After 243 games with the Kangaroos and two best-and-fairest awards, the silky midfielder opted for the security of a big offer from the Magpies over a smaller deal put forward by North Melbourne.
North can confirm Daniel Wells has advised he will be leaving the club under Free Agency rules.
The 31-year-old played 243 games over 14 seasons with the Kangaroos.
“We’re obviously disappointed to be losing someone of Daniel’s calibre but we respect his decision,” North GM Football Cameron Joyce said.
“Daniel has been an outstanding player and person and we wish him all the best.
“We have benefitted from Free Agency over the past few seasons and fully respect the system.”
North had tabled a two-year deal for the midfielder.
It’s a bold move from Collingwood and may tie into Nathan Buckley’s previous statement that he believes he’ll need to make finals in 2017 to retain his job.
While there’s no doubt that Wells has elite skills and can play A-grade football, the fact that he has played just 31 of a possible 72 games in the last three years would have to be a concern.
If he returns that same kind of numbers over the length of his three-year deal with the Magpies, it would be hard to consider it a success.
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On the other hand, only four of those missed games came in 2017, and if Collingwood believe they can get 16+ games out of Wells each year, then he could potentially be an enormously valuable asset for him.
North Melbourne received a second-round draft pick as compensation for Wells’ departure, currently pick No.32 overall. The Roos were reportedly expecting an end-of-first-round pick given the size of Wells’ contract, but his age likely figured into the AFL’s decision as well.