How the Blues pivoted from Dan Houston to Jagga Smith

In 2024, Carlton traded up to Pick 3 in the National Draft, selecting young ball magnet Jagga Smith from the Oakleigh Chargers.

It was a trade that very nearly didn’t happen.

In the off-season of 2024, Port Adelaide star Dan Houston decided that he wanted to return to Victoria, looking to be traded to a Melbourne club over the trade period.

And with Carlton topping Houston’s wishlist, the Blues - led by former Port Adelaide assistant and then-Carlton head coach Michael Voss - were keen to strike a deal with the Power.

“Dan communicated that he wanted to get back home,” Voss said on AFL Trade Radio.

“The initial stages of that particular deal, Dan reached out to me saying that he was keen to get back home.

“Normally, the next phone call goes to the national talent manager about the possibility of that. At that point, we’d brought in a first-round draft pick.

“That was going on in the background – there were these conversations with Dan Houston around what it would take to be able to get that deal done.”

Carlton owned Pick 12 in the upcoming draft and traded their 2025 first-round pick along with their 2025 second-round pick to Hawthorn in exchange for Pick 14.

That said, with the Blues unwilling to use their picks to acquire the wantaway Houston, their chances of landing the Port star without their future first was growing more and more unlikely.

“From the Houston camp, there was a feel that we didn’t have enough draft assets to be able to get it done. Collingwood became almost the favourites to get that done,” Voss said.

“St Kilda had made a decision that they were going to use their picks seven and eight in the draft at that particular time.

“The longer it went, the more difficult it was becoming, to the point where it was almost like, ‘we need to make a decision as to which club you’re actually going to.’”

That was when the West Coast Eagles entered the picture.

Having made a verbal commitment to trade for Richmond’s Liam Baker, the Eagles were determined to strike a deal for their soon-to-be captain – so determined that they were willing to part ways with Pick 3 in the upcoming draft.

“We started looking at other clubs, and then West Coast came in to start talking about what that deal looked like,” Voss continued.

“Nick Austin rings me, I’m playing golf in Queenstown, New Zealand. Nick says, ‘we can get Pick 3, what do you want to do’.

“Sorry – I don’t think he asked me, he said, ‘mate, we’ve got Pick 3, this is what we’re doing’, and I was more than okay with that!”

Carlton would engage in a three-team trade that saw the Eagles land Baker, Carlton’s Matt Owies, Pick 12 and 73, giving up Pick 3, 63 and 68 in the process.

Richmond received Pick 14 in exchange for Baker, while the Blues sent Owies, Pick 12, 14 and 73 in exchange for Pick 3, 63 and 68 all from the Eagles.

“We’d already had a bit of a look around what was there (in the draft),” Voss said.

“Obviously Jagga Smith and a few others were in that top five, and we were very comfortable with what we were being able to bring in.

“The shuffle was made, and then we started going on tour to find out who the best player would be.”

As a result of the trade, Houston wound up at Collingwood as part of a five-team mega deal that saw John Noble head to the Suns, Jack Lukosius and Joe Richards to Port, along with an array of first rounders.

Carlton would end up selecting Jagga Smith with the third overall pick in 2024, and after an ACL injury ended his 2025 campaign before it began, Smith would prove his worth in 2026, winning the Rising Star award and growing into one of the game’s brightest talents.