The Gold Coast SUNS have executed three trades involving North Melbourne, Melbourne and Adelaide which will see key forward Chris Burgess depart the club.
In exchange for Burgess and pick 14, which the SUNS received in a separate trade with Melbourne, the SUNS have received picks 23 and 26 from the Adelaide Crows.
The SUNS will also receive picks 27 and 35 from Melbourne, in addition to the pick 14 used in the exchange with the Crows, for pick 11.
The third trade involves North Melbourne with the SUNS receiving the Kangaroos’ 2024 end of first round selection in exchange for pick 18.
GC SUNS General Manager of Player Talent & Strategy Craig Cameron thanked Burgess for his time at the club.
“Chris has been a great servant of the Gold Coast SUNS but was looking for a move to a new club for greater opportunity at AFL level which we were willing to accommodate,” Cameron said.
“We’ve got strong depth in our tall forward stocks and are also expecting to acquire some Academy talent through the draft as well.
“Pleasingly, we’ve been able to execute a trade for Chris in line with our strategy, adding to our draft hand for this year which will give us more flexibility to secure our Academy prospects.
“By making these trades, we have been able to grow the value of our draft hand and we’ll continue to look at ways to do so further through the remainder of the Continental Tyres Trade Period and in the lead up to the AFL Draft.”
The SUNS currently hold selections 23, 26, 27, 31, 35, 37, 61, 65, 70 and 73 in the 2023 AFL Draft.
The Continental Tyres AFL Trade Period concludes at 7:30pm AEDT on Wednesday October 18.
Trade 1
Gold Coast receives: Picks 14, 27 and 35
Melbourne receives: Pick 11
Trade 2
Gold Coast receives: Picks 23 and 26
Adelaide receives: Pick 14 and Chris Burgess
Trade 3
Gold Coast receives: 2024 end of first round selection
North Melbourne receives: Pick 18
