Steele or Grundy: Which was the most ruthless trade?

Is Jack Steele’s move to Melbourne from the Saints the most ruthless trade deal the game has ever seen?

It’s a statement put forward by Kane Cornes as he and Sam Edmund dissected the 2025 trade period.

The St Kilda captain secured a new home with the Demons after effectively being sacked by his club.

Melbourne secured his services for a 2027 third-round pick, an incredibly cheap deal which will also add an additional year to his contract.

It was not a move Steele has requested and his parting message to the St Kilda faithful was laced with sadness.

So where does it sit in the brutality standings when a club ousts its captain for almost nothing in a world where Zach Merrett is being hugely criticised for wanting out of his club.

“It’s been largely overlooked,” Cornes said on SEN Breakfast. “This is the captain of the club, a duel Best and Fairest winner and All Australian.

“I understand the reasons they have done the deal, it was beneficial to the club in the end, but this is your captain you have essentially sacked him for a 2027 third round pick which probably won’t get used.

“It may be the most ruthless trade we have seen since (Brodie) Grundy.

Grundy, they had just recently re-signed on a million which was huge at the time, and they pushed him out the door.

“(Clayton) Oliver was ruthless but we have seen the writing on the wall there.

“This is ruthless and cold from Saints. I’m not criticising it. But it’s a sign of the times.”