This decade has seen 335 trades completed, but which teams have traded together the most and which teams have completely avoided one another?
Carlton and GWS are two teams that immediately come to mind as sides that have made numerous deals together.
They have completed six trades since 2014, which is a lot, but it does not have them in the top five.
The Blues and Giants however set a different record, having exchanged 11 players this decade in those six trades – which is ranked first.
Coming in first place is actually Geelong and Gold Coast, who have made eight trades together since 2010.
Gary Ablett, Josh Caddy, George Horlin-Smith and Zac Smith (twice) have moved between the clubs, who have also enjoyed multiple pick swaps over the years.
The Suns have dealt with the Cats on eight occasions, but have also made trades with Brisbane and Fremantle seven times each as well.
Despite their crosstown rivalry, Gold Coast and the Lions have not been shy in dealing with each other.
Callum Ah Chee and Pearce Hanley have been exchanged, while the Lions acquired current captain Dayne Zorko and midfielder Rohan Bewick via deals with the Suns at the start of the decade.
The Lions also pulled off a huge coup with the Suns, acquiring two top 20 picks and a pick in the 40s in exchange for one first rounder as part of a trade of future assets.
Not among those seven deals is Jarryd Lyons, who moved as a delisted free agent. It’s fair to say the Lions have owned the Suns at the trade table this decade.
Also sitting on seven trades is Adelaide/Carlton, GWS/Hawthorn and GWS/Collingwood.
The Blues and Crows have made some of the biggest deals of the decade together, including the likes of Bryce Gibbs, Mitch McGovern, Eddie Betts, Troy Menzel and their swap of future first round picks.
Hawthorn and GWS have exchanged multiple players taken at the top of the draft such as Jonathan O’Rourke, Jon Patton and Tom Scully.
The Pies meanwhile have done well in their trades with the Giants, landing the likes of Will Hoskin-Elliott, Taylor Adams and Adam Treloar, while Heath Shaw went back the other way.
Most prolific trade combinations of the decade
Geelong and Gold Coast – 8
Brisbane and Gold Coast – 7
Fremantle and Gold Coast – 7
Adelaide and Carlton – 7
Hawthorn and GWS – 7
Collingwood and GWS – 7
Carlton and GWS – 6
GWS and St Kilda – 6
Adelaide and Gold Coast – 6
Brisbane and Collingwood – 6
Brisbane and Port Adelaide – 6
Your team’s most prolific trade partner
Adelaide: Carlton (7)
Brisbane: Gold Coast (7)
Carlton: Adelaide (7)
Collingwood: GWS (7)
Essendon: GWS (5)
Fremantle: Gold Coast (7)
Geelong: Gold Coast (8)
Gold Coast: Geelong (8)
GWS: Hawthorn and Collingwood (7)
Hawthorn: GWS (7)
Melbourne: GWS and Fremantle (5)
North Melbourne: Collingwood and Hawthorn (4)
Port Adelaide: Brisbane (6)
Richmond: Adelaide (5)
St Kilda: GWS (6)
Sydney: St Kilda (5)
West Coast: Sydney and Gold Coast (4)
Western Bulldogs: Brisbane and Hawthorn (4)
Just as interesting are the team combinations that have NOT made a trade this decade.
Top of the list sits Fremantle and West Coast, who have not so much as completed a pick swap since 2010. Adelaide and Port Adelaide were in a similar boat until 2019’s Billy Frampton trade.
Essendon has not made trades with Richmond, Hawthorn or Collingwood this decade and only ended their drought with Carlton in 2019, acquiring ruckman Andrew Phillips.
The Hawks meanwhile have completely avoided perennial top-of-the-table rivals Geelong.
Fremantle and St Kilda have had a rocky decade thanks to the poaching of Ross Lyon and it took until 2019’s Brad Hill trade for the two teams to complete a deal.
Carlton and Gold Coast failed to get a deal done for Jack Martin, which would have been their first ever trade. The two would get together on draft night a few weeks later for a pick swap, however.
Similarly, the Tigers and Pies made their first trade of the decade together on the second day of the 2019 National Draft.
The Giants have been one of the most prolific traders since entering the competition and they have completed deals with 16 of 17 teams. They are yet to make a trade with West Coast.
The Suns are in the same boat, having traded with every single side bar Sydney.