Operation: Get Connor Blakely
Midfielder Lachie Weller says the appointment of coach Stuart Dew was the driving force behind his move to play for Gold Coast.
Weller finished school and played club football on the Gold Coast before being drafted by Fremantle in 2014.
The 21-year-old has always wanted to play AFL in the city he considers home, but he admitted that desire had been tempered by the club's "unsteady" state.
Dew's appointment and their subsequent conversations erased those concerns and led to a last-minute request for a trade.
"I think, if I got my visual board out now, it has it on there, that I always wanted to come back," Weller told AAP.
"I think the club's been a little bit unsteady and I didn't really plan on coming back now, but the appointment of Stuey and Mark's (CEO Mark Evans) pretty new ... I had dinner with them and got a good feeling."
Lachie Weller. Pic: Getty
Shocked to be standing in the Suns' AFL headquarters on Friday after the deal snuck inside the trade deadline on Thursday, Weller is hopeful of building a long-term partnership with co-captains Tom Lynch and Steven May.
"I've caught up with Tom a few times; he and Stevie lead really well," Weller, who played 47 games for the Dockers, said.
"There's a lot of talk about Tom (leaving) but hopefully I can pass him the ball and do my bit to help him to stay."
He admits his desire to head to the struggling club is a unique one, but is confident that success on the Gold Coast will convince others to join him.
"I can't throw anyone under the bus, but there has been (lots of interest in his move), definitely, a lot of teammates were good about it," Weller said.
"You never know; time will tell."
The Suns gave up their second pick in the upcoming draft for Weller and pick 41, with Fremantle not budging on their request despite several counter offers from the Gold Coast.
Dew insists he is happy with the deal, given his demand for ready-made players in his first season at the helm and the club's acquisition of West Coast's future first round pick.
"We didn't get pushed around at all," the coach said.
"The key objective was to get Lachie here and moving second rounders into a future first was a key piece in the Lachie one, so we were rapt.
"This was not a deal in isolation - across three years we'll have seven first rounders and Lachie, who was a first rounder - you'd be negligent to look at it as a pure deal for two."
Dew expects Weller to play across a range of positions next season.
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Toast Welcome to the SUNS Lachie Weller
- Thread starter PREETY_FLY
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Oh Christ..Lynch and interviews....just NO....Let May do the captains Media work...Let Tom kick goals!!!
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Iva Bigun
Brownlow Medallist
Somebody shut him up
Should have talked less on Wednesday
One of Superman's oddest villains was a pixie from the 5th dimension called Mister Mxyzptlk
The only way you could get him to leave was by tricking him into saying his name out loud backwards
Every time I hear "Lynch leaving" spoken out loud I get the same feeling Mister Mxyzptlk had
The only way you could get him to leave was by tricking him into saying his name out loud backwards
Every time I hear "Lynch leaving" spoken out loud I get the same feeling Mister Mxyzptlk had
Experimental
Norm Smith Medallist
wtf
SunsBhoy
Club Legend
How eager is Dewy to get things started , think pre season is only 2 weeks away Stu.
Experimental
Norm Smith Medallist
Almost as eager as his love for a meat pie
He will this guy is a gun and in a few years will be up with the best in the AFL.
SunsBhoy
Club Legend
http://www.goldcoastbulletin.com.au...s/news-story/9aa9bdeaac7d533bee7fe21c8ccc9cd2
Anyone get the feeling when he says certain people have left he is referring to Ashcroft ?
Anyone get the feeling when he says certain people have left he is referring to Ashcroft ?
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Best of luck lachie. Hope you reach your full potential but fail miserably when playing the Dockers. Lol.
Wifey is very upset she can't watch you every weekend & she might now let me get Foxtel.
Wifey is very upset she can't watch you every weekend & she might now let me get Foxtel.
Does anyone else get a kick out of Lachie consistently showing we weren't completely robbed in the trade for pick 2? Also, we got Ballard with the pick Freo packaged up with Weller so we scored twice over in that trade.
Lachie is quickly becoming a favourite Sun!
Lachie is quickly becoming a favourite Sun!
Ballard sure looks like top 10 pick too.
Big Red Machine
Southern Dandy
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Just pick 2 for him?
WE UNDERPAID BAYBAY!
WE UNDERPAID BAYBAY!
Lord_Flashheart
Chicken Twisty Epicurean
Not today it doesn’t
I guess its worth more having someone whos heart is in the club than some unknown draft pick. Hope we can find a couple more like him.
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I would love him to get a haircut.. always see him moving his hair out of his eyes haha
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On iPhone using BigFooty.com mobile app
The Meerkat
Cancelled
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Maybe a number 1 or 2 haircut all over, get a real blue collar look happening.
By the way those long accurate kicks at goal are a thing of beauty.
By the way those long accurate kicks at goal are a thing of beauty.
Iva Bigun
Brownlow Medallist
Surely a No2
Amazing how AFL followers in general, Suns supporters included, were flabbergasted at that trade and were ridiculing it, yet now it is looking like a win for us. Footy can make even the wisest look foolish at times.
Doubt it. Lachie is a private school boy from All Saints so I'd say it's very unlikely he'll ever go full "blue collar" in his appearance. Short back and sides with longer hair on the top will do just fine.
