North Melbourne has a long history of extracting maximum value on all fronts, and the trade table is no exception.

The Kangaroos have been active again this off-season, with former Fremantle players Griffin Logue and Darcy Tucker to pull on the blue and white stripes.

Here are the 10 best trades the Kangaroos have made since the player exchange rules were drawn up in the late 1980s.

In time, perhaps the likes of Logue, Tucker, Callum Coleman-Jones, Aiden Bonar and Lachie Young will push their way onto the list.

Dani Laidley

A dashing defender from West Perth, Laidley was a member of the West Coast Eagles' inaugural team in 1987 and went on to play 52 games in blue and gold.

In 1992 Laidley was traded to North Melbourne for pick 8 (Paul Symmons) and went on to build a legacy at Arden Street.

A premiership player in 1996, Laidley would go on to represent the Kangaroos in 99 games over five seasons, and was a key figure in dual premiership coach Denis Pagan's tactical reimagining of the game.

Laidley would later coach the Kangaroos to three finals appearances in six full seasons, including a preliminary final in 2007.

John Blakey

The former Fitzroy man was one of several players North wooed in the early '90s to supplement its homegrown talent, and set the club up for sustained premiership success.

A versatile midfielder, Blakey represented the Royboys in 135 games from 1985 to 1992 before he joined the Kangaroos in exchange for pick 68.

He wore the No.12 with distinction for another 224 matches, including the 1996 and 1999 premiership triumphs.

Named as an emergency in North Melbourne's Team of the Century, Blakey returned to Arden Street in 2020 as a senior assistant after 15 seasons with the Sydney Swans.

Robert Scott

Recruited from Torquay, Robert Scott represented Geelong for nine years before he was traded to the Kangaroos at the end of 1994 for Brad Sholl, pick 17 and pick 69.

In the end, the exchange proved a win-win. Sholl played 169 games for the Cats, finished runner-up in the 1996 Carji Greeves Medal and sixth in the 1997 Brownlow count.

Scott made an instant impression as a Roo. A midfielder with strong scoring instincts, he went on to play in the 1996 premiership, and retired with 113 games and 58 goals.

Son Bailey, who wears Robert's No.8, has shown a similar appetite to score from his home on the half-back flank and wing over his 55 games in four seasons.

Having chosen North over Geelong and Gold Coast, where he was an academy graduate, the 22-year-old recently rebuffed rival interest to commit to North until the end of 2024. 

Shannon Grant

In late 1997, North Melbourne swapped Wayne Schwass for 20-year-old Swan Shannon Grant and pick 27.

'Swatta' was one of the Roos' best players in the 1996 Grand Final, the Syd Barker Medallist in 1994 and 1995, and vice-captain to Wayne Carey for several years.

In the twilight of his career, Schwass was nevertheless a part of the fabric, but Grant proved fitting compensation over his 11 seasons in royal blue and white.

The former Swan won the Norm Smith Medal in the Kangaroos' 1999 premiership triumph, the best-and-fairest in 2001 and All-Australian selection in 2005.

He finished with 243 games and 323 goals, and his slice of North history enshrined on the No.6 locker at Arden Street.

Winston Abraham

A member of Fremantle's inaugural team, Abraham secured a move to North Melbourne in exchange for premiership player Stuart Anderson.

Already a Goal of the Year winner, Abraham would complete the set with a high-flying Mark of the Year against Port Adelaide in Round 18, 1998.

The West Australian booted 37 goals in the following year as the Kangaroos surged to the premiership, including two in the Grand Final victory over Carlton.

Unfortunately Abraham's career would come to a close just two seasons later, following a freak knee injury.

He finished up with 72 games and 104 goals for North Melbourne.

Leigh Colbert

A versatile key position player, Colbert was initially recruited to Geelong and wore the hoops in 105 games between 1993 and 1998.

The South Bendigo product was awarded the captaincy at just 23, but a knee injury deprived him of the opportunity to ever lead the Cats out.

At the end of 1999 he requested a trade to the reigning premiers, and his request was fulfilled in exchange for Cameron Mooney and a shuffle of draft selections.

Colbert's courage endeared him to the Shinboners' supporters; in 2003 he returned from a ruptured pancreas, and his first act was to run back with the flight and take a chest mark.

His grasp on the club's culture is perhaps best reflected in having described his teammates at the time as "some of the all-time guys who you wouldn’t have liked to have let down."

Colbert retired at the end of 2005 after 104 games in six seasons at North Melbourne.

Jess Sinclair

After 50 games in the west, Sinclair returned to his home state in 2000 as an accessory in the deal to send dual premiership player Peter Bell back to the Dockers.

Another in the long line of players to have worn both North Melbourne's stripes and Fremantle's anchor, Sinclair spent the next eight years with the Kangaroos.

Initially a winger, the popular Roo was retooled as a rebounding defender in his second season at Arden Street, but never let his scoring instincts slip.

Sinclair retired at the end of the 2008 season, having played 142 games and kicked 45 goals for North Melbourne.

Jed Anderson

Having played only 10 games in three seasons at Hawthorn, the Warramunga man pursued a move to North Melbourne in late 2015.

The Roos secured Anderson along with picks 38 and 40 in exchange for picks 15 and 55, and he has turned out in 89 games since.

A natural small forward, Anderson has overcome injuries and illness to flourish as a hard-nosed inside midfielder.

The internal respect he has commanded is reflected in an eighth-place finish in the 2018 Syd Barker Medal, and a third-place finish in the 2020 count.

The Territorian had the opportunity to play in front of family and friends in Round 12, 2022 when North travelled to Darwin to face Gold Coast, and collected 18 disposals and a goal.

Aaron Hall

After 103 games with Gold Coast, Hall found his way to North Melbourne in exchange for pick 68 in the 2018 national draft.

The Tasmanian won his reputation as a prolific scorer and ball-winner for the Suns, but over the past two seasons has nestled into the Roos' back six.

Over that span, he has produced the best football of his career; in 2021 Hall averaged 27.9 disposals, 7.5 marks, 7.4 rebound 50s and 637.4 metres gained.

The move for the former Sun will continue to bear fruit for North Melbourne, with his on-field leadership and movement a standard to which others can aspire.

Jaidyn Stephenson

In 2020 the former Collingwood forward was traded to North Melbourne along with Atu Bosenavulagi and pick 39, in exchange for picks 26, 33 and 70.

It loomed as an instant bargain for the Roos. Just 21, Stephenson had already notched up 54 games and 76 goals, and featured in eight finals for the Magpies.

Over his first two seasons in royal blue and white, the Eastern Ranges product has played on all three lines, and been critical in several breakthrough wins.

His 38 disposals in a memorable victory over West Coast in Round 17, 2021, for which he was awarded the three Brownlow votes, demonstrated his capability on the wing.

More recently, he played a defining role in the Kangaroos' win over Richmond in Round 18, 2022 with 23 disposals, 12 rebound 50s and a goal from the half-back flank.

Expect Stephenson's silky skills, pace and verve to shine more and more often as North Melbourne's impressive core evolves.

Honourable mentions: Mark Roberts, Mathew Capuano, Glenn Freeborn, Jason McCartney, Leigh Brown, Nathan Thompson.