This year's free agency and trade period is officially closed following an October window that saw a multitude of players and draft assets change hands, and with that, premiership intentions for next season.
While the off-season's strongly mooted moves, such as Brodie Grundy's Sydney swap andย Shane McAdam's Melbourne transition, came to fruition, we also saw some unexpected exchanges lodged at AFL House; including Taylor Adams' shock relocation to the Harbour City and Lachie Schultz's surprising Collingwood switch.
While there was some doubt over Essendon and Port Adelaide's ability to complete their considerable amount of business, they did just that, as Brandon Zerk-Thatcher and Xavier Duursma swapped allegiances on the final day of dealing.
However, while we were witness to a bevy of deals across the competition, there were some deals that didn't quite get over the line, includingย Elliott Himmelberg's eagerness to get to GWS to join forces with his brother; established defender Harrison.
In any case, what's done is done, and now we're left to review all that went down.
Instead of undergoing the mundane process of labelling each team's off-season with a letter grade, we assessed how happy every club is on a scale of 'very happy' through to 'very unhappy' after October's festivities.
Collingwood
Even after securing this year's premiership, the Magpies reached another high during the trade period, nabbing impressive Fremantle forward Lachie Schultz, who requested a surprising move away from Cockburn in the lead-up to the player movement window.
In a somewhat corresponding move, Collingwood offloaded fan-favourite forward Jack Ginnivan to Hawthorn; the club he supported as a young child.
Ginnivan, whose time at Olympic Park was something of a rollercoaster ride, saw his opportunities decrease in 2023 despite playing in the club's flag win over Brisbane, and that lack of opportunity was only set to increase once Schultz's switch was confirmed.
From a Magpies perspective, though, they would likely think they upgraded their forward line.
Collingwood also farewelled Taylor Adams to the Sydney Swans in what was another unexpected development, as the veteran saw his midfield minutes decrease in 2023.
How are they feeling?ย VERY HAPPY.
