Trade Special: Stringer 'The issue is what else does he bring with him?'

The 2026 Trade Period is done and dusted, and with all the big trades taken care of early, deadline day went off not with a bang, but a whimper. The Bombers secured Keidean Coleman, Jack Viney and Trent Rivers leave Melbourne for West Coast, but Adelaide dug their heels in and refused to trade Nick Murray to the Kangaroos. So what were the biggest off season deals? And who were the winners and losers?

There's one day left of trading to go, but Tuesday saw big names find new homes. Lachie Whitfield is now a Blue, Zane Duursma has made it to the Dees, and Nick Blakey departs Sydney for the Kangaroos on a monster eight year deal.

With two days left of trading to come, Monday saw both Aidan Schubert and Sam Butler depart Hawthorn for the Gold Coast Suns. A number of deals are still up in the air, however the behaviour of a couple of Carlton stars has seen the Blues dominate the headlines.

As we head towards the trade deadline this Wednesday, there's still a lot of wheeling and dealing to be done to determine the futures of Blakey, Houston, Whitfield, Miers and Short just to name a few. And then there's Jake Stringer. Is a return to the Bombers a genuine possibility?

Day 5 of the trade period saw Zak Butters granted his wish to join the Bulldogs, Ben King officially become a Hawk, and a 5 Club Mega Trade completed, the intricacies of which are virtually impossible to comprehend.

Day 4 of the trade period saw the Cats finally secure ruckman Rowan Marshall from St Kilda, giving up Pick 14 in the process. This makes recruiting Nick Blakey nigh on impossible, but there's no shortage of clubs expressing interest in the want-away Swan.

Day 3 of the trade period saw Jordan Ridley move to Geelong, Jack Bowes become a Bomber, and Danny Daly decide not to pursue the coaching role at Brisbane. The Suns have until Friday to decide if they'll match Hawthorn's offer to Ben King, but could Aidan Schubert throw a spanner in the works? Could Essendon stand in the way of Cody Walker getting to the Blues? And where is all the trade discussion around Nick Blakey coming from?

Day 2 of the trade period saw Jaymie Graham officially announced as Coach of the Kangaroos, whilst their young star Zane Duursma is determined to head to the Demons. Plus Nathan O'Driscoll departs Fremantle to become a Tiger.

Day 1 of the official trade period has gone off with a bang! Zach Merrett is now a Hawk, Jesse Hogan is a Magpie, and Jaymie Graham will take over the coaching reigns at the Kangaroos.

The official trade period hasn’t started, but we have a big name departure as Lions coach Chris Fagan calls time. The three-time premiership coach has quit Brisbane, so how might that shake the competition, and how might it impact trade period?