AFL Trade News: Ollie Henry reveals brother’s pull to Geelong after controversial trade from Collingwood
New Cat Ollie Henry says the pull to play with his brother was too great as he watched Jack lift the premiership cup at the MCG.
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NEW Cat Ollie Henry says he knew he wanted to experience Geelong’s success alongside his brother after watching the grand final from the stands of the MCG.
Henry suffered the heartbreak of a preliminary final loss with Collingwood when the Magpies lost to the Swans by just one point.
He told Cats Media on Thursday that returning to his home club and playing alongside his brother Jack was a dream come true.
“I was still at Collingwood (during Geelong’s grand final match) and we wanted to be in that same situation,” he said.
“I was just really happy for Jack and his teammates, and hopefully one day we can build to do that together.
“I’ve looked up to a lot of players on this Cats list for a long period of time … I’ve been to hundreds of games here at GMHBA (Stadium), it’ll be cool to finally be on the other side of that fence and I’m really looking forward to it.”
It was a controversial trade period for the younger Henry brother, who came out of contract at Collingwood and declared Geelong his preferred trade destination.
But Collingwood did not want to hand over Henry, asking to be compensated with a first-round selection at the draft for parting with the gifted forward.
The young gun threatened to walk to the draft if Collingwood did not trade him, making for a tense final day at the trade deadline.
Henry finally got his wish in the dying minutes of the trade period, with Geelong parting with former first-round pick Cooper Stephens, who moved to Hawthorn, and pick 25 for Henry.
Collingwood received pick 25 and Hawthorn midfielder Tom Mitchell, with the Hawks receiving Stephens and picks 41 and 50 in a three-team trade.
Henry said the pull of family was great when he finished his contract at the Magpies and decided where he wanted to play his football for 2023 and beyond.
“Someone who I haven’t played enough with in my time, and only played against him is my brother,” he said.
“I can’t wait to have a game or two with him and see how we go, and hopefully we can turn into something special and we can have a career we build together.
“Walking in (to the club) was even better, seeing where the boys get to work and my brother’s locker is pretty cool.”
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Originally published as AFL Trade News: Ollie Henry reveals brother’s pull to Geelong after controversial trade from Collingwood
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