WEST Coast premiership ruckman Scott Lycett has been granted his wish for a move to Port Adelaide, becoming just the 21st player in history to join a rival club immediately after winning a flag.
In a sign of the changing times, reigning premiership players traded clubs just 10 times in the League’s first 102 seasons but 11 have made the transition in the past 19 years.
In fact, after the Eagles decided not to match the Power’s offer for Lycett, the restricted free agent became the fourth to do it in just five seasons.
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The most recent cases have involved Hawthorn superstar Lance Franklin's shock defection to Sydney after winning the 2013 premiership, his ex-Hawks teammate Matt Suckling's move to the Western Bulldogs in 2015, and Bulldogs defender Joel Hamling's transfer to Fremantle after nullifying Franklin in the 2016 Grand Final.
Of the 20 relocated premiership heroes, just three experienced the ultimate success with their new clubs – Kangaroo-turned-Cat Cameron Mooney saluted twice with Geelong, Melbourne's legendary captain Ron Barassi coached Carlton to two flags, and champion big man Tom Fitzmaurice won back-to-back premierships with Essendon before claiming a third in a row with Geelong.
Player | Premiership team | New club | Premierships at new club |
Alf Sharpe | Fitz 1904 | Carl 1905 | 0 |
Tom Fitzmaurice | Ess 1923-24 | Geel 1925 | 1 |
Bill Hudd | Geel 1925 | Ess 1926 | 0 |
Charlie Dibbs | Coll 1935 | Geel 1936 | 0 |
Norm Smith | Melb 1948 | Fitz 1949 | 0 |
Gordon Lane | Ess 1949 | Sth Melb 1950 | 0 |
Ron Barassi | Melb 1964 | Carl 1965 | 2 (as coach) |
Adrian Gallagher | Carl 1972 | Foots 1973 | 0 |
Alex Jesaulenko | Carl 1979 | St K 1980 | 0 |
Terry Wallace | Haw 1986 | Rich 1987 | 0 |
Brett Allison | NM 1999 | Syd 2000 | 0 |
Cameron Mooney | NM 1999 | Geel 2000 | 2 |
Scott Welsh | NM 1999 | Adel 2000 | 0 |
Des Headland | Bris 2002 | Frem 2003 | 0 |
Josh Carr | PA 2004 | Frem 2005 | 0 |
Jarrad Schofield | PA 2004 | Frem 2005 | 0 |
Steven King | Geel 2007 | St K 2008 | 0 |
Lance Franklin | Haw 2013 | Syd 2014 | 0 |
Matthew Suckling | Haw 2015 | WB 2016 | 0 |
Joel Hamling | WB 2016 | Frem 2017 | 0 |
Scott Lycett | WC 2018 | PA 2019 | TBC |
* Jim Martin won the 1912 premiership with Essendon and the 1913 flag with Fitzroy but doesn't qualify for this list because he spent the first half of the 1913 season with Essendon.
* Information supplied by AFL history and statistics consultant Col Hutchinson.