Saturday’s AFL grand final could provide the definitive answer to a long-debated AFL question: who won the Chris Judd trade?
The 2007 deal that sent Judd to Carlton and handed West Coast a rookie forward named Josh Kennedy remains a talking point more than a decade later as the Eagles prepare to face Collingwood in the premiership decider.
In many ways, the trade has been a win-win.
Judd made a huge impact at the Blues before retiring in 2015 while Kennedy has stamped himself as a West Coast great and their all-time leading goalkicker.
And after failing to fire a shot in the Eagles’ 2015 grand final loss to Hawthorn, Kennedy again finds himself on the AFL’s biggest stage.
A redemptive performance would go a long way towards securing a West Coast victory and a fourth premiership would surely cement the Eagles as winners of the Judd trade.
At 24, Judd had already etched his name in West Coast folklore after captaining the Eagles to the 2006 premiership.
A Brownlow and Norm Smith medallist, two-time All-Australian and dual club champion, the explosive onballer was at the peak of his powers when he told the Eagles he wanted to return to Victoria.
A bitterly disappointed West Coast eventually agreed to trade Judd in exchange for draft picks No.3 and 20 as well as key forward Kennedy.
Judd’s impact at Carlton was undeniable.
Best and fairest in each of his first three years at the Blues, Judd also secured another four All-Australian gongs and won a second Brownlow in 2010.
But the trade failed to bring the team success Carlton were craving.
The Blues made the finals in four out of Judd’s eight seasons but never progressed beyond the second week and have now gone five years without September action.
Two coaches were also sacked during his time at the club and a number of talented players departed.
Rocked by Judd’s departure, the Eagles managed just four wins in 2008, missed the finals again in 2009 and finished bottom of the ladder in 2010.
But in 2011 they finished top-four and knocked out Carlton in a classic elimination final – Kennedy booted 59 majors to top their goalkicking tally for the year.
West Coast have subsequently missed the finals just twice and Kennedy has become one of the AFL’s premier key forwards, winning two Coleman Medals and surpassing Peter Sumich as the Eagles’ all-time leading goalkicker.
The Eagles drafted Chris Masten and Tony Notte with the picks gained from the Judd trade.
Notte played just two games but the oft-maligned Masten has defied his critics to rack up almost 200 appearances in Eagles colours.
THE JUDD TRADE
* Carlton gave up Josh Kennedy and draft picks No.3 (Chris Masten) and No.20 (Tony Notte)
* West Coast traded Judd and pick No.46 (Dennis Armfield).
JUDD AT CARLTON
Brownlow Medallist 2010
AFL Players Association MVP 2011
4 x All-Australian (2008-11)
3 x Carlton club champion (2008-10)
Retired 2015
KENNEDY AT WEST COAST
2 x Coleman Medallist (2015-16)
3 x All-Australian (2015-17)
6 x West Coast leading goalkicker (2011, 2013-17)
West Coast’s all-time leading goalkicker (559 from 220 games)