The trade period, free agency and draft gives clubs a chance to refresh their list or plug gaps in their team with players from around the competition.
Some teams prefer to play it conservatively, making the odd shrewd pick up here and there, while others will look to regenerate their whole squad.
While it's always fun to rate every club's new recruits ahead of the new season, it's only after we've seen them on the park we can truly assess their impact.
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We've taken a look at the blokes your club picked up over the off-season to see how they fared in their new colours.
Adelaide
Grade: C-
Who: Billy Frampton (Port Adelaide), Ben Crocker (Collingwood), Ben Keays (Brisbane)
The Crows took the trade period as a chance to bank some draft picks and offload some of their rapidly ageing list.
Former Port Adelaide tall forward/ruck option Billy Frampton was brought in and his season will probably be best remembered for coming to blows with teammate Kyle Hartigan at a training session.
After being delisted by the Lions, Ben Keays proved a shrewd pick up, happy to do the dirty work in the Crows midfield. His first season at Adelaide ended with a top-five finish in the best and fairest.
Ben Crocker managed seven senior games but wasn’t able to cement a place in the best 22.
Brisbane
Grade: B+
Who: Callum Ah Chee (Gold Coast Suns), Grant Birchall (Hawthorn), Cam Ellis-Yolmen (Adelaide Crows)
With a quickly developing list, the Lions looked to add some experience and size over the off-season and they were pretty successful.
After eight games in his last three seasons with the Hawks, Grant Birchall has been able to get his body right and help out the Brisbane defence in the ‘Luke Hodge role’.
He even looks set to trigger a clause in his contract for 2021, pending changes to list sizes.
It’s a similar story for Callum Ah Chee who never played more than 16 games in his five seasons as a Sun but has barely missed a beat in Brisbane.
Brought in to play at halfback, Ah Chee’s ball use and versatility has seen him deployed forward on occasion this year.
Cam Ellis-Yolmen has made the smallest impact of the trio but were it not for an untimely calf injury in round five, he may have been able to work into some form and find a more secure place in Chris Fagan’s side.
Carlton
Grade: B
Who: Eddie Betts (Adelaide Crows), Jack Martin (Gold Coast), Marc Pittonet (Hawthorn), Jack Newnes (St Kilda)
13 goals from 14 games is probably slightly under where the Blues would have hoped Eddie Betts would be, but they didn’t recruit a 33-year-old to be the difference maker.
The move was never going to be a bust given the feel-good factor and his impact on the group.
Jack Martin however looked right at home in David Teague's side, adding some much-needed class and polish to Carlton's midfield.
Still just 25, he's got plenty of good footy ahead of him.
Marc Pittonet has certainly played his part, going some way to mitigate the loss of Matthew Kreuzer.
His willing performances have endeared him to Carlton fans, and alongside Tom De Koning, should hold the club’s ruck stocks in good stead.
As for Jack Newnes, that clutch after-the-siren winner against Freo would be enough to get him a pass mark, but his back half of the season has been particularly impressive.
Collingwood
Grade: C
Who: Darcy Cameron (Sydney Swans)
With Brodie Grundy and Mason Cox at the club, Darcy Cameron was always going to be flat out getting in Nathan Buckley’s best 22.
The young ruck/forward played eight games in his first season in black and white, almost exclusively up the ground.
If the Pies recruit Ben Brown (or similar), Cameron may again find it hard to get a game.
Essendon
Grade: D+
Who: Andrew Phillips (Carlton), Tom Cutler (Brisbane Lions)
The Bombers picked up veteran big man Andrew Phillips from the Blues and, while he was always going to be cover, probably gets a pass mark for his five senior games.
It will be interesting to see whether he is retained following the retirement of Tom Bellchambers and the continued development of Sam Draper.
Tom Cutler’s season was fairly emblematic of the club’s – good in patches but lacking the consistency required at the best teams.
He looks set to be retained for next season so he’ll get another chance to impress new coach Ben Rutten.
Fremantle
Grade: B+
Who: Blake Acres (St Kilda), James Aish (Collingwood)
Freo didn’t get a whole lot wrong in 2020 as they took big steps under first-year coach Justin Longmuir.
Among their wins, new recruits Blake Acres and James Aish, both 24, impressed in their first seasons in purple.
Aish played all but one game and, after building up some fitness following a pre-season injury, Acres hit the ground running in the second half of the season, averaging 24 disposals per game.
Geelong
Grade: C-
Who: Jack Steven (St Kilda), Josh Jenkins (Adelaide Crows)
One of the most high-profile new recruits, four-time St Kilda best and fairest Jack Steven found himself in strife off-field before the season even began.
He eventually got out onto the park but his output was well below what we’re used to seeing.
Fortunately for the Cats, they had plenty of blokes performing at a high level right throughout the season.
That did however mean that Josh Jenkins only got one chance at senior level.
Gold Coast
Grade: B+
Who: Brandon Ellis (Richmond), Hugh Greenwood (Adelaide Crows), Zac Smith (Geelong Cats)
The impact of a player like Brandon Ellis would be hard to measure unless you’re in the club, but coming from the Richmond system, he is sure to have passed on some lessons to the Suns’ youngsters.
