Caddy, the No.7 pick in the 2010 NAB AFL Draft, had flagged a desire to return to his home state of Victoria, with Geelong beating a number of clubs chasing his services.
The Cats will send their remaining Gary Ablett compensation pick to Gold Coast, and the clubs will also exchange a number of other draft picks that are still to be finalised. ?
The compensation pick has not been activated for this year's national draft, but it can be used in one of the 2013 or 2014 drafts.?
"We are really pleased to have Josh coming to our footy club," Cats football manager Neil Balme told AFL.com.au on Wednesday evening.
"There are still a number of things to be worked out, but it will happen."
Gold Coast football operations manager Marcus Ashcroft said the club was happy with the outcome. ??
"We are really pleased we will secure a first round compensation pick, tied to Geelong's finishing position to be used in either the 2013 or 2014 drafts as well as draft selections to be finalised in exchange for relocating Josh Caddy back to Victoria," Ashcroft told goldcoastfc.com.au.
"Continuing to spread the age of our playing group with elite talent ensure we will have a very balanced playing group in the years to come which is important as we strive for sustained success."?
Caddy had a rocky initial period in Queensland, with a groin injury and a foot stress fracture sidelining him for the first half of the 2011 season.??
After regaining fitness by playing in the NEAFL, he made his AFL debut against Melbourne at the MCG in round 23 last year. ??A week later, in the final round of the season, he collected 16 possessions and booted two goals against Hawthorn.? ?
But Caddy, who grew up in Melbourne's northern suburbs, was already homesick by that stage, and he asked to be traded to Essendon last October.?
When a deal could not be done, he returned to Gold Coast and became one of the club's most consistent players during its 2012 campaign.??
Among his best performances were when he gathered 27 possessions against the Bulldogs in Darwin in round eight and when he kicked three goals against Geelong at Metricon Stadium in round 15.
Caddy also booted three goals in the Suns' upset victory over Carlton in round 22. ??However, he only managed to finish 17th in the club's best and fairest.??
The paperwork will not be lodged with the AFL until later in the trade period, but Caddy will definitely line up for the Cats in 2013.
"He is a quality young man, and he's had two years in a very good program up at Gold Coast," Balme said.
"We think he can add a lot to our team."
The deal is Geelong's highest-profile trade since the Cats secured star ruckman Brad Ottens from Richmond in 2004.
That swap saw Brent Moloney move to Melbourne and the Cats first round draft pick go to the Tigers.
Ottens went on to play in three premierships for Geelong.
