Will Brodie has had a checkered AFL story to say the least, and he now embarks on his third footballing chapter.
Having been a top 10 pick in the 2016 AFL draft, Brodie and the Gold Coast Suns were full of expectations when he was selected with pick nine.
However, after only managing 25 games across his first five seasons at the Suns due to a mix of inconsistency, injuries, and two COVID-affected years, Brodie was traded to Fremantle.
That was where he met Josh Carr.
MORE: AFL trade news, rumours, updates LIVE: Hawthorn come to the table with Merrett trade offer
In Brodie’s first season at Fremantle in 2022, Carr was his midfield coach in a year where the Dockers midfield was almost unmatched, and Brodie was at his best.
Brodie played all 24 games that year, setting career highs in every single statistical category, including averages of 26.8 disposals per game, 5.3 tackles, and 5.7 clearances.
He also played in Fremantle's first winning final in six years, an Elimination Final victory over the Western Bulldogs, and they are yet to have won a final since.
Now, Brodie embarks on his third stint after he was traded to Port Adelaide on Monday, and yet again is reunited with Josh Carr for his first season, and the similarities don’t end there.
At the Dockers, Brodie was in a midfield group surrounded by young guns such as Andrew Brayshaw and Caleb Serong, with veterans Nat Fyfe and David Mundy - which sounds eerily similar to young guns like Zak Butters and Jason Horne-Francis, and veterans such as Ollie Wines.
If Carr, who this time is pulling all the strings as head coach, can get the best out of Brodie like he did at Fremantle in a very similar midfield, a career renaissance is well and truly on the cards.