Inside the Trade Room

IT HAPPENS in a ten-minute flurry.

Melbourne has farewelled two of the club’s much-loved Premiership heroes, and in doing so, made the moves that it hopes will mark of the birth of a new era.

Outgoing club president Brad Green dials into the trade room.

List Manager Tim Lamb, National Recruiting Manager Jason Taylor, GM of AFL Football Alan Richardson and Demons COO David Chippindall listen in as CEO Paul Guerra puts his phone on loudspeaker.

“It’s a pretty intense week for everyone,” Green says.

“It’s never easy giving away champions, but I think we got the best outcome we could have got, and you guys did that.”

Guerra responds in turn.

“It’s a reset, as you said it’s hard to farewell a couple of champions, but I think it sets the club up,” he says.

“As Tim (Lamb) has been demanding of us, to make sure that we put the club in a better position.

“I think at the end of 7:30pm today, the club will be in a better position.”

Earlier that day - 2:30pm – Marvel Stadium – Level C, Medallion Club Suites

Jason Taylor has arrived at Marvel Stadium, walking past the throng of assembled media outside the lifts.

The AFL’s live trade coverage team sit at a panel in the foyer, already live to air, while rows of written media sit at tables draped in black cloth, lollies and chocolate chip cookies.

Taylor pushes on past the cameras and takes a right turn down the long corridor that gives access to the stadium’s corporate suites.

In each private suite which overlooks the Marvel Stadium turf, the fates of many of the league’s biggest names will be decided tonight.

The final day of trade action is officially open, and Taylor is one of the first to arrive.

Tim Lamb is next to take his place in the box, followed by Chippindall.

A deal for Hawthorn’s Changkuoth Jiath has been hashed out across the previous days and sits ready to be made official.

Lamb enters the details into his laptop and waits for Hawthorn officials to arrive and confirm their end of the deal.

3:33pm – Melbourne Trade Suite

Lamb dials into a Zoom call with the AFL, it’s time to make the trade for Jiath official.

Journalists have already spread the news of the incoming Demon, but procedure must be followed before the club publicly call the dashing half back their own.

Contractual details are confirmed, while both clubs give final approval on the exchange of assets.

The AFL’s media team gets in touch with the club and sets a time of 3:50pm for the deal to go live across the Melbourne Football Club website and social channels.

4:30pm – Melbourne Trade Suite

St Kilda captain Jack Steele is the club’s next target. He’s arrived on Lamb’s radar late and completed a medical assessment just that morning.

Lamb thinks the deal might take some time as St Kilda has its hands tied in negotiations with Geelong over ruckman Rowan Marshall.

Player agent Paul Connors enters the suite. Connors Sports Management represents both inbound Demon Jiath and the outgoing Clayton Oliver.

Connors congratulates the room on securing the 26-year-old Hawthorn recruit, while comparing notes on the work still needed to get the Oliver deal across the line.

Details of a potential Christian Petracca trade are beginning to swirl.

Connors tells the room they’re securing a bounty from the Gold Coast, and ‘Tassie-proofing’ against an impending future of compromised drafts as the Devils enter the competition.

5:00pm – The Whiteboard

Jason Taylor has grabbed a whiteboard marker and moved over to the side of the suite where one lies attached to the wall.

He had to go searching for the marker, with former Demon Todd Viney coming up with the goods from the North Melbourne room.

The Christian Petracca deal is beginning to take shape, as Taylor outlines the deal with his marker.

The group discusses the exchange of later picks, deciding whether selections in this year’s draft or future drafts are more important.

The team decide on going after selection No.37 in this year’s draft.

6:05pm – The Common Space

At the end of the hall furthest from the awaiting media lies another foyer, this one allocated for list teams to grab food, drinks and step out of their meeting rooms.

Melbourne’s team has been moving between this area and other club suites for the past hour, all the while making and taking phone calls.

It's in this time that the 2026 Demons list really takes form.

The crew returns to the club suite, as does Paul Connors. Hands shake and a Clayton Oliver deal has been agreed to.

After 205 games in red and blue, Oliver will head to the Giants for a future third-round selection.

Jack Steele will also become a Demon, also for a future third-round pick.

6:10pm – Melbourne Trade Suite

“Are we happy?” David Chippindall says.

“Seven, eight and a future first? Steeley? We’re done now.”

With those words, the team confirms that a Christian Petracca trade has also been agreed to with Gold Coast.

Melbourne will receive picks No. 7, 8 and 37, a 2026 first-round selection and a 2027 third-round choice.

Petracca, picks No. 24 and 28 and a future second-round selection are out the door.

With the moves, Melbourne will now have two first round choices at the upcoming draft, and a further two in 2026.

Alongside Caleb Windsor (No. 7, 2023), Koltyn Tholstrup (No. 13, 2023), Harvey Langford (No. 6, 2024) and Xavier Lindsay (No. 11, 2024) - that makes a total of eight first rounders in the draft.

6:21pm – The Draft Corner

News of the trades have spread like wildfire across social media, but Lamb still needs to attend his scheduled Zoom meetings before anything is official.

In the corner of the room, Jason Taylor is already excitedly poring over draft highlights.

The 2025 Telstra AFL Draft is just over a month away, but he’s wasting no time getting to work.

He's pulled Alan Richardson in to watch.

6:38pm – Another Zoom

Christian Petracca is heading North as the official Zoom call with the AFL and the Suns takes place.

Guerra has opened his laptop, putting the finishing touches on his letter to club members.

Melbourne’s communications team prepare the graphics and media releases, waiting for AFL approval to release them publicly.

6:44pm – An Ecstatic New Demon

Jack Steele is on the line with his former coach Alan Richardson.

His excitement to arrive at Melbourne is clear, while the list team jokingly make suggestions he pulls on the recently-vacated number nine guernsey – the same number he wore at St Kilda.

Richardson warns the notoriously hard-working Steele to make sure he doesn’t overdo things before arriving at Gosch’s Paddock.

6:48 pm

The whirlwind continues as the Clayton Oliver deal is signed off on.

The final Zoom link to bring in Jack Steele has been lost in a barrage of emails, so Lamb walks down the corridor to make it happen.

With that, Melbourne’s frenetic 2025 Deadline Day is over, with 40 minutes to spare.

Club champions have been farewelled while fresh faces have taken their place.

Brody Mihocek, Max Heath, Changkuoth Jiath and Jack Steele will all pull on the red and blue in 2026.

So too will two first-round draft selections and the player taken at pick No. 37.

All that remains for Lamb is to walk back down the hall and face the media for his closing press-conference.

“We’re a new club – we've got a new president coming in, we’ve got a new CEO, a new coach,” he tells them.

“It’s exciting times for the Demons.

“This will be our third year in a row with two early, inside 12 selections.

“All the decisions we’ve done today have got us closer to winning our next premiership.”

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