THE AFL trade period came to a frenetic close on Thursday after an action-packed week of wheeling and dealing.

Here’s a snap judgment on who emerged from the annual cattle market with increased reason for optimism in season 2016 — or failed to enhance their chances.

WINNERS

COLLINGWOOD

IN: Jeremy Howe (Melbourne), Adam Treloar (GWS), James Aish (Brisbane)

OUT: Nathan Freeman (St Kilda), Ben Kennedy (Melbourne), Paul Seedsman (Adelaide)

DRAFT PICKS: 27, 66, 77, 83, 84, 101, 119

The Magpies picked up the best player not named Dangerfield in this trade period while also adding one of Melbourne’s five best players and a Lion who was the highest-rated player in the country as a 16-year-old.

It cost them first round picks this year and next but Nathan Buckley’s side will be a popular top eight selection after their work this week.

ESSENDON

IN: Matthew Leuenberger (Brisbane), Craig Bird (Sydney)

OUT: Jake Carlisle (St Kilda), Jonathan Giles (West Coast), Jake Melksham (Melbourne)

DRAFT PICKS: 4, 5, 24, 25, 57, 80, 98, 116

If they can keep Leuenberger on the field and get the former Brisbane ruckman anywhere near his best form the Bombers will have filled one of the two positions that have plagued them in recent seasons. Unfortunately the other — a key position forward to support Joe Daniher — remains vacant and is only heightened by the departure of Carlisle.

Bird is an underrated player who offers premiership experience and picks four and five allow John Worsfold to start building for the future.

GEELONG

IN: Patrick Dangerfield (Adelaide), Lachie Henderson (Carlton), Scott Selwood (West Coast), Zac Smith (Gold Coast)

OUT: Dean Gore (Adelaide), Steve Johnson, Dawson Simpson (GWS), Jarrad Jansen, Josh Walker (Brisbane)

DRAFT PICKS: 67, 85, 103, 121

The Cats made it clear they want their absence from the finals to be a one-year proposition by bringing in four experienced players at the sacrifice of any presence in the draft.

Dangerfield should have the same effect as Chris Judd and Gary Ablett did after their mid-career club switches while Henderson will boost the lowest-scoring attack in the top 12.

PORT ADELAIDE

IN: Charlie Dixon (Gold Coast), Jimmy Toumpas (Melbourne)

OUT: Nil

DRAFT PICKS: 32, 49, 86, 104, 122

The Power enjoyed their third successful trade period in a row — largely because they continue to be a destination club. Dixon will provide a seriously big target in the forward line and returning to SA may spark Toumpas’s career.

The Matthew Lobbe situation is worth reviewing next season. If he struggles to play it may have been better to attempt to flip him for another player or draft pick.

RICHMOND

IN: Jacob Townsend (GWS), Chris Yarran (Carlton)

OUT: Nil

DRAFT PICKS: 12, 52, 88, 106, 120, 124

The Tigers emphasised how close they felt they were to contending last season by pretty much focusing all their energy on securing Yarran. They finally got their man this afternoon but will he be enough to get them over the hump?

WEST COAST

IN: Jonathan Giles (Essendon), Lewis Jetta (Sydney), Jack Redden (Brisbane)

OUT: Matt Rosa (Gold Coast), Scott Selwood (Geelong), Callum Sinclair (Sydney)

DRAFT PICKS: 23, 31, 62, 75, 93, 111, 129

The Eagles look to have closed the gap on Hawthorn by adding Jetta and Redden, but exactly how much remains to be seen. Both are experienced, peak-age footballers who at their best will add quality to Adam Simpson’s side. None of the departures are significant.

WESTERN BULLDOGS

IN: Matt Suckling (Hawthorn)

OUT: Michael Talia (Sydney)

DRAFT PICKS: 20, 21, 30, 51, 87, 105, 123

Only one real piece of work for the Dogs’s footy department during the trade period but it wasn’t a bad one. Suckling may have missed out on a spot in Hawthorn’s starting 21 on Grand Final day but he’s an effective ball user who should mesh well with Luke Beveridge’s run-and-gun game.

LOSERS

ADELAIDE

IN: Paul Seedsman (Collingwood), Curtly Hampton (GWS), Dean Gore (Geelong), Troy Menzel (Carlton)

OUT: Patrick Dangerfield (Geelong), Sam Kerridge (Carlton)

DRAFT PICKS: 9, 13, 71, 89, 107, 125

Couldn’t have recovered much better from losing one of the best three players in the competition but in US monetary terms they’ve replaced a $1 coin (Dangerfield) with three quarters (Seedsman, Hampton, Menzel) and a dime (Gore).

The early draft picks are great given the lack of first round talent this club has secured in recent years but this trade period likely keeps the Crows a year or two away from legitimately contending.

BRISBANE

IN: Jarrad Jansen, Josh Walker (Geelong), Ryan Bastinac (North Melbourne), Tom Bell (Carlton)

OUT: Matthew Leuenberger (Essendon), Jack Redden (West Coast), James Aish (Collingwood)

DRAFT PICKS: 2, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 78, 96, 114,

After the success of last year’s trade period where the Lions secured Dayne Beams and Allen Christensen they returned to normal this year by farewelling three players they would have preferred to keep.

