• ...and Kersten makes four
• Late deal: 2nd round pick to Freo
• Hamling comes home

The Fremantle Dockers couldn’t have done any better from the 2016 AFL Trade Period, according to list analyst and former AFL coach Terry Wallace. 

Wallace was glowing in his review of Freo’s trade performance on the morning of the final day of NAB AFL Trade Radio.

“They have done the absolute best they possibly could with that was available to them,” said Wallace in his review.

In terms of playing stocks, the Fremantle Dockers have seen the departure of 27-year-old free agent Chris Mayne to Collingwood while adding four young Western Australians in key positions via Cam McCarthy, 21, Bradley Hill, 23, Joel Hamling, 23, and Shane Kersten, 23.

Additionally, Fremantle have improved their position in the upcoming NAB AFL Draft after a last minute trade deal with the Gold Coast Suns, receiving pick 35 (2^nd round) and a future fourth round pick, in exchange a future second round draft pick.

Starting the Trade Period with picks 3, 39, 57 and 75, Fremantle will now have three selections 40 and under at next month’s National Draft via picks 7, 35, 40 and 71.

Wallace highlighted that maintaining a strong draft position was one of the most impressive aspects of the period for Fremantle.

“I thought the Cam McCarthy deal was brilliant to set the whole (Trade Period) in play. Yes they had to give away pick three but they were able to get back in with pick seven and were only moving back four spots,” Wallace said.

“My read on it that Fremantle were prepared to go from three to seven because they believe they’ll get the same player that they would have taken at three, and they’ll get that same player at seven.”

After a difficult season in 2016, Wallace expects to see Fremantle bounce back with the combined benefits of this year’s trades and with the likes of Nat Fyfle, Harley Bennell, Alex Pearce and Michael Johnson returning from injury.

“To bring in McCarthy, Hill, Hamling, Kersten – and with what’s going to come back (to Freo) from an injury point of view, this is going to be a completely different Fremantle side, and something that Ross Lyon can sell going into a new season and will make them look far and vastly different to what they were at the end of last year.”