Keidean Coleman is an Essendon player and Jack Viney and Trent Rivers are headed to West Coast after a frantic finish to the AFL trade period on Wednesday night, while Adelaide’s Nick Murray stays put after North Melbourne could not land a deal before the 7:30pm AEDT deadline.
After more than four hours of Deadline Day without a single player moving, seven players changed clubs in the final minutes at Marvel Stadium. Coleman, Viney, Rivers, Will McLachlan, Josh Goater, Luke Pedlar and Bodie Ryan all found new homes, Fox Footy and ABC Sport reported.
Murray was the one big name left stranded, with the Crows refusing to part with the key defender despite North Melbourne’s late push.
Earlier on Wednesday, Richmond landed Port Adelaide’s pick 5 to go with its own pick 2, Brisbane and GWS swapped selections, and Jayden Short’s proposed move from Richmond to Collingwood fell over.
Read more: Richmond Lands Port Adelaide Pick 5 in Deadline Day Trade
Coleman finally gets his Essendon move
Essendon traded picks 21 and 27 to Brisbane for Coleman and pick 25, AFL.com.au confirmed. The 26-year-old half-back, who had requested a move to the Bombers, has played just 15 AFL games across the past three years and joins Essendon on a four-year deal.
Essendon list boss Matt Rosa admitted the final hours were nervy. “We were working hard, it was quite tense,” Rosa said, as quoted by ABC Sport. “We know he’s going to bring a lot of excitement.”
Lions list manager Dom Ambrogio said Brisbane was satisfied with the return but made it clear it was not a deal the club had pushed for. “Look, it wasn’t one we wanted to drive,” he said. “At the end of the day, we did it for Kiddy and his agent was certainly quite insistent.”
Read more: Keidean Coleman Requests Trade to Essendon From Brisbane
Viney and Rivers head west
West Coast sealed a deal for Melbourne premiership pair Viney and Rivers in the final minutes, giving up pick 45, second and fourth-round picks in 2027 and a 2028 second-round pick, according to AFL.com.au. Crucially for the Eagles, they kept pick 23 for this year’s draft, Fox Footy noted.
Viney, who played 238 games for the Demons, joins the Eagles on a four-year deal that is two years as a player and two as a coach, pending AFL approval, AFL.com.au’s Josh Gabelich reported. Rivers, a 2021 premiership player with 140 games, has signed a five-year deal.
“Jack’s reputation across the competition is as a person of the highest character who leads by example with his uncompromising standards and drive to be successful,” West Coast recruiting boss Matt Clarke said.
Melbourne list boss Tim Lamb said: “It’s always difficult to part ways with a player like Jack, and even more so a premiership vice-captain, but we believe this move is what’s best for Jack, as well as the long-term future of our club.”
Demons add McLachlan and Ryan
Melbourne quickly reshaped its list after losing two senior players. Out-of-contract Lion Will McLachlan joined the Demons, with Brisbane receiving pick 45 and a swap of future second-round picks, while Hawthorn delistee Bodie Ryan was acquired for pick 107, AAP and Fox Footy reported.
“He’s a really good character and we hope he goes well at Melbourne,” Hawthorn list boss Mark McKenzie said of Ryan, according to Nine.
Pedlar crosses town, Goater joins Hawthorn
In the last trade lodged with AFL House, Adelaide sent Luke Pedlar and pick 34 to Port Adelaide for pick 32 and a 2027 fourth-round pick tied to Richmond. Fox Footy reported the 24-year-old will sign a three-year deal at Alberton, and that he is the first player to move directly between the two South Australian clubs since Billy Frampton at the end of 2019.
Adelaide list boss Jarryd Roughead said the Pedlar deal was done “out of respect to Luke”. North Melbourne’s Josh Goater also got his move to Hawthorn, costing the Hawks a 2027 third-round pick tied to Port Adelaide, according to Fox Footy.
Murray stays at Adelaide
North Melbourne’s final offer for Murray was built around picks 33 and 49 and a 2027 first-round selection, AFL.com.au’s Cal Twomey reported, but the Crows wanted a pick inside this year’s top 20 and the Kangaroos could not find one after their earlier deal for Nick Blakey.
“We’re in a win-now phase, so losing two key defenders, that tests our depth,” Roughead said. “If we’re in a win-now phase, why would we give away two key defenders?”
North list boss Brady Rawlings accepted the outcome. “We had a crack and Adelaide said no, and he’s their player, fair enough,” he said. “We threw everything we had.”
Who stayed put
Geelong’s Gryan Miers, Collingwood pair Jordan De Goey and Dan Houston, and Sam De Koning all remain at their clubs. Geelong football boss Andrew Mackie said a deal for Miers with Essendon was “not very close”, while Collingwood list boss Justin Leppitsch said no club contacted the Magpies about De Goey or Houston, AAP reported.
What happens next
The player trade window is now closed, but clubs can keep trading draft picks up to and including draft night, which starts on Thursday, 19 November.
More News
