Melbourne have landed their first AFL trade target, with Jeff Garlett signing with the club from Carlton.
The Demons have given Carlton picks 61 and 79 in exchange for Garlett and pick 83 in the national draft.
The small forward kicked 183 goals in 107 games for the Blues, and will help the Demons address their much-derided attack.
Melbourne football operations boss Josh Mahoney said Garlett would be a valued member of the Demons’ forward line.
“It was a role that we identified that we wanted to fill during the trade period as a small, crumbing forward,” he said.
“His record prior to last year stacks up with the best small forwards in the competition – he averages nearly two goals and three-and-a-half tackles per game.
“We think that he can be a dangerous option for us in the forward line, working in tandem with Jay Kennedy-Harris and Dean Kent.”
Garlett’s fortunes at the Blues soured during the 2014 season when he was overlooked by coach Mick Malthouse.
After 68 games and 120 goals between 2011 and 2013, Garlett played just nine times for the Blues in 2014.
He leaves the club on a miserable note, allegedly assaulted in an early-morning bar brawl in August.
Garlett was fined by the club for not reporting the incident, and was subsequently charged with affray by police for his involvement in the scuffle.
Carlton football department chief Andrew McKay said Garlett departed with the club’s best wishes.
“It was time for him to have a fresh start and we are pleased to have been able to facilitate that by reaching agreement on a trade with Melbourne,” he said.
Garlett is set to appear before the Melbourne Magistrates Court in November.
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