The biggest recent AFL trade regrets… and deals that should’ve been done a lot earlier

From Clayton Oliver’s delayed move and Zach Merrett’s failed move, to a couple of trades that went through with mixed results.

In the latest episode of the Midweek Tackle digital-only show ‘Tackle The Headline’, CODE Sports reporters Lauren Wood, Scott Gullan and Jon Ralph break an array of recent trades and whether they should’ve been done earlier … or even struck at all.

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TRADES THAT SHOULD’VE HAPPENED EARLIER – OR HAPPENED ALREADY

JAMARRA UGLE-HAGAN

Traded from Western Bulldogs to Gold Coast Suns for Pick 74 in 2025

Scott Gullan says: “We knew that he was troubled in the lead-up to the finals series of 2024 … all the evidence was there. They (the Bulldogs) had a month after what happened: ‘Do we persevere’ – which understandably you go to – ‘or do we bite the bullet and get three first-round picks, he’s a hot property, let’s go now?’ Hindsight, they got Pick 74. They had enough evidence to maybe go earlier … Understandably they said ‘we’ll give it time, we can pull him back’. But some clubs, as history has shown … they knew there was three months of trouble, there’d been a build-up of trouble: ‘Maybe we just do it now?’”

CLAYTON OLIVER

Traded from Melbourne to GWS Giants for the Giants’ 2026 third-round pick in 2025

Jon Ralph says: “They (the Demons) could’ve got two first-rounders at Geelong (the year before). I looked at the coaches’ votes across the weekend – Jayden Laverde got votes, certainly Clayton Oliver got votes as well and there was another player in Jesse Hogan … This club, it’s not a finishing school, it’s a school for reprobates who find a way to turn their careers around. It’s basically a business model for GWS – and good on them as well … Again, a challenge. They (the Demons) knew for so long beforehand that he had considerable issues, but because of the political environment of the time, they said no. So they got a packet of chips and a potato cake and that’s all they got. They’re paying his wage and he’s getting six coaches’ votes.”

BOBBY HILL

Remains at Collingwood

Scott Gullan says: “Bobby signed a long-term deal, so Collingwood invested a lot in him. Should they have traded him at the end of last year after he hadn’t played for (half) a year? Gone off the rails – let’s not fudge it … they would’ve got pretty good trade value, I would’ve thought, at the end of last season.

Jon Ralph says: “I’m going to completely disagree with you, because I think Bobby’s best days are ahead. But if we do this in six weeks and Bobby’s struggled, let’s wipe this one from YouTube. It’s a really good question … I don’t know whether Fremantle or West Coast were very keen to absorb him into their system. (But) when you think of what they (the Magpies) might’ve got and what they were able to let go, again probably $700,000 of salary cap room … it’s a good question.”

ZACH MERRETT

Remains at Essendon after failed bid to land at Hawthorn in 2025

Lauren Wood says: “I think we’d all sit here and argue that should’ve happened last year because the reward is just not going to be there.”

Jon Ralph says: “When you see the way they played on the weekend (against Melbourne), some people would say ‘that’s why he needed to say’. But I also look at that team and think of the young kids like (Elijah) Tsatas coming in and I think: ‘If they truly believed these young kids, they would’ve got rid of Zach Merrett.’ I think they had a bob each way, which we are having now, but I think they felt: ‘OK, we’ve got to protect ourselves a little bit here.’ If they believed in this list, they would’ve moved him on – and they weren’t sure, so they kept him.”

LIVING WITH REGRETS: TRADES THAT SHOULDN’T HAVE HAPPENED

JACK LUKOSIUS

Traded from Gold Coast to Port Adelaide as part of mega three-way trade between the Suns, Power and Collingwood in 2024

Jon Ralph says: “Jack Lukosius was one where everyone knew he was a different player. He was not a competitive player, he was not a star full-forward – he once kicked 40 goals in a season playing as that third or fourth forward … (Traded for) a first-rounder, which got them one of the academy picks and $5 million over those six years – it’s a lot to pay a player when they (the Power) didn’t have a pick in that draft the next year because of Jack Lukosius.”

Scott Gullan says: “He’s a modern-day Jack Watts. Similar type. He’s not big enough to be a key. Jack Watts was unfortunately not quite a key-position role.”

BRODY MIHOCEK

Traded from Collingwood (along with Pick 71) to Melbourne for Pick 61 and the Demons’ 2026 third-round pick in 2025

Scott Gullan says: “This is a regret for Collingwood. They got young Jack Buller – and he’s only had a couple of goes at it and he might turn out to be OK – but Collingwood can’t get 100 points – and I think it’s up to 15 games in a row now … Mihocek, they (the Pies) would say: ‘His body lets him down eventually over a long season and he’s getting older and he deserved more money and we just couldn’t give it to him’. He was the key – and it’s shown again. You’ve gone with all these older guys (to re-sign), yet you turf out this one … I just think it’s a silly decision.”

Jon Ralph says: “I think the real issue for them was they were paying so little to (Scott) Pendlebury, (Steele) Sidebottom, (Jeremy) Howe – I’d be stunned to find the real numbers on that, I think it’s very little and you’d be absolutely stunned. So having done that, they couldn’t give him the first great contract of his career … They tried all these things (with different contract offers), but as soon as they gave him that initial one-year deal, he knew he might be on borrowed time and he found his way to Melbourne.”

JAMES WORPEL

Moved from Hawthorn to Geelong as a restricted free agent in 2025

Scott Gullan says: “I think Hawthorn are quite happy about it in a sense. Geelong, I think they knew what they were getting and, at the moment, he’s just got back into the team. Their midfield is young, Tanner Bruhn is back. He (Worpel) hasn’t exactly gone over for what they wanted straight away – and Hawthorn, even though we talk about them being down on midfielders, it has opened the door for others to flourish. Geelong might be going: ‘Hmmm, what did we get here?’”

Jon Ralph says: “I’m not sure there was a massive role for him at Hawthorn, which was reflected in the deal that they offered him.”