AFL trade period 2023 LIVE updates: Oliver ‘going well’ after hospital stay; pick No.1 unlikely to move

Key posts

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Official moves so far

12.47pm

Confirmed: Bigoa Nyuon heads to Arden Street

The Roos’ have further bolstered their defensive stocks with Richmond tall backman Bigoa Nyuon, traded for Pick 65.

The deal follows North Melbourne’s signing of delisted Swan Toby Pink after the club lost Ben McKay to Essendon.

22-year-old Nyuon played has played just one AFL game.

12.37pm

Bit of razzmatazz missing this trade day (so far)

By Marc McGowan

The AFL’s trade period has predictably ground to a halt ahead of Wednesday night’s deadline, after 13 deals in the first three days last week.

Esava Ratugolea, Jack Gunston, Lachie Schultz, Xavier Duursma, Liam Henry, Brandon Zerk-Thatcher and Shane McAdam are among the players still in trade limbo.

Only three deals – Jade Gresham’s free agency signing with Essendon, Tom Fullarton arriving at Melbourne as Brodie Grundy’s replacement, and Tyler Brockman becoming an Eagle – have gone down across the past five days.

Collingwood and Fremantle at least appear to be edging closer to Schultz getting his wish to return to Victoria, with the Magpies’ first-round pick this year or next the key element of whatever is agreed upon.

Lachie Schultz has requested a trade to Collingwood.Credit: Getty Images

Paddy Dow and Nick Coffield, who were top-10 picks in the 2017 draft, could also have new homes at St Kilda and Western Bulldogs, respectively, by Monday’s end, as part of a potential trade involving low-end selections.

However, the likes of McAdam, Elijah Hollands and Mabior Chol will probably have to remain patient for at least another 24 hours.

12.23pm

The diamonds mined with pick 13

St Kilda hold pick No.13 in this year’s national draft, and while it’s nothing to sneeze at, it’s no top-10 pick – right?

Think again.

It’s worth taking a look at some of the gems that have been taken at pick 13 over the years to see the sort of talent the Saints could pick up in 2023. In fact, Saints fans will know all too well that they picked up a star with that very selection in 2001 – Nick Dal Santo.

How about a couple of Brownlow medallists in Shane Crawford and Patrick Cripps? Not to mention a Coleman medallist in Jack Riewoldt. So, not too shabby.

12.07pm

Got a question for the experts?

11.42am

‘He’s going well’: Dees’ list boss on star midfielder Clayton Oliver

Melbourne list boss Tim Lamb has said Clayton Oliver is going well after a tough few weeks.

Last week, the star Demons midfielder was transported to Footscray Hospital by ambulance following a medical episode in which he hit his head as the result of a seizure, but he has since been discharged.

“He’s going well, yep, he’s going well. I’m not going to elaborate on anything to do with Clayton,” Lamb said on AFL Trade Radio on Monday afternoon.

“There’s been obviously a statement put out by the club and that’s where we’ll leave that.”

Clayton Oliver is dejected after the Demons were eliminated in straight sets for the second year in a row.Credit: AFL Photos / Getty Images

Melbourne Football Club confirmed in a statement that the hospital had completed a number of tests before Oliver returned home where he was recovering.

“The club will continue to work with Clayton and his medical support team to ensure he receives all the necessary treatment,” the statement read.

“We ask that media respect Clayton’s privacy at this time.”

The hospital admission came only a matter of days after Oliver sat down with coach Simon Goodwin to have a frank chat about his standards and bin the possibility of the four-time club best and fairest being traded.

Lamb did, however, go into detail on Melbourne’s draft hand after Brodie Grundy was traded to Sydney for pick 46 and a future second-round pick and James Harmes was traded to the Western Bulldogs for a future third-round pick.

“We’ve now got our own first-round, two future seconds and two future thirds. So, we’ve got a little bit of flexibility there for the remainder of this [trade] period and then in the lead-up to the draft,” said Lamb.

11.01am

Roos’ recruit Pink never gave up on AFL dream

North Melbourne’s latest recruit Toby Pink, a former Swan who was picked up as a delisted free agent, says he never gave up on his dream of making it back to an AFL list.

The 25-year-old was picked up from Glenelg where helped the SANFL side to the 2023 premiership.

He made a move to the Kangaroos’ VFL side in 2020 to try and make it back on an AFL list but the COVID-19 pandemic meant he didn’t see a game as all footy at that level took a pause.

“[I thought] I lost my best chance to get on an AFL list,” Pink said on AFL Trade Radio on Monday morning.

“Once that was over, I moved at SA and build back up my game … still stuck at it and [I’m] here now.”

Pink was initially drafted to the Swans as a key forward but has since transitioned to a defender role. While in the SANFL, he said he worked on throwing his body weight around, taking marks and opening up his game.

Pink said a few clubs showed interest and phoned his manager but only North Melbourne showed prolonged, genuine interest. He found out after Glenelg’s season was over he would be getting the call-up again.

“Dream always to be on an AFL list … I’m glad I finally got the opportunity to get back on an AFL list and give it a crack,” he said.

He also admits to being “more mature” than while at Sydney as a rookie for three seasons.

