The Kangaroos have traded key forward Ben Brown to Melbourne, while Jack Higgins leaves AFL premiers Richmond to join St Kilda.
Key points:
- Along with Brown, the Demons also received pick 28 in the draft and a Kangaroos’ future fourth-round selection
- Higgins joins the Saints after three seasons with the Tigers
- Eddie Betts has re-signed with the Blues for one more season
And West Coast has secured Alex Witherden following a trade with the Brisbane Lions.
All three deals were made official on the final day of the AFL trade period, which concludes at 7:30pm AEDT.
A number of potential trades remain up in the air, with Jeremy Cameron still looking to leave Greater Western Sydney for Geelong, while Collingwood’s Adam Treloar and Jaidyn Stephenson are also awaiting clarity on where they will be playing in 2021.
Brown’s playing future had been in limbo since September when the Kangaroos informed the 27-year-old he was not in their plans for the 2021 season.
As part of the Brown deal, the Demons also received pick 28 in the national draft and a Kangaroos’ future fourth-round selection.
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In return, the Kangaroos received draft picks 26 and 33 and a future fourth-round selection (currently tied to Brisbane).
“He is a proven goal-kicker and we think he is the perfect type of player to work alongside our other forwards with his height, football smarts and experience,” Demons general manager of football Josh Mahoney said.
“We were impressed during this process by Ben’s determination to succeed and also his excitement about joining Melbourne and being part of our club.”
Brown, who stands at 200 centimetres tall, made his senior debut for the Kangaroos in 2014 and played 130 matches for the club.
He kicked 287 goals across his Kangaroos career but was restricted to just nine matches in 2020 because of a knee injury.
Higgins becomes a Saint
The Tigers traded pick number 21 and a fourth-round selection in the 2021 draft to the Saints as part of the Higgins deal.
The Saints offloaded pick 17 and their second-round draft selection in 2021 to the Tigers in exchange.
“It’s amazing to join the Saints next year and I really can’t wait to get started,” Higgins said.
“I grew up barracking for the Saints, so it really is a dream come true to represent the club.”
Higgins played 43 matches for the Tigers after being selected in the 2017 draft.
He spent a significant amount of time on the sidelines during the 2019 season after undergoing brain surgery.
The acquisition of Higgins follows the Saints’ recruitment of former Adelaide Crow Brad Crouch at the beginning of the trade period last week.
Meanwhile, the Eagles gained pick 86 in the draft along with Witherden, while the Lions claimed pick 58 and a future third-round selection as part of the deal.
Betts re-signs with Blues
Eddie Betts has signed on for at least one more year with the Blues, with the 2021 season to be his 17th in the AFL.
He made his debut for the Blues in 2005 and returned to the club this season after playing for the Crows between 2013 and 2019.
“My number one priority next year will be playing good football and doing everything I possibly can to help this club win games and earn the success we have been working towards,” Betts said.
Betts, 33, has played 331 senior matches.
