Hawthorn legends Jarryd Roughead and Jordan Lewis have lifted the lid on the club's attempt to trade star forward Buddy Franklin in 2012.
A year before the spearhead signed a mega nine-year $10 million deal with the Sydney Swans, the Hawks had an inkling of his desire to move clubs.
Speaking on Fox Footy's The Golden Years, Roughead revealed that coach Alastair Clarkson ambushed Franklin at a Las Vegas hotel in the 2012 off-season after the Hawks lost to Sydney in the grand final.
Clarkson reportedly quizzed Franklin on his future plans in the unexpected meet up.
"As far as I know, it (the meeting) was more along the lines of 'if you are going to go, tell us now and we can maybe move you on and get something for you now," Roughead said.
"I think that was what Clarko was thinking. He's thinking ahead of the game. I think the compensation was your first round pick but above where you finish. We ended up getting pick 17 for losing Bud but Melbourne got a top 3 pick for James Frawley leaving two years later.
"If he wanted to go then, we could have moved him on quicker and potentially help us rebuild the list quicker or help us in some way.
"He didn't want the circus that went with Bud the next year. Clarko was looking at it from a club factor from how we can best help the club.
"But Bud was looking at it from 'well hang on, are you trying to get me to hurry up and sign or make a decision so you can move me on.'
"GWS had the number one pick (later used on Lachie Whitfield) and that's where everyone thought he was going. So at the end of 2012 the Hawks though they could maybe get the number one pick now."
Lewis said that Franklin's at times larger-than-life personality clashed with Clarkson's leadership.
"Clarko struggled at times to deal with big personalities. He liked people to be under the radar I suppose," he said.
"Buddy would sometimes rock up to the club with outlandish hair styles and he was a really sort of flamboyant. He was probably like Dennis Rodman, maybe not to that extent.
"Bud played his best football when he was happy and being himself. But sometimes Clarko didn't necessarily agree with what he was doing. It came to the point where it was little things where Clarko would try to control him.
"Bud wanted to stay at Hawthorn. He wanted to stay a one-club player and play his career out with Roughie and I. Unfortunately that relationship was too hard.
"Clarko was probably sick of trying to rein him in a lot of the time more on the field later on in his career. We'd have a side that was totally selfless in the way we played but he was naturally a big presence on the field and would attract the ball."
The pair both admitted they knew Franklin was gone in 2013.
"I think we both knew that he was gone. We never addressed it with him. We just thought it was one of those things where if he was going he's going. Or if he wants to chat to us, he will open up to us," Lewis said
Roughead added: "He'd say to us 'I'd love to tell you.' He wanted to but he never could. He'd be on the phone and there would be times where he wanted to tell us something.
"We were there for him if he never needed to but it (a chat) never eventuated.
"I think the decision had been made. He was always competitive.
"He didn't want to play for a GWS side that was probably not going to play finals. He wanted to be playing some good football at a side that was playing in September.
"Then when they came up with the deal that financially he agreed with, his decision was made. There were no decisions to be made through Roughy and I. His partner at the time was up there as well."
