Brodie Grundy’s trade from Collingwood to Melbourne was one that attracted a lot of attention over the off-season.
With five years left on his monster contract with the Magpies, Collingwood decided they could better use the money Grundy was earning on the likes of Dan McStay, Tom Mitchell, Billy Frampton and Bobby Hill.
Having been followed by cameras throughout the trade period on Stan’s new documentary Show Me The Money II, fans got a deeper insight into Grundy’s move.
While the key reason behind Grundy’s move was ultimately to free up salary cap space, the ruckman’s manager Robbie D’Orazio said it was only a meeting with coach Craig McRae that sealed the deal.
With Grundy keen to stay, his decision to ultimately accept the move came about once McRae encouraged him to so, according to D’Orazio.
“I could have, I could have (said he was going to stay),” D’Orazio told SEN Breakfast.
“But I think in the end – there was a nice conversation between Craig and Brodie – the coach and player.
“Craig, to his credit, looked him in the eye and said, ‘I think you should go elsewhere’, and he had great options to go.
“He could have easily gone back though, that would have made it difficult for them to do the things they did in the trade period.
“But I think in the end it’s worked out really nicely for everybody.”
Given he was still in contract, Grundy had the final say in his move after choosing the Demons as his next destination over the likes of the Cats and the Power.
The 28-year-old was officially traded for pick No.27 in the National Draft which was eventually dealt to Carlton on draft night for a future second-round pick.