Now, he’s “ready to crack into pre-season, which is pretty soon” and meet his new teammates and head coach Alastair Clarkson in person.

10.27am

Buckley admits Grundy should have left the Magpie nest sooner

Former Collingwood coach Nathan Buckley believes the Magpies should have let Brodie Grundy leave instead of signing him to a monster new contract in 2020.

The star ruck will play for Sydney – his third club in as many years – next season after his partnership with Max Gawn didn’t work out at Melbourne.

Grundy exited the Magpies at the end of 2022 due to pressure on the club’s salary cap from the mammoth seven-year deal he signed ahead of the 2020 season.

While at Melbourne, Brodie Grundy playing against his old club CollingwoodCredit: Getty Images

Buckley, who was coaching Collingwood when Grundy re-committed long-term, concedes the Magpies would have looked “mad” for letting a dual All-Australian go, but insists the move should have been made.

“Hindsight is a wonderful thing, but it would have been better for the club, and it would have been better for Brodie [to] move in a different direction,” Buckley told SEN on Monday.

“‘Brodes’ gets back to Adelaide, he’s happy at the Adelaide Crows, who knows what would have happened over that side.”

Buckley said there were “internal conversations” at Collingwood about letting Grundy leave.

“Apparently we found a way to keep him [financially] … which has since proven to be a rod for the club’s back, and for Brodie’s,” Buckley said.

“I’m rapt that [he has found another club in Sydney].

“Brodie has to accept [it], he put his hand up, his manager drove a hard bargain.

“[Grundy] has struggled through the last three years and he had basically been unwanted at Collingwood and for the reasons being part of the TPP (total player payments).”

The 29-year-old will reunite with Taylor Adams at the Swans after his former Collingwood teammate requested a trade just days after missing the Magpies’ premiership victory with injury.

AAP

10.18am

Pick No.1 unlikely to move this trade period

By Peter Ryan

There is a feeling among opposition clubs that West Coast’s pick No.1 is unlikely to move during this year’s trade period.

That doesn’t mean it won’t change hands between the end of the trade period and draft night as clubs can swap picks throughout most of that period. But clearly, and understandably, the Eagles are putting a high price on that pick with offers to date from North Melbourne and Hawthorn being rebuffed.

Harley Reid is considered the best prospect in this year’s draft.Credit: Eddie Jim

It also means the eventual destination of the player who is favoured to be the No.1 selection, Harley Reid, will keep being a talking point for some time.

North Melbourne are adamant they will take at least two of the first three picks in the draft into the national draft.

Melbourne are also keen on pick No.1 and hold two first-round draft picks – six and 11. Geelong are also open to trading out pick eight to get two first-rounders, either both this season or one this year and an extra one next year.

9.51am

ICYMI: Will Longmire’s old strategy deliver new success for Sydney Swans?

By Peter Ryan

Sydney have gone all in during this trade period, adding four players from other clubs to their list in their biggest – by volume – trade haul since Mumford, Kennedy, McGlynn and Mark Seaby joined in 2009.

After their elimination final loss to Carlton this year, it was clear John Longmire wanted to trade in experience, and for the club to become more involved in the trade period.

Brodie Grundy and Taylor Adams, albeit experienced, are all quality.

Taylor Adams and Brodie Grundy will be excellent additions at Sydney.Credit: The Age

But it’s a far cry from 2012, when Sydney won their most recent premiership, and had a reputation at the trade table of turning rocks into diamonds.

Few players left the club, and those who arrived inevitably improved. Five of their premiership 22 in 2012 were imports seeking greater opportunity who found it at the Swans.

Two seasons later, add in Lance Franklin’s arrival when free agency was introduced and their Academy products, most notably Isaac Heeney, which they acquired for the bargain-basement price of pick No.18.

Fast-forward to 2023 and it’s clear the club is all in on winning a flag in the next two years but the academy, drafting and, most importantly, retention must remain the centrepiece of the Swans’ strategy because that is their competitive advantage in the modern era.

The past 10 years have shown it’s no longer trading.

Read Peter Ryan’s full analysis here.

9.20am

Like his relationship with Carlton, it’s complicated: Judging Silvagni’s time as Blues list manager

By Andrew Wu

Stephen Silvagni did the heavy lifting in assembling a list that has Carlton belatedly ready for a tilt at a 17th flag, but it’s his misses that will cloud how history judges one of the most extensive and painstaking rebuilds the league has seen.

Such is the soothing effect of two finals victories after 10 years out of September, the departures of two of Silvagni’s first-round selections and the impending exit of No.3 pick Paddy Dow raised only a ripple.

How will history judge Stephen Silvagni’s time as Carlton’s list manager?Credit: AFL Photos / Getty Images

Compare this to the shockwaves among Blues fans 12 months ago when Liam Stocker was delisted or the wistfulness that accompanied the departure of another early pick Sam Petrevski-Seton.

The Son of Serge preached patience after answering the Blues’ SOS call in late 2014. Few could have imagined it would take until year eight, three senior coaches and just as many bottom-four finishes before the Blues finally broke through in September.

Click here to read the story.

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