Melbourne recruit Max Heath is most excited to work with eight-time All-Australian ruck Max Gawn as well as senior coach Steven King in a bid to become a permanent AFL fixture.

But a reunion with journeyman Tom Campbell also helped sway his decision.

Heath was traded from St Kilda last week for a 2027 fourth-round selection, and is seen as Gawn's successor.

He'd spent the past four years at Moorabbin after being taken in the 2021 Mid-Season Draft, which included a trio of campaigns with Campbell, before he made the switch to the Demons.

Heath also revealed that he held early talks with Melbourne, but said the "stars aligned" when King was announced as senior coach.

"It is obviously pretty hard to leave a club you have loved for four years, but the tutelage from Max Gawn and Tom Campbell was too hard to overlook," Heath said on AFL Trade Radio.

"I feel like rucks take a bit more time in the AFL system. I loved playing VFL for the first few years, but then had the AFL mindset. It was a long journey, but it made me resilient and made me a better person.

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"And as Steven King came on board, it felt like the stars aligned for me as he was a ruckman himself."

The squeeze at the Saints following the acquisition of Tom De Koning, while Max King will be seen as a new recruit after spending the entire 2025 season on the sidelines, was real.

The Moorabbin club is also keen to retain contracted ruck Rowan Marshall despite his desire to join Geelong.

However, that didn't play on Heath's mind in terms of his decision to leave the club, but more the chance to seek instruction from the game's best.

"I don't really think so (if TDK's arrival at Moorabbin impacted his decision), I was just attracted to coming to Melbourne to work with Max Gawn and Steven King," he said.

"It was too good to pass up."

Heath will join Brody Mihocek as fresh face at Melbourne as the club enters a new era.

Premiership players Clayton Oliver and Christian Petracca are expected to exit the club, while Charlie Spargo (North Melbourne) and Judd McVee (Fremantle) have already departed.

The trade period closes on Wednesday, 7:30pm (AEDT).