For all intents and purposes, Zak Butters was going to head to Geelong and chose the Cats over the Western Bulldogs.
But the difficulty of a deal between the Kardinia Park club and Port Adelaide loomed as a sticking point for Butters, who wanted to make sure the Power received a hefty fee for his departure.
And this isn't the first time these two clubs have struggled on deals.
Reported on AFL Trade Radio, there has been existing bad blood between Geelong and Port Adelaide, dating back to 2012 when the Cats attempted to lure Travis Boak back to Victoria.
Boak was weighing up his future as the Power struggled in the AFL, while Geelong recently claimed the 2011 premiership.
Geelong sent over Chris Scott, Jimmy Bartel and Joel Selwood, and almost convinced Boak to swap the black and teal for the blue and white hoops.
Ultimately, they failed, and Boak became the captain of Port Adelaide, helping turn around the organisation and deliver multiple finals appearances, including featuring in the penultimate weekend.
A decade later, the Cats and Power squabbled over a trade for Esava Ratugolea. The utility eventually found his way to Alberton, but it was 12 months later than expected.
According to the report, the Power flatly refused to deal with Geelong in the discussions for Butters.
Given his restricted free agency status, Port Adelaide can match a bid and force a trade, with it being understood if he were an unrestricted free agent, he'd be a Cat.
But Geelong's reluctance on how they'd do a deal; Port Adelaide's distaste with the Cats and the Bulldogs' monster offer turned the star midfielder's head.
