GOLD Coast has won the race for highly rated youngster Jaeger O'Meara with the Suns making a deal with Greater Western Sydney for the first pick in Monday's mini-draft on Wednesday.

The deal sees the Giants receive selection No. 4 in this year's NAB AFL Draft as well as Gold Coast's mid first-round compensation pick it received from Geelong last year (the Suns received that selection after trading pick No.15 to the Cats in last year's NAB AFL Draft). 

As well as the first pick in the mini-draft, Gold Coast receives the Giants' round two pick (No. 31).

Gold Coast football manager Marcus Ashcroft was delighted his club was able to snare the West Australian youngster whose pace, foot skills and endurance would have made him a likely top-three pick at next year's national draft.

"We're really happy. We've watched him closer through the year and he's played some really good footy," Ashcroft said shortly after the deal was struck.

"We knew he was a good kid on and off the footy field and we're really happy to be able to get him.

"We think Jaeger can be a successful player with our footy club in the long term - we think he's got all the attributes to do that. We place a big emphasis on off-field and we think he's a young man of great character.

"As far as a fit for our club culture, he ticks the box and he also ticks the box with his ability on it."

The Suns put the deal to GWS on Monday, but had to sit back and watch as the Giants tried to work a four-club trade that would have seen them retain O'Meara.

The AFL became involved late on Tuesday and refused to ratify the deal that football operations general manager Adrian Anderson said wasn't in the spirit of the mini-draft trade incentive scheme that was designed to help the League's newest club attract experienced players.

"We thought yesterday we were out of the running, but once that all came to fruition, we were back in the ball game this morning and it happened pretty quickly," Ashcroft said.

"I guess the offer was the there, it was the next best and the Giants saw it that way and the deal got done."

O'Meara won't become a Sun until the mini-draft, but Ashcroft was happy to spread the good news as soon as the trade paperwork was accepted by the AFL.

"We still need to officially select him as our pick one next Monday, but I think everyone was aware that we were going to take him with that pick, so we figured it was better to get it out there," he said.

"We got the tick from the AFL to be able to do that."

O'Meara is currently completing his year 12 exams and Ashcroft said the club would work with him to arrange the best time to relocate from Perth to the Gold Coast. The Suns kick off their pre-season campaign on Monday, October 24, and Ashcroft said the club was keen to include its gun recruit as soon as possible.  

Despite the recruiting coup, Gold Coast fans will not see O'Meara in AFL action until the 2013 season because he is too young to be included in this year's national draft.

No trades are official until paperwork has been accepted by the AFL and formally recognised after 2pm on Monday, October 17.

Follow our complete coverage of the 2011 AFL exchange period from October 10-17. Join the AFL trade conversation on Twitter: use #tradeweek in your tweets.