With the conclusion of the Toyota AFL Grand Final, the attention of AFL Clubs quickly turns to the fascinating 10-day 2024 Continental Tyres AFL Trade Period on Monday 7 October, with Fremantle Head of Player Personnel David Walls discussing a handful of potential options the Club would consider before the Period officially commences.

The 2024 Continental Tyres AFL Trade Period will run from Monday 7 October until Wednesday 16 October.

“It’s an exciting time. We are in a fortunate position where we have three first-round picks and pick 27 as well,” Walls said.

“We feel like it’s a really strong draft this year. There are a lot of different types of players that play different roles and positions, and address needs we have on the list.

“We’ll go in with an open mind, but we are also very mindful that it is a strong draft with a lot of different types that can fill some of our needs.

“We are looking forward to having a good outcome for the Club.”

Josh Treacy, Brennan Cox, Jye Amiss, Luke Jackson, Sean Darcy and Jordan Clark are all signed to the Club until at least 2028 or beyond, and Walls believes Fremantle is well-positioned to make the best long-term decisions in the upcoming 2024 Continental Tyres AFL Trade Period and Telstra AFL Draft periods.

“It’s a credit to the Club that we’ve created an environment that our players really believe in,” Walls said.

“It’s a place where they want to be, but also a place players want to come to. There are a few different options this year with players from Eastern State clubs looking to come back to WA, where they are originally from.

“We’ll look at everything and decide what is the best long-term decision for the Club."

“You never like losing quality players, but sometimes it creates opportunities as well.

“Lachie Schultz was an example last year where we wanted to keep him, but we were able to get a second-round pick in last year’s draft, which essentially became Cooper Simpson, who we think is going to be a really good long-term player for us. That also equated to pick nine for us this year.

Clubs can acquire players via free agency or trade during the Continental Tyres AFL Trade Period, but also trade draft picks ahead of the National Draft.

“We do a lot of work behind the scenes, interviewing players and making sure that we are bringing in quality individuals who are committed for the long haul,” Walls said.

“It’s something we put a lot of work into pre-draft and as I said before, with players committing long-term, we’ve created an environment that players want to be a part of, and one that attracts others.

“Every time we make a decision, whether it’s at the draft, through trade, or a combination of both, it’s about ensuring we have the best long-term interests of the Club at heart.

“Sometimes you can make decisions for the short term, and it’s a ‘sugar hit’ that helps the Club immediately, but it may not be the best long-term decision."

The AFL free agency period will begin on Friday 4 October and end on Friday 11 October.

The draft order could still change before the trade period begins on Monday 7 October, with free agency compensation picks yet to be decided by the AFL.

The 2024 Telstra AFL Draft will be held on 20–21 November.