Norm Smith Medallist and premiership hero Christian Petracca has officially been traded from Melbourne to the Gold Coast Suns.
A player of Petracca’s calibre would typically considered ‘untouchable’ in the AFL, yet the Suns still found a way to appease Melbourne and lure the superstar north.
So, how did the Suns get it done?
While it may not have been a two-year plan to recruit Petracca, the Suns did start loading up on 2025 draft picks during the previous trade period.
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In the 2024 trade period, Gold Coast acquired both John Noble and Daniel Rioli, which ultimately cost them Jack Lukosius and picks six, 13, 23, and 29.
However, the Suns were able to receive Port Adelaide’s first-round pick as part of the three-way trade that sent Lukosius back home to South Australia, and that selection became pick seven.
Then this year, St Kilda traded their own first-round pick, pick seven, to secure the services of Sam Flanders.
And that is what got the deal done.
After accumulating a huge amount of draft capital, the Suns were able to use those two top-10 selections - plus a future first-round pick - to secure a modern superstar in Petracca.
Such a trade just three-years ago would sound unfathomable, but the Gold Coast’s willingness to trade three first-round picks and resultantly their ability to poach Petracca goes to show there is no such thing as ‘untouchables.’