CARLTON'S aggressive list turnover has left it with a massive 20 players who started their careers at rival clubs – an AFL-high that towers over the League average of 10.

The Blues added six new players from rival clubs during this year's exchange and draft periods, giving them the most multi-club players for the second year running, despite losing five at the end of the season to retirement or delisting. 

Adelaide's 2018 list is one for the ages

List manager Stephen Silvagni has overseen the past three off-seasons at Carlton, bringing in 14 of the club's remaining players who started their careers elsewhere.

Six of those have come from Greater Western Sydney where they were originally recruited by Silvagni in his role as list manager between 2011-14.

Lachie Plowman (20 games with the Giants), Andrew Phillips (14), Jed Lamb (10), Caleb Marchbank (seven), Jarrod Pickett (zero) all joined the Blues over the past two seasons, while midfielder Matt Kennedy was traded in this off-season.   

Senior citizens: Who will be the oldest in 2018?

Former Gold Coast pair Jarrod Garlett and Matt Shaw, ex-Geelong midfielder Darcy Lang, dumped Kangaroo Aaron Mullett and Port Adelaide acquisitions Matthew Lobbe and Cam O'Shea were the others to most recently join the Blues.

Last year's club champion Sam Docherty (Brisbane Lions) has been the most successful of the Blues' traded in and recycled group, playing 79 games with the club over the past four seasons and earning All Australian selection in 2016.   

Reborn defender Liam Jones (Western Bulldogs), midfielder Sam Kerridge (Adelaide), veteran Dale Thomas (Collingwood), forward Matthew Wright (Adelaide) and defender Alex Silvagni (Fremantle) have also arrived via other clubs.

Rounding out the group are experienced pair Ed Curnow and Sam Rowe, who started their careers as rookies at Adelaide and Sydney respectively but didn't make their AFL debuts at their original clubs.

At the other end of the spectrum, Sydney has an AFL low of four players who started their careers with rival clubs.

The Swans have done exceptionally well from their targeted recruiting, however, snaring superstar forward Lance Franklin and inside midfield gun Josh Kennedy, who have shared five All Australian selections between them since joining the club from Hawthorn.

Big men Callum Sinclair (West Coast) and Kurt Tippett (Adelaide) are the other trade acquisitions remaining on Sydney's list next season, combining for 109 games with the club. 

Sinclair and defender Michael Talia (since delisted) are the only players added to the Swans' list via trade or free agency in the past three years since a 2014 trade ban that was subsequently softened.

Summary of 2018 AFL club lists