The AFL's trade period is being shaped by a handful of significant deals that have yet to be completed, according to ESPN. The outlet reports that these heavyweight trades are looming large over the league's free agency window.
Coverage from multiple outlets points to several moves drawing attention. AFL.com.au reports that Port Adelaide is exploring pick swaps, that talks involving Carlton's Whitfield are expected to intensify, and that a move for Hogan is edging closer. The Age has published a team-by-team guide to the trade period, while The West Australian has outlined the deals expected to dominate discussions.
Fox Sports has raised a question over a figure of $18 million linked to Butters, and identified what it calls the biggest mover of the period in its trade guide covering all 18 clubs.
Taken together, the reporting suggests the trade period's direction will depend on whether these larger deals can be agreed, with free agency running alongside them. The summaries do not specify the clubs or players involved in every case, and no completed deals have been confirmed in the material reviewed.
What to watch next: whether the pick swaps, the Whitfield talks and the Hogan move progress, and how the unresolved heavyweight trades affect the rest of the market.
