Brisbane Lions marquee forward Harris has been the biggest name on the AFLW trade table, having sought a move to Victoria for the second women's league season, specifically wanting to join Carlton.

However the two clubs had struggled to find a suitable trade, with forward Bianca Jakobsson turning down the Lions' advances. But as flagged earlier in the week by Fairfax Media, she has joined Melbourne.

More pressingly the Harris impasse has ended, with Exon and Ayre the players heading to the Lions. The Blues needed to secure a trade by Friday's deadline, or risk losing Harris to the Western Bulldogs, who have the first pick in the Victorian draft. Ironically it took the Dogs to get the deal done, with the Demons trading Deanna Berry to the Whitten Oval for pick 12, which was on-traded to the Blues for Jakobsson, who moved Exon and Ayre to Queensland in order to land their No.1 target in Harris.

All players involved in an exchange needed to agree to the deal, as did the AFL, which has been mindful of maintaining competitive balance in every deal.

That Ayre was involved came as a surprise for some at the Blues given the teenager still attends school in Bendigo, although she would be finished school by around the time pre-season starts. Exon impressed early in the inaugural AFLW season before breaking her ankle.

It's been a busy trade period for Carlton, who last week secured Collingwod's best and fairest Nic Stevens and a fourth-round draft pick in exchange for the Blues' first three draft picks. The aggressive move raised eyebrows in AFLW circles.

Meanwhile on Thursday the Demons traded Madeleine Boyd to Greater Western Sydney for a fifth-round selection. Boyd joins fellow ex-Demon Pepa Randall and Collingwood best and fairest runner-up Alicia Eva in joining the Giants this week.

Randall was traded to the Giants in a straight swap for Ashleigh Guest.