North Melbourne has confirmed that star forward Ben Brown is available for trade.

The club announced in a statement on Wednesday evening that they would be wiling to part with the out-of-contract big man during the upcoming trade period.

โ€œItโ€™s not a decision weโ€™ve made lightly as Ben has been a tremendous part of our club since 2014,โ€ Kangaroos GM Football Brady Rawlings told North Media.

 

Brown has 130 games for the Kangaroos after making his debut in 2014, booting 287 goals over that span.

He has led the club's goalkicking on four occasions from 2016 to 2019.

It comes as North look to rebuild their playing list after a disappointing 17th-place finish season, confirming 11 delistings last week.

Rawlings said that he and coach Rhyce Shaw sat down with Brown last Friday to discuss the club's direction.

โ€œIt was a very honest discussion,โ€ he said.

โ€œBen was very mature and understood our decision.

โ€œWe will work with Ben and his management to secure a mutually beneficial outcome.โ€

Rawlings added: โ€œThese recent changes can be difficult for everyone involved, including our members, but they have been made in the best interests of the club,โ€ he said.

โ€œWe have a clear plan and pathway to lead this club back to finals as quickly as possible.

โ€œWe know our members will back us in and trust we are only interested in getting better across the board. We will use every avenue and mechanism available to achieve that.โ€