Jack Steele was eager to see out the remaining two years of his contract at St Kilda, but when new Melbourne coach Steven King and the Demons came knocking, things quickly changed.
Steele and the Saints had mutually agreed to relinquish his captaincy for next year, a role he had held since 2021. But in his exit meeting, he was informed he could "explore" his options.
The 29-year-old would become victim of a new-look midfield, headed by Nasiah Wanganeen-Milera and recruit Sam Flanders, with St Kilda looking to go faster and younger.
The timely departures of Melbourne premiership duo Christian Petracca (Gold Coast) and Clayton Oliver (GWS) opened a vacancy at the Demons, which saw Steele as a genuine Demons prospect.
Steele was traded to the Demons for a 2027 third-round pick on deadline day, and his manager, Dave Trotter of Hemisphere Management Group, had previously revealed the emotional toll it took.
"It happened out of nowhere," Steele said.
"On the Monday, I sat down with Melbourne - they presented to me, and I really liked what they had to say. By Wednesday, it was all said and done, and I was a Demon.
"Kingy wanted to create a really fun and enjoyable environment, which really appealed to me.
"It just felt like the right time for a fresh chapter."
Steele was coming around to the idea of the new challenge, but when he received a call from captain Max Gawn, and started to think about who he could play with, the decision was all but sewn up.
"I think I was about 90 per cent over the line when I spoke to Maxy," Steele added.
"He's one of the best leaders and ruckmen in the game - the idea of playing alongside him was extremely appealing.
"Kozzy is obviously quite an exciting talent, so to play with him will be fun. But even Jack Viney. When he reached out to me and said 'welcome', I am sort of glad I'm not playing against him anymore because we normally go head-to-head."
Steele has been flagged as an immediate leader for Melbourne, and has already been seen down at Gosch's paddock training with the first-to-fourth-year players.
So we're the 2026 handsome premiers now?
Full gallery 📖 | https://t.co/fB8Fl1TOVt pic.twitter.com/83mTTA4d22
— Melbourne Demons (@melbournefc) November 12, 2025
The likes of Harvey Langford, Xavier Lindsay, Trent Rivers, Tom Sparrow and Caleb Windsor will benefit from his presence, which is something that King mentioned to Steele when they met during the trade period.
"We haven't gone into too much detail yet, but I'll be playing through the midfield," he said.
"In terms of leadership, I'll just focus on my footy and let that take care of itself."
Steele joined the Demons alongside Changkuoth Jiath, Brody Mihocek and Max Heath, with the latter following him from Moorabbin.
The former St Kilda pair will reunite with Jared Rivers and Alan Richardson, who both held roles at the Saints.
