AFL.com.au looked at players who moved to different clubs this year and mined through information from Champion Data to determine which recruits were the best, taking into account the age of recruits and how close their new teams were to a premiership, among other factors.
However, what was given up as part of the swap was not considered. Instead, this evaluation was about how much value incoming players held for their side.
Player Ratings look at an individual's performances in their last 40 matches over a rolling two-year period.
1. Jake Lever – Melbourne (Player Ratings ranking: 88)
It's not hard to see why the Demons brought Lever in – he just had the best season of any defender aged under 24 since 2010. After finishing first in the AFL for average intercepts, Lever made the Virgin Australia AFL All Australian squad despite missing five games. The knock is he has not shown he can man opposition tall forwards, with Daniel Talia and Kyle Hartigan taking that role at Adelaide, but the 21-year-old will keep developing.
2. Gary Ablett – Geelong (47)
Fairytale returns warm the heart but this was a great acquisition for other reasons. Geelong has fallen short in consecutive preliminary finals, so adding someone who finished fourth in 2017 for average Player Ratings points per game is an excellent addition. There are obvious risks – he turns 34 next May and injuries have restricted him to 49 games in the last four seasons – but the Cats are close to the premiership window, so are justified in taking a risk.
3. Jake Stringer – Essendon (100)
Despite relatively poor form recently, consider this: in each of the first five seasons of his career, Stringer has been the No.1 general forward among players at the same level of experience (based on years played). In 2015, the powerhouse forward booted 56 goals as a 21-year-old and if he can again hit those heights, the ex-Bulldog can be one of the most imposing figures in the competition.
4. Bryce Gibbs – Adelaide (43)
On face value, a four-year deal for a 28-year-old might seem too long. However, in an 11-year career, he has played fewer than 21 matches just once. Not only is it remarkable durability, but since mid-2014, he has been outside the top 100 of the Player Ratings for just six weeks, and that low patch came because of a pectoral injury he suffered in 2015.
5. Adam Saad – Essendon (130)
The electric defender is most well-known for his burst from the backline, having been No.1 in the competition for average bounces three years straight. What is often undersold is his willingness to contest the footy in the air and put his body on the line. This season, he was the fifth-best general defender for those under 25 years of age and should give the Bombers excellent service for a long time.
