After 26 long days, the official AFL exchange period finally came to a close at 2pm on Friday with a flurry of last-minute deals between clubs.

The extended trade period and free agency process might have felt like an eternity for players, club staff, fans, and media agencies - but it seemed to have the desired effect, with a record-number of players finding new homes.

Check out the full list of who went where

The Brisbane Lions proved to be one of the quieter clubs during October, signing 2011 Melbourne Best and Fairest Brent Moloney as a free agent before netting his former Demons teammate Stefan Martin in an 11th hour trade.

Both fill particular needs for the Club, with Moloney identified for his clearance-winning ability and Martin providing a versatile tall option capable of playing in the ruck, up forward, or down back.

Importantly, the Lions have also been able to hold onto their three valuable draft selections within the first two rounds of the 2012 AFL National Draft - Picks No.8, No.24 and No.33.

See the updated order for the 2012 AFL National Draft 

Fans will also be pleased that the existing Lions list has remained intact, with no players transferring to other clubs throughout the trade period for the first time since 2005.

A full summary of the Lions’ 2012 trade and free agency activity can be found here

National Talent Manager Rob Kerr told SEN Radio after Friday’s trade deadline that both new recruits should add value to the current Lions group.

“Stefan (Martin) is a ruckman who has demonstrated that he can play in defence, and has also had a few stints up forward,” Kerr said.

“The change in the way of the ruck rules was also a bit of a factor in our decision-making.”

“We feel (Moloney’s) strength is to be a real contested ball-winner…and we think he’s got some upside provided we play him to his strengths.”

Kerr is currently in the process of drafting a comprehensive trade summary for Lions fans, which will be available exclusively on lions.com.au early next week.

The article will outline in greater detail the rationale behind each of the Club’s recruitment decisions.