaide), pick 16 (Port Adelaide), pick 39 (AFL), future first-round pick (Melbourne via Adelaide)
Out: Jordan Dawson (Adelaide), George Hewett (Carlton), pick 12 (Port Adelaide), future third-round pick (Port Adelaide)
Current 2021 draft picks: 16, 31, 39, 70, 88

After ramping up the rhetoric early in the trade period by saying they were willing to lose Dawson for nothing by walking him to the pre-season, the Swans ultimately took a pragmatic approach and accepted their fate by accepting the future first-round pick. Ladhams, meanwhile, is a good pick-up given Tom Hickey will be 31 by the time next season starts, and Sam Naismith is facing another lengthy stint on the sidelines after suffering a third ACL injury. The loss of Hewett does diminish their defensive hardness to an extent in the midfield.

WEST COAST
In: Sam Petrevski-Seton (Carlton)
Out: Pick 52 (Western Bulldogs)
Current 2021 draft picks: 10, 29, 35, 68, 86

The Eagles did what they had to do in getting Petrevski-Seton, and will be hoping the former Blue can live up to the enormous hype that surrounded him upon his entry to the AFL back in 2017. He failed to realise his full potential in five years with the Blues, but with nearly 100 games under his belt, West Coast is optimistic that he can go to the next level in the next phase of his career. Jarrod Brander will almost certainly make his way to another club as a delisted free agent.

WESTERN BULLDOGS
In: Tim O’Brien (Hawthorn), Pick 23 (Adelaide), pick 43 (Collingwood), pick 44 (AFL via Adelaide), pick 45 (Melbourne), pick 52 (West Coast)
Out: Patrick Lipinski (Collingwood), Lewis Young (Carlton), Pick 17 (Melbourne), pick 75 (Adelaide)
Current 2021 draft picks: 23, 43, 44, 45, 52, 93

A like-for-like with Young going out and O’Brien coming in. Height down back has been a bit of an issue for the Bulldogs, and they see the former Hawk as being capable of helping out the likes of Alex Keath, Zaine Cordy and Ryan Gardner. They’ll be sorry to see Lipinski go, but with such a stacked midfield, it was an understandable move, especially as he played just two matches in the second half of the year. And despite uncertainty surrounding Mitch Wallis’ future, the vice-captain signed a new one-year deal, even though he only managed six games in 2021.