Walker gives them something to kick to in attack next season and Bell and Bastinac will play but they need to nail the second pick in the draft.

CARLTON

IN: Jed Lamb, Andrew Phillips, Lachie Plowman, Liam Sumner (GWS), Sam Kerridge (Adelaide)

OUT: Tom Bell (Brisbane), Lachie Henderson (Geelong), Troy Menzel (Adelaide), Chris Yarran (Richmond)

DRAFT PICKS: 1, 8, 11, 19, 59, 60, 113

Lost three top 10 players at the club (Yarran, Bell, Henderson) and another who had the potential to be one next season (Menzel). Despite adding four Giants they missed out on the one they really wanted (Adam Tomlinson) and Kerridge was never able to secure a regular spot in Adelaide.

It’s going to be a long rebuild at the Blues but with four picks inside the top 20 — including pick one — they’re in position to start.

GOLD COAST

IN: Matt Rosa (West Coast), Daniel Currie (North Melbourne)

OUT: Harley Bennell (Fremantle), Charlie Dixon (Port Adelaide), Zac Smith (Geelong)

DRAFT PICKS: 6, 16, 29, 35, 61, 79, 97, 115

You can argue the Suns didn’t need to do a lot during this trade period with ‘recruits’ like Gary Ablett, Jaeger O’Meara, Dion Prestia and David Swallow to return from injury next season.

But losing Dixon and Bennell — at least from a talent and return on investment point of view — is a blow.

GREATER WESTERN SYDNEY

IN: Steve Johnson, Dawson Simpson (Geelong)

OUT: Adam Treloar (Collingwood), Curtly Hampton (Adelaide), Jed Lamb, Andrew Phillips, Lachie Plowman, Liam Sumner (Carlton), Jacob Townsend (Richmond), Tomas Bugg (Melbourne)

DRAFT PICKS: 10, 34, 43, 53, 55, 58, 63, 64, 65, 70, 95, 102

GWS cleared out a host of players while securing the draft picks necessary to claim their academy players under new league rules.

Treloar’s departure hurts because at this point he was arguably the best homegrown player in Giants’ history. Stevie J has a bit left in the tank but might not be enough to push GWS into the eight.

HAWTHORN

IN: Jack Fitzpatrick (Melbourne)

OUT: Jed Anderson (North Melbourne), Matt Suckling (Western Bulldogs)

DRAFT PICKS: 15, 18, 48, 76, 112, 130

The Hawks traded their way to a second first round draft pick but gave up a youngster who showed signs of getting over the hump last season (Anderson) and a regular member of their 22 (Suckling). No great damage done here though.

SYDNEY

IN: Callum Sinclair (West Coast), Michael Talia (Western Bulldogs)

OUT: Craig Bird (Essendon), Lewis Jetta (West Coast)

DRAFT PICKS: 33, 36, 37, 44, 54, 69, 72, 90, 108, 126

Like the Giants, the Swans have stockpiled draft picks between 30 and 70 to use on their academy players.

Sinclair replaces retired ruckman Mike Pyke but will need to improve his game to prevent this department continuing to be a weakness against the Fremantles and North Melbournes of the competition.

Bird and Jetta didn’t offer much in 2015 but it wouldn’t surprise to see them re-emerge as strong contributors at their new clubs.

BREAKING EVEN

FREMANTLE

IN: Harley Bennell (Gold Coast)

OUT: Nil

DRAFT PICKS: 22, 56, 74, 92, 110, 128

The jury is still out on Fremantle’s major piece of business because the Dockers don’t have a 100 per cent success rate with mature-age recruits (see: Sylvia, Colin and Gumbleton, Scott). But Bennell’s talent is undeniable and if he can stay out of trouble he allows Ross Lyon to reload for another Grand Final tilt.

The failure to work a deal with GWS for Cam McCarthy prevents this trade period from being an undeniable success.

ST KILDA

IN: Jake Carlisle (Essendon), Nathan Freeman (Collingwood)

OUT: Nil

DRAFT PICKS: 14, 45, 68, 81, 99, 117

Looked like a tidy week of work for the Saints recruiting team until A Current Affair got involved. That Jake Carlisle video certainly took a lot of the gloss off his signing but perhaps it will make him even more determined to make a fist of things.

MELBOURNE

IN: Jake Melksham (Essendon), Ben Kennedy (Collingwood), Tomas Bugg (GWS)

OUT: Jeremy Howe (Collingwood), Jimmy Toumpas (Port Adelaide), Jack Fitzpatrick (Hawthorn)

DRAFT PICKS: 3, 7, 46, 50, 82, 94, 100, 118

In terms of the players they’ve added and subtracted there wasn’t a lot lost or gain by Melbourne. Howe is arguably a better player than Melksham but the Demons can add talent after trading their way into two top seven draft picks.

NORTH MELBOURNE

IN: Jed Anderson (Hawthorn)

OUT: Daniel Currie (Gold Coast), Ryan Bastinac (Brisbane)

DRAFT PICKS: 17, 26, 28, 47, 73, 91, 109, 127

Added another contributor in the midfield in Anderson who importantly has youth on his side. In essence he’s almost a swap for Bastinac because the Kangaroos regained the first round selection they handed to Hawthorn in their trade with the Lions.