AFL trades live: Essendon dig their heels in with Zach Merrett as Brayden Fiorini chooses Bombers

Jamarra Ugle-Hagan is hoping to resume his AFL career at the Gold Coast Suns after never getting on the field for the Bulldogs this year amid personal battles.

Collingwood have emerged as contender for the Melbourne midfielder, reports Cal Twomey.

Oliver — as noted above — has already met with the GWS Giants.

7NEWS Adelaide’s Josh Money reported the Crows will “do their due diligence” on Oliver but “a major play is unlikely”.

Money also said the Crows are not expecting to pursue Jack Steele “however, there is an internal admission they’re probably an A-grade midfielder short”.

Adelaide previously entertained a Christian Petracca trade before he nominated Gold Coast his preferred destination.

Meanwhile, Twomey on Sunday reported Essendon could come into calculations for Steele.

Fresh off their Sam Draper signing, reigning premiers Brisbane announced Oscar McInerney had called time on his career.

The 31-year-old ruckman, who battled injuries throughout the 2025 season, has hung up his boots after 185 games over nine seasons.

McInerney famously missed the Lions’ 2024 flag after injuring his shoulder in the preliminary final, having played every previous game that season.

But he was rewarded this year when he was called into the team for a semi-final and held his spot for the rest of the campaign, ending in the grand final thumping of Geelong.

“While we are sad to see Oscar retire, we could not be happier to see him do so as a premiership player because it’s what he thoroughly deserves,” Brisbane football manager Danny Daly said.

“Despite missing out on playing in last year’s premiership due to injury, he still gave 100 per cent to the team off the field and was the happiest person to see his teammates win.

“Big O is one of the most loved and respected people and players to have played for the Brisbane Lions and our football club is a better place for having had him part of it.”

McInerney joins Callum Ah Chee (Adelaide) and Brandon Starcevich (West Coast) as Lions premiership players who won’t be at the club next season.

No AFL/VFL premiership team has ever played together again in its entirety after claiming a flag.

While the trade period only begins today, free agents were able to begin moving clubs last week.

Jack Silvagni signed with St Kilda and Carlton received an end-of-first-round draft pick (No.19) in compensation from the AFL.

Tom De Koning made the same move and the Blues picked up a first-round selection — currently No.9 — as compo.

James Worpel swapped Hawthorn for Geelong, and the Hawks as things stand have received pick No.39 in return.

Sam Draper moved from Essendon to Brisbane, with the Bombers gaining pick No.20 from the league.

Will Charlie Curnow get his much-wanted move out of the Blues?

The big man has been linked to Geelong and Sydney, but his long contract could make things difficult.

Carlton ruckman Tom De Koning’s big move to St Kilda has almost certainly cost his new club Rowan Marshall.

Marshall, who turns 30 next month, wants to get to the Cats but he has two years left on his St Kilda deal.

“The most obvious trade request this off-season came from Rowan Marshall,” Kane Cornes said on Trade Radio.

“The minute you’re going to pay $1.6m for De Koning or whatever it is, he (Marshall) was always going to be out the door so I don’t think the club would be shocked by that.

“What you can get for him at his age — Geelong are going to want to do this pretty cheaply, I would’ve thought.

“This one could get a little nasty and St Kilda have spoken a big game about this, about being aggressive but also holding their players to their contracts.

“We’ll see how nasty they want to get with all of this.”

Cornes noted Geelong have “in the past probably done a pretty good job of getting players out of other clubs for not much”.

The Cats currently hold picks No.18, No.39, No.58 and No.76 in the 2025 draft.

Other key figures in the trade period include Essendon captain Zach Merrett, now former St Kilda skipper Jack Steele and North Melbourne’s Jy Simpkin.

Merrett, a six-time club champion, is desperate to get to Hawthorn, who have poached assistant coach Daniel Giansiracusa from the Bombers.

Steele stepped down as Saints captain last week when he was told to look around but has two years left on his contract and appears determined to stay.

It emerged last month that Simpkin had begun exploring a bombshell move away from the Kangaroos after being unhappy with his role change.

Port Adelaide vice-captain Zak Butters could also figure.

7NEWS Melbourne’s Mitch Cleary yesterday revealed Butters asked about the possibility of a trade to Victoria with four weeks left in the season.

The Power are adamant he is going nowhere, but they could stand to pocket more in a trade than next year when he is a restricted free agent.

Watch this space.

Welcome to the AFL trade period!

Melbourne are set to be a major factor, with the pending departures of Christian Petracca and Clayton Oliver looming large.

Petracca wants a move to Gold Coast and Oliver, who met with GWS players and officials last week, has been told to explore his options elsewhere.

Both high-profile midfielders still have long-term contracts with the Demons, tied to the club to 2029 and 2030 respectively, which will add layers to any deals struck.

The pair’s 2021 premiership teammate Steven May is also contracted for one more season, but is another star who has been told to shop around as Melbourne move into a fresh era under new coach Steven King.

That will include the arrival of Brody Mihocek from Collingwood, while the Demons are also keen on Gold Coast’s Bailey Humphrey.

Judd McVee, who wants a move to Fremantle, and Charlie Spargo, who has joined North Melbourne as a free agent, are on their way out.