Carlton tall Hudson O'Keeffe wants to be a Western Bulldog, and the lure of more AFL opportunities, plus the connection with Luke Power, means the move makes sense.
O'Keeffe requested a trade to the Bulldogs last month after four seasons and eight games with the Blues since he was taken via the SSP in 2023.
The 21-year-old previously worked closely with Power, who was formerly Carlton's VFL coach, and helped with development at Ikon Park.
The three-time premiership Lion joined the Western Bulldogs 12 months ago as the head of development and has been a pivotal part in assisting the growth of the youth at the Whitten Oval.
Footscray Bulldogs star and AFL hopeful Cooper Craig-Peters said to Zero Hanger he was "blessed" to work with Power at the club, and he attributed a lot of his development to the work he's done with him.
"You've got Luke Power, another great footy mind that I've been blessed to work with, and the detail that he goes into. Even just the simple stuff of literally just making sure that my hips are open, putting my hand out to tell teammates where I'll be and making myself look a little bit bigger and more of a target instead of just screaming for it," he said.
"So that directional voice and making sure that I'm making myself appear as open as possible to my teammates allows me to get more of the footy and more of that outside use."
The Bulldogs' desire to bolster their ruck stocks to help Tim English was a necessity for Luke Beveridge, who tried youngsters Lachlan Smith and Louis Emmett in the role this year.
Caleb May was picked up in the mid-season draft in a bid to find English some assistance, while Rory Lobb helped out in times of need.
O'Keeffe toiled away in the VFL for the majority of the season as Carlton coaches Michael Voss and Josh Fraser favoured Marc Pittonet and Liam Reidy throughout 2026.
He played 17 reserves games and impressed on multiple occasions, including in Round 19 against Brisbane (five goals, 10 touches and 12 hitouts) and Round 21 against Footscray (three goals, nine possessions and 12 hitouts).
The acquisition of the tall Blue will also ensure Sam Darcy remains exclusively in the forward line.
The Western Bulldogs have already welcomed Jordon Butts from Adelaide as a free agent and are still working on how to land Zak Butters after he nominated the club as his preferred destination.
The Bulldogs have Picks 12, 31 and 53, with the latter selection likely to be used to secure O'Keeffe.
