As Brian Lake stood on the Grand Final dais, Premiership and Norm Smith medal dangling from his neck, it was a key moment in the fairytale that had seen the much maligned Lake move from the Bulldogs to continue his career with the Hawks only a year earlier.
Five years earlier, and it was Stewie Dew who was the surprise hero for the Hawks while the 2013 premiership was yet another reminder of the value of recruiting, not just young draftees but also experienced players who can step into a key role within a team and make an immediate impact.
Josh Gibson, David Hale, Shaun Burgoyne, Jack Gunston, Brent Guerra and Jonathan Simpkin have all found their way to the Hawks via different clubs and arguably played their best footy in the brown and gold.
Gibson and Gunston were exceptional on Grand Final day, with Gunston kicking four goals in what many believed was a best on ground performance, while Gibson collected 19 disposals and nine marks in his ever reliable fashion.
His transformation into one of the game’s elite defenders has been recognised by his new club, with Gibson this week winning his first ever Peter Crimmins Medal as the Hawks Best & Fairest for 2013.
Trading clubs has given these players an opportunity to experience Grand Final glory. When Lake crossed to Hawthorn after spending 11 seasons at the Kennel, he’d fallen agonisingly short of a grand final appearance several times, losing three consecutive preliminary finals from 2008 to 2010.
However, after cementing a place in Hawthorn’s backline, Lake wasn’t going to let another chance at an elusive premiership go to waste. He played his role well all year and stood up when Hawthorn needed him most; gathering 22 disposals and 10 marks in the Grand Final and becoming an incredibly popular Norm Smith medal winner.
At the other end of the field, two former Hawks also nearly completed their own fairytale in Luke McPharlin and Zac Dawson, who had both spent time in the brown and gold early in their career. While former Power winger Danyle Pearce had made the most of an opportunity to explore new opportunities through free agency, and had arguably his best year to date in a new environment at the Dockers.
The modern trading period is as much about getting the big marquee players as it is unearthing the player who may not have had a chance to show his worth and then bringing him to a club and allowing him to flourish in a specific role – step forward Paul Puopolo.
However clubs still will do anything to get the big superstar and last year’s premiers, the Sydney Swans, have taken advantage of the trade and free agency period to snare two of the biggest names in the game, in Kurt Tippett and Lance Franklin who will terrorise backlines in 2013.
The Swans have a long history of luring these kind of superstar forwards to the harbour city, with the AFL’s all-time leading goal scorer, Tony Lockett, leaving St Kilda for Sydney in 1995. While Barry Hall broke St Kilda hearts again in 2002 when he left the club for Sydney.
Premiership success over the past five or six years is filled with these kind of trade success stories with names like Brad Ottens, Luke Ball and Darren Jolly all playing crucial roles in taking their new clubs to the next level.
The introduction of free agency in 2012 saw 13 restricted and unrestricted free agents move clubs, with one of the biggest names being former St Kilda star Brendon Goddard.
One year on and Goddard has repaid the faith of the Bombers by being voted the Crichton medallist after an incredible season where he averaged 26 disposals per game and won the hearts of the red and black.
Former Bomber Angus Monfries also took advantage of the restricted free agent and was lured back to his home state, during the 2012 trade period, to play for Port Adelaide. The small forward played every game for the Power and had his best season to date, kicking a career high 39 goals and averaged17 disposals per game in a resurgent season for Port Adelaide.
The added goal kicking of Monfries was a big factor in his club’s rise; he kicked a career high seven goals against Geelong in Round 20 in a year in which Port Adelaide shocked the football world by climbing from 14th in 2012 to semi finalists in 2013.
The Tigers also boast an impressive list of recruits with Troy Chaplin, Shaun Grigg and Bachar Houli finishing in the clubs top 10 players this year, while imposing ruckman Ivan Maric, and Aaron Edwards and Ricky Petterd have all seized their opportunities in a new environment and cemented their spots in the Tigers’ best 22.
With the 2013 trade period well and truly in full swing, we’ve already seen players like Eddie Betts, Colin Sylvia, Shane Mumford and of course Lance Franklin take the opportunity to continue their careers elsewhere.
With plenty of rumours about other stars Dale Thomas and Heath Shaw considering a move, they could provide a club in the grand final window with the key cog they need to take them to Grand Final glory.