The AFL was in a generous mood on the opening day of free agency, with St Kilda receiving a prized first-round draft pick for losing Josh Battle, and GWS also reaping big rewards.
St Kilda were among the big winners on Friday when the AFL determined Battle was worth a "Band One'' compensation pick (currently pick No.8) after he joined Hawthorn on a six-year deal as an unrestricted free agent.
It means the Saints' first three picks for this year's national draft are currently No.7, No.8 and No.25 - giving them an excellent launching pad.
GWS lost Isaac Cumming to Adelaide and Harry Perryman to Collingwood as unrestricted free agents, but they received good compensation.
Perryman's six-year deal at Collingwood, worth a reported $900,000 per season, helped net the Giants a "Band One'' first-round pick (currently No.16).
Cumming's move to Adelaide on a six-year deal earned the Giants a "Band Two'' end-of-first-round pick (currently No.21).
That means GWS will have picks No.15, 16 and 21 at the draft.
The AFL's compensation formula is no exact science and isn't made public, but the player's age as well as the length and size of the deal play big roles.
Nevertheless, the high compensation picks for Battle and Perryman came as somewhat of a surprise.
The Giants lost a third player on Friday, with defender Nick Haynes joining Carlton on a one-year deal.
Understandably, GWS didn't receive any compensation for the 32-year-old inaugural Giant.
In other moves, Elliott Himmelberg joined Gold Coast from Adelaide on a three-year deal as an unrestricted free agent, with the Crows not receiving any compensation for the 26-year-old.
Delisted St Kilda ruckman Tom Campbell, who previously played for the Bulldogs and North Melbourne, joined the Demons as back-up to Max Gawn.
Battle played 123 games over eight seasons for the Saints after being snared with pick No.39 in the 2016 national draft.
The 26-year-old enjoyed a career-best campaign in 2024, ranking sixth overall in the AFL for marks per game, and second among key defenders in uncontested possessions.
Battle's strong form earned him a third placing in St Kilda's best-and-fairest this year.
The decision to award St Kilda such a valued compensation for Battle came just days after Saints president Andrew Bassat criticised the AFL's draft system.
Basat was critical of what he deemed was the unfair nature of the father-son process, as well as the academy selection advantages afforded to the NSW and Queensland-based teams.
Perryman played 129 games for GWS across eight seasons, with the 25-year-old keen to make a big impact with the Magpies.
"Collingwood is the right place for me to progress my football journey and I look forward to meeting the boys and the rest of the program," Perryman said in a statement.
"There's also something special about having the opportunity to play for the team you grew up supporting. I can't wait to get started."
Richmond free agent Jack Graham is expected to join West Coast, who appointed former Tigers assistant Andrew McQualter as their new senior coach this week.
In other news on Friday, Adelaide delisted former first-round draft pick Ned McHenry, along with Will Hamill, Lachlan Gollant and Patrick Parnell.
McHenry, the No.16 pick in the 2018 national draft, kicked 32 goals across 70 games for the Crows, but only four goals from 10 matches this year.
