Chris Yarran and James Aish were the last dominoes to fall in a busy AFL trade period but Patrick Dangerfield's blockbuster move from Adelaide to Geelong headlined this year's player exchange window.
Club representatives met at Etihad Stadium for a last round of negotiations before Thursday's 2pm deadline and Yarran finally switched from Carlton to Richmond while Aish made his long-anticipated move from Brisbane to Collingwood.
In all, 40 trades or free agent signings took place this year, with 44 players finding new clubs.
But the biggest trade of the 11-day player swapfest came on the very first morning when the Crows sent Dangerfield to the Cats in exchange for picks nine, 28 and untried midfielder Dean Gore.
Adelaide didn't want to lose the star restricted free agent but they at least took those Dangerfield lemons and made lemonade in a productive period that brought Troy Menzel (Carlton), Paul Seedsman (Collingwood) and Curtly Hampton (GWS) into the club.
Geelong emerged from the annual player market as one of the big winners, with Zac Smith (Gold Coast), Lachie Henderson (Carlton) and Scott Selwood (West Coast) joining Dangerfield at the club.
Adam Treloar's trade from the Giants to Collingwood proved one of the most drawn out deals but recruiting manager Derek Hine was ultimately pleased to bolster his midfield with Treloar and Aish, and Melbourne high flyer Jeremy Howe to slot in up forward.
"All the boys we've brought in have really fitted the age profile of the group," Hine said.
"I think there's enormous scope for improvement in all three players."
Essendon and St Kilda butted heads over Jake Carlisle until Wednesday when they finally managed to get a deal done that included Sydney's Craig Bird switching to the Bombers, who also snared pick No.5.
The Saints weren't able to enjoy their win for long, however, with the club forced into damage control when Carlisle became embroiled in an illicit drugs controversy on the day his trade paperwork was finalised.
Carlton had long demanded a first-round pick from the Tigers in return for Yarran but finally relented and accepted the 19th overall selection in a straight swap 30 minutes before the trade window closed.
"We considered (not taking) it but I think it was in the best interests of all parties to get the deal done," Blues football chief Andrew McKay said.
"We tried really hard and I know Richmond tried really hard to get a better pick for us.
"But they were unable to do that and I think the real benefit that Carlton supporters and members can take home today is that we got picks one, eight, 11 and 19."
The Blues added four Giants, including former No.3 pick Lachie Plowman, and also made an unsuccessful late bid for GWS tall Adam Tomlinson but rebuffed advances from Gold Coast, who asked after Andrejs Everitt.
After protracted negotiations, the Magpies secured Aish from Brisbane in a three-way deal that also sent North Melbourne's Ryan Bastinac to the Lions.
"We were always clear that whatever deal we did we had to get a player come through to us and we think Ryan is an ideal player to replace James," Brisbane football manager Peter Schwab said.
"He's older, more credentialed and plays in a similar spot so it's ideal for us."
Fremantle coach Ross Lyon was a notable attendee at Etihad Stadium on Thursday but he couldn't convince GWS to part with forward Cam McCarthy, who had expressed his desire to move back to his home state with the Dockers.
McCarthy's manager Colin Young fired a parting shot as he left, guaranteeing that his client, who is under contract at the Giants, would be seeking a trade again at the end of next season.
Other high profile movers included Harley Bennell (Gold Coast to Fremantle), Charlie Dixon (Gold Coast to Port Adelaide), Lewis Jetta (Sydney to West Coast) and triple-premiership Geelong player Steve Johnson, who will extend his career with the Giants.
The Western Bulldogs' acrimonious split with Michael Talia was the last trade completed with the defender headed to Sydney.
Last month the Dogs asked the AFL integrity unit to investigate whether he shared inside information with his brother Daniel at Adelaide ahead of their elimination final - something both players categorically denied.
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