There is a case to be made that the 2016 NAB AFL Trade Period was the best in Fremantle's history, but time will tell, depending on the success of the players who have entered the club, according to AFL.com's Alex Malcolm.
Certainly on the surface Freo did an outstanding job. They started the trade period with pick No.3 and no second-round selection.
They have finished with picks seven, 35, 40, Bradley Hill, Joel Hamling, Cam McCarthy and Shane Kersten.
Freo set up this trade period early thanks to a creative deal with Greater Western Sydney.
Only once in Freo's history have they traded a pick as high as No.3.
In 2001, they infamously traded picks one, 20, and 36 in return for Trent Croad and Luke McPharlin.
In 2016, they traded pick No.3 for picks seven, 35, 72 and Cam McCarthy.
The excitement around McCarthy's inclusion must be tempered by the fact he has not played any football for over 12 months. But he has kicked 35 goals in an AFL season as a 20-year-old and his raw talent is undeniable.
The bonus of this deal is securing a 23-year-old premiership key defender in Joel Hamling in exchange for pick No.35.
Hamling wasn't a first-choice player at the Bulldogs earlier in the year and has only played 23 games in total. But he was exceptional in the finals series and should carry that form forward for Fremantle.
Maintaining a pick in the top-10 also positions the Dockers brilliantly to take one of the best two West Australian prospects in the 2016 NAB AFL draft.
If exciting ruckman Tim English or talented midfielder Sam Petrevski-Seton are available at that pick Fremantle will hardly think twice about snapping up either player, as both look like long-term prospects.
The biggest win for Freo came via the free agency compensation of pick No.23 for Chris Mayne. It basically led to a straight swap for Bradley Hill.
Coach Ross Lyon stated at Fremantle's best and fairest that the Freo Dockers would re-align their values in 2017, which will mean a return to ruthless defensive pressure. Mayne will be a loss in that sense given he epitomises those values.
But Hill's offensive speed and skill will add something Freo were lacking during their premiership tilts between 2013 and 2015.
The retention of Hayden Ballantyne, despite an apparent desire to find a new home, will also off-set the loss of Mayne's forward pressure.
Freo were also shrewd not to overvalue Kersten.
Pick No.63 was suitable for a player who wasn't in Geelong's first-choice side in the finals series. But he does give the Freo Dockers further depth up forward, adding another 191cm player to mix with the talented smalls in Ballantyne, Michael Walters and Shane Yarran.
A late swap of picks with Gold Coast also allows Freo to go the draft with three picks in the first two rounds for the first time since 2012.
Freo gained picks 35, 71, and a 2017 fourth-round pick in exchange for pick No.73 and a 2017 second-round pick in a deal that was struck virtually on Thursday's deadline.
However, none of this guarantees immediate success for the Dockers.
The return of Aaron Sandilands, Nat Fyfe, Michael Johnson, Harley Bennell and Alex Pearce from long-term injuries looks enticing on paper, but the Dockers must reclaim their identity and develop a game plan that suits their group.
Their moves in this trade period creates a chance to not only bounce back quicker than expected, but also to build a side that can contend beyond further retirements in the next two seasons.
AFL.com Alex Malcolm's possible team round one 2017
B: Tommy Sheridan, Joel Hamling, Lee Spurr
HB: Garrick Ibbotson, Alex Pearce, Michael Johnson
C: Stephen Hill, Lachie Neale, Bradley Hill
HF: Michael Walters, Cam McCarthy, Harley Bennell
F: Shane Yarran, Michael Apeness, Hayden Ballantyne
R: Aaron Sandilands, Nat Fyfe, David Mundy
INT: Darcy Tucker, Connor Blakely, Ed Langdon, Lachie Weller
