Each year, AFL Trade Week offers a fascinating glimpse into the world of high-stakes negotiation. Deals are made, careers shift, and sometimes, as we saw this year, promising trades fall apart at the eleventh hour.
This year’s failed trades involving Zach Merrett, Callum Ah Chee, Rowan Marshall, and Jy Simpkin have given fans plenty to debate. But for those of us who spend our professional lives navigating complex negotiations, these stalled deals are more than sporting drama, they’re lessons in preparation, perspective, and the art of understanding what the other side truly values.
Now, I preface my analysis below with the full admission that I don’t know what discussions were held in the months and weeks before the trade window opened and much of my “knowledge” comes from newspaper articles, talkback segments, Trade Radio and the endless number of football shows we can now consume – potentially a dangerous mix to rely on. Having dipped my toe in the water of athlete contracts and list management (through my work at Melbourne Vixens (Premiers 2025!)), I come with first-hand knowledge that what is published in the traditional and social media channels often bears no resemblance to the actual discussions that have occurred between athlete, club and agent. The media is often used as a vehicle for one party to get their messaging across in order to improve their bargaining position (with mixed results) – though this potential one-sided and speculative reporting won’t stop me giving my views on how the negotiations were presented to us. These are some of my take-outs:
- Know What Your Opponent Really Wants
Perhaps the most striking example of negotiation strategy came in Hawthorn’s pursuit of Essendon captain Zach Merrett. Reports suggested the Hawks were eager to bring in Merrett’s leadership and class through midfield, but their proposed package, centred around late first-round draft picks, never aligned with Essendon’s needs.
Essendon wasn’t seeking more mid-tier picks in a weaker draft year. Their focus, as a young list keen to rise quickly, was clear: young, developing players with proven AFL experience who could contribute immediately and grow within their core group.
The lesson? In any negotiation, your offer only has value if it meets the other side’s priorities. Too often, parties focus on what they’re prepared to give, not what the other side actually wants. In mediation, we see this daily, offers framed around one party’s perspective rather than the needs or interests of the other. True progress starts when you understand the motivations and pressures on both sides.
- Preparation Is Everything
The failed moves for Rowan Marshall and Jy Simpkin highlight another universal truth: no amount of last-minute enthusiasm can replace thorough preparation. St Kilda and North Melbourne had both been clear about their intent to retain their stars (both before and during the trade window). Yet, suitors persisted with speculative proposals, hoping late momentum might change minds.
Effective negotiation begins long before the formal talks start. The best deals are grounded in careful research, timing, and early engagement. Whether in football or mediation, preparation isn’t just knowing your own case, it’s anticipating the other party’s boundaries, pressures, and possible concessions.
- Know Your BATNA – and Use It Wisely
The Callum Ah Chee situation provided a fascinating illustration of another critical negotiation concept — the BATNA, or Best Alternative to a Negotiated Agreement.
Adelaide appeared to make its offer to Brisbane fully aware of its fallback option: walking Ah Chee through to the pre-season draft and potentially securing him for nothing, apart from a heavily front-ended contract designed to deter rival clubs from selecting him earlier.
This was a classic strategic move, a party signalling that it could achieve a satisfactory outcome without agreement, thereby strengthening its bargaining position.
In mediation, understanding your BATNA (and the other party’s), is essential. It provides clarity about when to push for more and when to settle. However, the art lies in using that leverage constructively, not combatively. The best negotiators use their alternatives as a compass, not a weapon.
- Timing and Context Matter
Every trade, like every negotiation, happens within a broader context. The 2025 draft is widely considered weaker than previous years, making late first-round picks less valuable. Some clubs misread this landscape, overestimating how their offers would be received.
Similarly, in mediation, the broader context – timing, external pressures, and what’s happening “off the table” – often determines whether an agreement can be reached. Understanding the environment is just as critical as understanding the dispute itself.
- Lessons for Everyday Negotiation
The AFL trade period might seem a world away from the boardroom or mediation table, but the fundamentals are the same:
- Do your homework. Preparation is not optional.
- Understand the other party’s needs and pressures.
- Know your BATNA and use it strategically.
- Communicate clearly and respectfully.
- Be realistic about timing, context, and value.
- Focus on long-term relationships, not short-term wins.
In both sport and law, deals collapse not because people can’t agree, but because they fail to truly listen and understand.
As this year’s trade week showed, the best negotiators aren’t the loudest or the most persistent, they’re the ones who do the quiet work beforehand, anticipate needs, and build trust. That’s as true for a football club chasing a star midfielder as it is for parties seeking resolution in mediation.
I’m looking forward to the 2026 trade week already (and maybe even a mid-season trade period too one day!).