THE FINAL trade submitted just before the deadline last October hasn't just led to brilliant bursts for the three players involved, it has also resulted in career-best form for a player the trade also affected. 

With the clock ticking down on the Continental Tyres AFL Trade Period last year, veteran agent Paul Connors zig-zagged from box to box on the corporate level of Marvel Stadium, helping resolve one of the most complex moves of 2024.

Two Connors Sports Management clients were involved – Bailey Smith and Jack Macrae – and it took until the final minutes for the complex four-club trade to be executed. 

Western Bulldogs GM Sam Power wanted more than just pick No.17 for Smith and also didn't want to lose Macrae without landing another midfielder. Matt Kennedy ended up being that player, which is why the Bulldogs wanted pick No.38 from Geelong, as well as 17.

After weeks of negotiations, Geelong GM Andrew Mackie included No.38 in the deal, and got pick No.45 back from St Kilda, which was the selection that secured Macrae's move to St Kilda.

The mega trade in detail

Geelong
Receives: Bailey Smith, pick 45
Gives up: Picks 17, 38

St Kilda
Receives: Jack Macrae
Gives up: Pick 45

Western Bulldogs
Receive: Matt Kennedy and pick 17
Give up: Bailey Smith and Jack Macrae

Carlton
Receives: Pick 38
Gives up: Matt Kennedy

Premiership points aren't on offer in October, but everyone wants to win. It is still early in this season, but the three players have been instant hits at new clubs, while George Hewett – another Connors client – has also benefited from the trade and is one of the most improved players in the game right now.

Carlton gained pick No.38 in the deal and lost Kennedy, but the impact has been profound on Hewett, who has thrived in the midfield since Kennedy's departure.

The 29-year-old former Swan is ranked fourth in the competition for clearances, tackles, groundball gets and contested possessions, as well as sixth for disposals after round six. All of these numbers are career-highs.

George Hewett

No one has ever averaged 30+ disposals, 15+ contested possessions, 10+ groundball gets, 8+ clearances, 7+ tackles and 7+ score involvements for a full season. It is only six rounds in, but Hewett is hitting those marks.

On Good Friday, he became just the second player ever – and the first since Matt Priddis in his Brownlow Medal year – to reach half-time with 21 disposals, nine clearances and six tackles on the board. 

To put his start to 2025 into context, Hewett is ranked 23rd in Champion Data's 100x Ratings, which measures a player against the rest of the competition based on expectation of how they perform in that position. He has never previously finished in the top 140.

At the Blues, at the end of last season, Michael Voss sat down with Kennedy, where a move was suggested to help his football, despite him playing all 24 games in 2024. He wasn't forced out the door, but Blues list manager Nick Austin told Kennedy's manager David Trotter, from Hemisphere Management Group, to see what opportunities were out there for his client.

Kennedy's role at the Blues had changed in 2024, seeing him play 48 per cent forward and 44 per cent midfield. This year, having moved to the Bulldogs, he has played 80 per cent mid and 19 per cent forward. With Marcus Bontempelli and Adam Treloar missing the early part of the season, the inside beast has become an important part of Luke Beveridge's midfield rotation and is thriving at his third club.

Matthew Kennedy

Kennedy is also having more impact with his disposals than ever before, which is why he is ranked No.18 in Champion Data's 100x rating, more than 150 spots higher than he has ever rated previously. 

After kicking two goals from 22 touches against his former club in round three, Kennedy matched those stats again on Easter Sunday in the big win over St Kilda, adding a different layer to an evolving midfield group.

Down at the Cattery, Smith is also thriving in a new environment having been the highest-profile player to move clubs last October, returning from 18 months on the sidelines after tearing his ACL in 2023. 

The 24-year-old is mounting a strong case to be considered the recruit of the year, averaging 29.6 disposals, 11.6 contested possessions, 5.4 clearances and 5.2 tackles – all career-highs – from five appearances to start life in the hoops. 

Smith has been fined three times in the past fortnight – twice for flipping the bird, once for misconduct – but has injected more theatre into the game after reigniting a career that had stalled at the Dogs for a variety of reasons.

Another player who had chased a fresh start away from the Bulldogs was Macrae. The three-time All-Australian had three years to run on his deal at the club, but like Caleb Daniel, wanted to move clubs to reignite his career after he had spent time as the sub and in the VFL last year.

The shift to St Kilda has seen Macrae again take on an inside midfield role, and his sizzling first month of 2025 meant Greater Western Sydney sent Toby Bedford to him in Gather Round.

The 30-year-old's numbers have come off in the past fortnight, but he is still averaging 27.3 disposals to go with 15.8 contested possessions, 8.7 clearances and 6.5 tackles – career-high numbers – from his first six appearances in the red, white and black.

Four clubs and four players, who have all beneftted greatly from a move that was only secured in the final minutes of last year's trade period.