A MEGA trade taking Adam Saad from Essendon to Carlton in 2020 had a huge impact.
Not just for Saad, the Blues and the Bombers, but also for the 10-month-old son of Saad's manager John Meesen who was in the boardroom as the finer details of the deal were thrashed out.
Speaking on AFL.com.au's trade and draft show Gettable this week, Meesen – from Kapital Sports Group – retold the behind-the-scenes story of how the Saad trade went down and the hilarious lesson it taught his child.
"The last few years we've done some trades and most of them have been done online because of the lockdowns and everything. But there was probably one that sticks out and that's the Adam Saad trade from Essendon to Carlton," Meesen told Gettable.
"We weren't making a lot of progress on the deal in terms of how it was going to play out, so we called a meeting at our boardroom. It was Adrian Dodoro, Nick Austin, Michael Agresta, myself and Marty Pask. At that stage, my wife was working so I had my 10-month-old that I had to bring in as a bit of a mediator.
"We'd worked through pick swaps and how it looked, but we didn't make a lot of progress and we went home that night thinking it was a bit of a waste of time. The next morning, we got everyone back on the phone and the deal was agreed to.
"The more interesting part was that at 10 months old, kids are like sponges. They just absorb everything. My little 10-month-old, not long after that, started walking around and saying his first words. His first words started with 'f' and ended with 'k' … future pick."
Saad was traded from Essendon to Carlton in exchange for pick No.8 and a swap of later selections. He has since played 58 games for the Blues and became an All-Australian for the first time last season.
Having been overlooked in his draft year, before being recruited to Gold Coast at 20 years of age following a stint at VFL side Coburg, Saad's 167-game career has brought plenty of satisfying moments for Meesen.
"It's been a fairly solid journey for him," he said.
"We speak to some of the draftees about this as well, it doesn't always happen at 18 and he's a case in point. He missed a couple of drafts, got taken as a rookie to Gold Coast at 20, and he was one of the last picks in that rookie draft. Seven or eight years later, he's an All-Australian and one of the most important players at Carlton.
"He's an unbelievable guy. He's got great morals and values as a person. I'm really proud of how his career has played out and I'm really happy with the person that he is."
