Brisbane CEO Greg Swann concedes he was caught off-guard by Dayne Beams’ desire to leave the club and return to Collingwood.
Swann was convinced Beams would remain at the Lions following his emotional speech at the club’s Best and Fairest event where pledged his loyalty amid speculation of a potential departure.
The 28-year-old midfielder would ultimately seal a trade back to the Magpies on deadline day of the trade period.
“I must admit, after the Best and Fairest, I thought it was put to bed,” Swann told SEN Afternoons.
“We had some conversations along the way that you felt that there was some interest in him going.
“It sort of went quiet and then obviously towards the end it revved up again.
“In the end, we got two first-round picks for him, we lost a good player but hopefully we can turn those picks into good players as well.”
Beams played 58 games for the Lions, booting 49 goals.
Listen to Greg Swann’s chat on SEN Afternoons with Brett Phillips in the player below