The 2009 AFL draft consisted of four opportunities for player acquisitions during the 2009/10 Australian Football League off-season. These were the trade week (held between 5 October and 9 October), the national draft (held on 26 November), the pre-season draft (15 December) and the rookie draft (15 December).

In the lead up to the trade week many high-profile players such as Brendan Fevola, Darren Jolly, Shaun Burgoyne, Luke Ball, Barry Hall, Andrew Lovett and Josh Gibson either requested to be traded or were suggested to be likely to be traded during the AFL's annual trading period. Of these players, only Luke Ball was unable to secure a trade by the end of the week.

Trade week was significantly more active than the previous year. Four trades involving seven players, including a three-team, four-player trade, were completed on the first day of the trade week alone, compared to only six players traded in the entire 2008 trade week. Overall, twenty-three players changed clubs (the most since the 2003 trade week), and twenty-five draft picks were traded. Of the sixteen active clubs, only the Adelaide Crows did not make a trade.

This was the first season in which teams were permitted to trade rookie-listed players, with Geelong's Shane Mumford being the first player to be traded whilst still officially on the rookie list.

The most widely anticipated trade during trade week was that of Carlton full forward and incumbent Coleman medallist Brendan Fevola. Carlton announced its intentions to trade the 28-year-old Fevola after his drunken behaviour at the 2009 Brownlow Medal Count, which served as the last straw in a long rap sheet of off-field indiscretions while at the club.

The Brisbane Lions emerged as the likely destination. Brisbane initially offered 31-year-old full-forward Daniel Bradshaw and 23-year-old midfielder Michael Rischitelli in the trade. Both players were flown to Melbourne to tour Carlton's facilities, but Rischitelli was not willing to relocate. On the final day of trade week, Brisbane agreed to give Carlton 19-year-old key position prospect Lachlan Henderson and a first round draft pick, in exchange for Fevola, a second-round draft pick, and for Carlton to pay $100,000 of Fevola's salary for each of the two years remaining on his existing contract.

Although considered reasonable at the time, the trade is now widely viewed as a complete disaster for the Brisbane Lions, because all players involved in the trade negotiations had left the club within eighteen months. Shortly after trade, Bradshaw walked out on the Lions, and was recruited to the Sydney Swans in the pre-season draft – either because his feelings were hurt by being offered to trade, or because Fevola's recruitment would have limited Bradshaw's own opportunities in the Lions' forward-line. Rischitelli left the club at the end of 2010, after signing a contract with league newcomers Gold Coast; some in the media speculated that he was also disgruntled about being offered in the Fevola trade, but this has never been confirmed. Finally, prior to the 2011 season, Brisbane sacked Fevola after further off-field incidents during the 2010/11 offseason.

Source:AFL Trade Tracker