Regardless, his on-field efforts have justified the recruitment and high price tag.
Greenwood however has been the main revelation at the Gold Coast, taking a starring role in their midfield, doing much of the grunt work around stoppages – he finished equal-third for total clearances in the comp and fourth in the club’s B&F.
GWS
Grade: D+
Who: Sam Jacobs (Adelaide Crows)
Not much went right for the Giants in 2020 and they probably would have been hoping for a more significant contribution from the veteran ruckman.
Shane Mumford actually played more senior games for Leon Cameron’s side as they battled it out for the one spot.
While his size made him a handful, his impact around the ground dropped off, Jacobs recently announcing his retirement after 208 games.
Hawthorn
Grade: B
Who: Sam Frost (Melbourne), Jon Patton (GWS Giants)
Happy to give the Hawks a decent grade when it comes to these two, mostly on the back of Sam Frost’s contribution.
The former Demon slotted in well to the defence, one of the team’s most consistent performers in a disappointing season.
As for Patton, he managed six games, but importantly, should be fit for a full pre-season in 2021.
His three goals and an average of less than five disposals per game will be a concern, but the potential upside means the jury is still out on this one.
Melbourne
Grade: B-
Who: Adam Tomlinson (GWS), Ed Langdon (Fremantle)
The Dees would be thrilled with the recruitment of Ed Langdon, who slotted in perfectly and looks set to be a key player for a long time.
He took out fourth place in his first season in the red and blue after making the wing position his own,
Adam Tomlinson probably gets a pass, though Melbourne might have been hoping for more than that from the former Giant.
He wasn’t the only Demon who will already have an eye on making a bigger contribution in 2021.
North Melbourne
Grade: C-
Who: Aiden Bonar (GWS Giants), Josh Walker (Brisbane)
One hit and one miss.
Josh Walker, arriving at his third club, played some of the best footy of his career in the Roos’ backline.
With North overhauling their list, he can expect to be a busy boy over the next couple of seasons as their list rebuild continues.
Bonar on the other hand failed to secure a place in Rhyce Shaw’s best 22, struggling to make an impact in his six games in the seniors.
Fortunately, he’s still just 21, so he may yet justify his selection at pick 11 in 2017.
Port Adelaide
Grade: N/A
Who: Wylie Buzza (Geelong)
Was always going to be a speculative pick up as a delisted free agent.
Port are flying so never got a run in the seniors.
Richmond
Grade: N/A
Who: Nil
St Kilda
Grade: A+
Who: Dougal Howard (Port Adelaide), Paddy Ryder (Port Adelaide), Bradley Hill (Fremantle), Zak Jones (Sydney Swans), Dan Butler (Richmond)
Fair to say the Saints nailed this one.
It looked like a good haul before the season started and it looks like an even better one now.
Zak Jones played the best footy of his career, as did Dan Butler, while Dougal Howard was a reliable cog in the Saints’ defence.
All three can expect high finishes in the club’s best and fairest.
Paddy Ryder’s partnership with Rowan Marshall clicked instantly as the veteran tall proved he is far from a spent force.
Funnily enough, Brad Hill, the biggest signing of the lot, was the only one who didn’t quite hit the ground running in his first year at St Kilda.
Fortunately for all, they’ve qualified for the finals, giving him the chance to prove his worth.
Sydney
Grade: D
Who: Lewis Taylor (Brisbane Lions), Kaiden Brand (Hawthorn), Sam Gray (Port Adelaide)
For so many years the benchmark when it came to recycling players from other clubs, the Swans might have missed the mark slightly with the 2020 batch.
Lewis Taylor and Sam Gray managed nine and seven games respectively, perhaps keeping each other out of the side on occasion as they competed for the same spot.
Brought into the side as pressure forwards, neither their goal nor tackle numbers are enough to warrant a great report card.
Kaiden Brand only managed two games before injury ended his campaign.
West Coast
Grade: B
Who: Tim Kelly (Geelong Cats)
The Eagles pulled off the most high-profile recruitment of the trade period when they brought across Tim Kelly and while it didn’t pay instant dividends, it looks like being worth the move.
While Kelly’s form hasn’t reached the heights it did at the Cats, he’s still got plenty of time to get it right, starting with an elimination final against Collingwood.
West Coast are blessed with plenty of goalkicking options, meaning Kelly’s reduced output (from 24 in 2019 to five this year) is well covered by his teammates.
Western Bulldogs
Grade: B-
Who: Josh Bruce (St Kilda), Alex Keath (Adelaide Crows)
The Dogs brought in a tall at each end of the ground and you’d have say they’d be pretty happy with their decisions.
For Josh Bruce, the obvious question of his performance in front of goals is still there, but he’s played an important role in a forward line that tends to share the rewards.
Alex Keath’s role is similar to the one he played at the Crows and he’s fitted in seamlessly across the team’s back half.
The pair are both gearing up for the first finals of their career when they take on St Kilda.
