AFL trade period: Ben Brown joins Melbourne in trade period

Ben Brown is confident he can return to his best next season after a trade to Melbourne prompted by a surprising exit interview with then Kangaroos coach Rhyce Shaw.

Ben Brown is a step closer to his desired move to Melbourne. Picture: Michael Klein

New Demon Ben Brown has assured Melbourne his 2020 fall from grace as a key forward was an aberration he believes can be swiftly rectified with a fresh start next season.

Brown went from a Coleman Medal contender across three successive seasons to a player seemingly devoid of confidence this year.

A nagging knee injury – which required minor surgery – impacted on his form this season, with the Kangaroos’ shock decision to put him on the trade table surprising rival AFL clubs, including Melbourne.

Brown was stunned with his hub exit interview with North Melbourne where the club’s then coach Rhyce Shaw and football operations boss Brady Rawlings informed him he wasn’t a required player.

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He said Shaw’s subsequent departure made no difference to the club’s view of his future.

“In that meeting, I was disappointed and a little bit shocked in trying to figure out what was coming next,” Brown said.

“It was a bit of a process to get my head around ... when I had my exit interview with Rhyce Shaw and Brady Rawlings (when) I was told that I wouldn’t be required anymore and it would be best if I looked elsewhere.”

Ben Brown will spearhead Melbourne’s attack. Picture: Getty Images

Brown has been buoyed by the support he has already received from his new club, saying he wants to get fitter than he ever has to reward them.

“They (Melbourne) have made me feel really welcome and valued,” he said.

Brown “made” some great memories at North Melbourne but was now looking forward to making more at Melbourne where he thinks the club’s list is well placed to chase that elusive premiership.

Melbourne general manager of football Josh Mahoney said the Demons had flagged their intentions about Brown “only a few months ago”.

“We’ve been really impressed with his attitude about how he wants to get back to the best footy that he can,” Mahoney told Trade Radio.

“He went back through some reasons why 2020 wasn’t the season he wanted it to be, or what anyone wanted it to be.

“We are really confident he can bounce back to the form that he has shown for most of his career.”

Melbourne is confident Ben Brown can return to his best next season. Picture: Michael Klein

The soon-to-be 28-year-old was traded to the Demons on Thursday afternoon along with pick 28 and North Melbourne’s future fourth-round selection.

In return, Melbourne handed over picks 26, 33 and a future fourth round selection (tied to Brisbane) to the Kangaroos.

It could yet prove a bargain transaction for Melbourne if Brown can return to the form that saw him kick 60 goals or more in each of the 2017, 2018 and 2019 seasons.

Brown could manage only eight goals from his nine games this year in what proved a difficult year for the forward.

He will form a partnership at Melbourne with Sam Weideman – and potentially Luke Jackson – next year and beyond, with Mahoney confident he will be a huge asset to the club’s forward line.

“We trialled a few different forward set ups and structures throughout the year … the two tall forwards was our best structure,” Mahoney said.

“We just couldn’t get the combination right … Sam Weideman and Luke Jackson were the best combination at different stages until Luke got injured with a hamstring.

“(The) Ben Brown situation happened quite late and the more and more you looked into the way he plays, his height, what he could bring to our team, his experience being a key part of it and how he and Sam could work together … he became a really important player for us (to chase).

“He is a proven goalkicker and we think he is the perfect type of player to work alongside our other forwards with his height, football smarts and experience.”

Brown kicked 287 games from his 130 games with the Kangaroos since his 2014 debut.

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HANNAN HEADING BACK TO KENNEL

– Nick Smart

Forward Mitch Hannan insists his best football is ahead of him and he can fit into the Western Bulldogs forward line after leaving Melbourne to return to the Whitten Oval.

It is a homecoming for Hannan, who was drafted from Footscray’s VFL program in 2016 after playing in a VFL premiership with the Dogs.

The 26-year-old has signed a two-year deal in a trade done on Tuesday in exchange for the Bulldogs’ 2021 round three selection.

Hannan said he put the move to the kennel down to a mixture of opportunity and familiarity.

“Melbourne gave me plenty of opportunities in the early days for me to sort of flourish and find my feet in the team,” he said.

“That coincided with some great success in the 2017 and ‘18 season, but then a mixture of injuries and also some personnel at the club who play a very similar role to me (meant) I sort of found myself in and out of the team.

“I still feel like I’ve got a lot to offer and I wasn’t able to find some continuity in my footy … so for me I still feel like I’ve got plenty of good football ahead of me.

“I feel like I’ll fit in quite well and the way they play is very enticing.”

Mitch Hannan is returning to Whitten Oval, where he won VFL premiership with the Bulldogs. Picture: Sarah Reed

Hannan, who played 50 games for the Demons and kicked 55 goals, will join a forward line featuring Aaron Naughton and Josh Bruce.

He said he felt confident he could fit into the Bulldogs’ forward set up and make an impact in 2021.

“A lot of clubs are still trying to work out their best mix for their talls, mediums and smalls (up forward),” Hannan said.

“I probably pride myself in being a bit of a hybrid of all three.

“They were sort of excited about the idea of me being more versatile in the forward line and playing a mixture of those roles.

“It was attractive for me to come along and think that hopefully I should be able to slot in and join some of these guys in creating some success up there.

“I pride myself on a bit of speed and agility and sort of goal sense, which is something they were kind of looking for in terms of adding to their list.

“I think it’s always nice to be wanted by a team, but for the Bulldogs to reach out knowing I’d already been there made it even more so enticing to sort of come back and join them.”