Hawthorn sharpshooter Luke Breust has opened up on the "pretty hectic" 48 hours that saw him weighing up his future between the Hawks and Giants.
An 11th-hour bid for Breust from Greater Western Sydney emerged in the final days of the 2021 Trade Period, with first and second-round selections also changing hands as part of the tabled deal.
The Giants' advances came in the wake of forward Bobby Hill's desire to move to Victoria, with both Breust and teammate Chad Wingard having their name linked to the New South Wales club.
The Hawks pair were among a contingent of senior players that had their futures at Waverley placed under speculation, with president Jeff Kennett having hinted at the club's aggressive trade planning in a letter to members and soon igniting widespread intrigue.
Newly-appointed senior coach Sam Mitchell had flagged the club's list strategy to senior players through honest conversations, something that aided what was framing to be a confronting exchange period.
A phone call from Mitchell late into the trade window opened discussions around whether Breust would consider a move interstate for the final years of his career, something his coach had done in his own playing tenure.
โ[Sam] got on the front foot, was open and honest with me and we both sort of knew where we stood then,โ Breust told The Age's Peter Ryan.
โI feel like, from there, the process was easier for me then.โ
Having mulled over the decision after speaking with Giants coach Leon Cameron, Breust continued to weigh up his options to potentially take on a sizeable offer from Greater Western Sydney and end his 239-game stint with the Hawks.
With the clock ticking toward the trade period's closure, Breust opted to remain in brown and gold, despite a number of alluring factors from the Giants.
โIt was less than 48 hours to go so [it was] a pretty hectic period. Trying to make significant life decisions in that amount of time is always hard,โ Breust added.
โThere were a few ticks [for the Giants] but there were other sides to the argument that were pulling heavier than what the positives were.โ
Having signed a two-year extension in February last year, 2021 ended as a whirlwind 12 months for the 31-year-old, having seen his career-long coach Alastair Clarkson exit through a poorly-handled succession plan for the four-time premiership coach.
Despite the handover and difficult off-season conversations, Breust lauded Mitchell's honesty, understanding the role of his former teammate and new coach.
โFor him to get on the front foot and be open and honest with me โฆ as hard as the 40 hours were over the next couple of days, it was still made easier because we were able to be honest. If I had any issues I could call him straight away and that was a massive positive looking back on it,โ Breust said.
โAt the end of the day I was happy to stay here and put some work into these young guys. We have some exciting young guys here. Whether I am part of the next success, who knows, but if I leave and then there is a little bit of success afterwards then that is what I will be most proud of.โ
While several senior Hawks had their name tossed up as reported trade bait throughout the exchange period, only veteran ruckman Jonathon Ceglar departed the Waverley grounds, with Wingard, Tom Mitchell, Jaeger O'Meara and Jack Gunston joining Breust in staying with the Hawks.
Ceglar's switch to Geelong aided Hawthorn's planning to lure youth to the club, with young Magpies tall Max Lynch joining from Collingwood.
While they weren't able to overly bolster their draft hand, the Hawks came away from the trade and draft period with plenty of additional firepower, headlined by Pick 7 and Northern Knights midfielder Josh Ward.
The Hawks will officially begin their new era under Mitchell against North Melbourne on Sunday, March 20 - with Hawthorn fans set to get an earlier look into how their club will shape up in the pre-season, with matches against Collingwood and Richmond scheduled for the next month.
