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The Crows and the Cats have officially struck a deal that will see Patrick Dangerfield move to Geelong on the first day of trade period.
The Cats will give up their first two picks in the draft, currently picks 9 and 28, and receive Dangerfield and the Crows third pick in the draft, pick 50, in return.
The deal also sees South Australian Cat Dean Gore move to the Crows after just one year in the AFL.
Geelong drafted Gore with pick 55 in last year’s draft, and the young midfielder came close to senior selection on a number of times in 2015.
“Our recruiting team rated Dean highly in the lead up to last year’s draft and he was on the verge of playing AFL football in his debut year,” said Adelaide’s head of football David Noble.
It’s the first trade of the 2015 trade period, and it sets off what is likely to be a blockbuster trade period with a bang.
Dangerfield, who was out of contract and a restricted free agent, was widely tipped to become the first player in history to have his free agency offer matched by his current club.
In the end, there was no need for a formal free agency offer to occur. The Cats were well aware that the Crows would match any offer and simply went straight to the trade table.
The deal seems them pay a similar price to what Brisbane gave up to secure Dayne Beams in last year’s trade period, a first round pick, a second round pick, and a relatively little-known young player.
Unlike that deal which dragged on late into the trade period, this was accomplished quickly. Marty Pask, Dean Gore’s played manager, said “It’s good that a deal such as this got done.”
“We’ve seen in the past when there’s a player of someone like Dangerfield’s standing in the game, they [negotiations] can tend to drag on a little bit.
“In this instance, both Adelaide and Geelong have done a very good job to make sure that didn’t take place and both parties have come out of it pretty reasonably.
“Adelaide has always had an interest in Dean… they were very disappointed that they didn’t acquire him through the national draft.
“They’ve always maintained that interest in him (and) they’ve always liked him, so there was an opportunity to certainly ask the question, whether he wanted to come home.
“In the end, it was a decision that he wanted to be surrounded by his family and friends back home in Adelaide.”
It brings to end what has been a year-long saga of debate and discussion over Dangerfield’s contract.
In many way it was the worst-kept secret in the AFL. The reports that Dangerfield would be playing at Geelong in 2016 have been rolling in all year.
The Crows confirmed Dangerfield would be leaving shortly after the club bowed out of finals against Hawthorn.
However, through forcing a trade, they’ve managed to obtain far better compensation than they would have by simply letting Dangerfield go as a free agent.
“All along we were intent on doing what was in the best interests of our club, and we have been able to deliver the best possible outcome,” said Noble.
“Securing picks 9 and 28 allows us to add some more quality talent to our playing list, while Dean is a young man who has the makings of a long-term player.
“I would also like to acknowledge Geelong for the professional manner in which these negotiations were handled.”
Dangerfield had the best year of his career to date in 2015, winning Adelaide’s best and fairest, being named in the All-Australian team for the third time, and finishing sixth in Brownlow Medal with 22 votes.
Dangerfield’s Deal
Geelong receives: Patrick Dangerfield and pick 50
Adelaide receives: Picks 9 and 28 and Dean Gore
#WelcomeToGeelong
@dangerfield32 is officially a Cat! pic.twitter.com/NeXQvPrFFH
— Geelong Cats (@GeelongCats) October 12, 2015
DONE DEAL. We've completed a trade with Geelong http://t.co/QxBFR4Qlwp for Patrick Dangerfield. Welcome home Dean! pic.twitter.com/xEXXAmUsHl
— Adelaide Crows (@Adelaide_FC) October 12, 2015
In more good news for Geelong, West Coast today announced they will not match the Cats’ offer for restricted free agent Scott Selwood, meaning his transfer to Geelong is now complete.
Having elected not to do so, the Eagles are now eligible for a compensation pick, which will likely be in the second round of the draft.