Sydney’s George Hewett has joined Carlton as a restricted free agent after the Swans opted not to match the Blues’ offer.
George Hewett was facing the prospect of an anxious weekend of waiting, but mercifully Sydney has cut short his period of limbo by opting against matching Carlton’s bid for him.
As a result, Hewett officially became a Blue as a restricted free agent on Saturday afternoon, the second day of the AFL’s free agency period.
The news would have come as a welcome relief for Hewett considering clubs have a maximum of three days to contemplate matching free agency bids from rival clubs for their players.
Hewett joins Jake Kelly (Adelaide to Essendon) and Mabior Chol (Richmond to Gold Coast) as players to have switched clubs since the 2021 free agency period began on Friday.
Hewett had earned a reputation as one of the league’s best negating midfielders for a period, and heads to Princes Park on what is believed to be a four-year deal.
Since being taken with pick No.32 in the 2013 draft, the 25-year-old played 120 games, including the 2016 grand final, and kicked 32 goals for the Swans.
Once he broke into the Sydney line-up in 2016, he quickly became a regular member, missing just 15 games in six seasons since debuting, 11 of which came last year when he injured his back.
He enjoyed his best season in 2019, averaging 22 touches a game, but showed in his debut year that he knows where the goals are when he split the big sticks on 18 occasions.
The Blues will be hoping that he will add extra defensive grit to their midfield, which remains largely dependent on co-captain Patrick Cripps and emerging superstar Sam Walsh, who polled 30 Brownlow votes this year to finish fourth.
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“It’s so important in the modern game to be able to have depth in numbers in the midfield,” Carlton head of list management Nick Austin said. “George is smart, he’s tough and he’ll do whatever job the team requires.
“He’s got over 100 games experience, he’s featured in finals and performed well in them. He gives us a different look in our midfield group and we think he’s someone our fans will really resonate with given his manic attack on the football.
“We’re always looking for ways to bolster our list and George does exactly that. We’re looking forward to seeing him link up and get to work with his new teammates and our new AFL senior coach Michael Voss when pre-season begins.”
The Swans have received a second-round pick as compensation from the AFL, which is currently No.39 in the draft order.
There are still plenty of other players expected to switch clubs over the next couple of weeks during the trade/free agency period, with North Melbourne veteran Robbie Tarrant set to join Richmond, Fremantle’s Adam Cerra nominating Carlton as his preferred next club, and Sydney’s Jordan Dawson requesting a trade to Adelaide.
Sam Petrevski-Seton, Jarrod Brander, Callum Coleman-Jones, Patrick Lipinski, Luke Dunstan and Jordan Clark are just some of the other players who are expected to find new homes as well.
COMPLETED DEALS
1. Jake Kelly (Adelaide) joined Essendon as an unrestricted free agent. Adelaide received pick 42 (AFL) as compensation.
2. Mabior Chol (Richmond) joined Gold Coast as an unrestricted free agent. Richmond received pick 38 (AFL) as compensation.
3. George Hewett (Sydney) joined Carlton as a restricted free agent. Sydney received pick 39 (AFL) as compensation.
