Brent Moloney has opened up on his trade from Geelong to Melbourne at the end of 2004.
After playing 23 games for the Cats in two seasons, Moloney was traded to the Demons in exchange for pick 12 which Geelong used to clinch a deal for Richmond ruckman Brad Ottens.
Moloney managed 122 games in the red and blue between 2005 and 2012, winning Melbourne’s best and fairest in 2011.
During the midfielder’s time at the Demons, the Cats won three premierships in 2007, 2009 and 2011 with Ottens playing a key role in their success.
“I was actually in Noosa at the time on a footy trip with a few of the younger boys,” he told SEN’s Bob and Andy.
“I got a phone call from my manager Michael Quinlan and he said, ‘Do you want to get traded?’
“We’d just played in the finals, we just got beaten by Brisbane by six points at the MCG. I knew Geelong were going to be good, we had amazing young talent like (Jimmy) Bartel, (Gary) Ablett, (Steve) Johnson, (Paul) Chapman, (Andrew) Mackie, all those players.
“I knew we were going to be a very strong team. I said, ‘Nah, I don’t want to go anywhere. I’m happy’.
“Geelong was looking for a ruckman and Brad Ottens was the one they were going for, so one of us had to go and I barracked for Melbourne as a kid, so all I wanted to do as a kid was run out on the MCG in the red and blue. They were one of the teams that were keen to bring me over and I ended up making the trade.
“Unfortunately, Geelong went and won three flags and I won three wooden spoons at Melbourne.”
Moloney recalls the emotional conversation he had with then Geelong coach Mark ‘Bomber’ Thompson before exiting the club.
“I was still contracted, so I didn’t have to go,” he said.
“I could have said, ‘No, I don’t want a trade’ and they would have had to find someone else. There were about 10 guys on the trade table.
“I was a young kid, and I probably went with my heart and not my head … that was my dream (to play for Melbourne). I got that opportunity and I’m very grateful for it, but that’s pretty much how it happened.
“I remember ‘Bomber’ Thompson rang me and he was crying on the phone. We had a really strong relationship and he’s really close to his players. He was really sad he had to make the trade, which was tough.”
Moloney, 37, played a total of 166 AFL games for Geelong, Melbourne and Brisbane between 2003 and 2014.