Gibbs going home

Adelaide-bound, and tearful to leave Blues

BRYCE Gibbs tried to describe how much he loved Carlton yesterday, but the way his voice failed him said it all.

The 231-game Carlton veteran was finally traded to Adelaide 11 years after the Crows vowed to get him home and a season after an aborted trade.

Gibbs admitted yesterday after last year’s trade failed he had believed he would never get back to be closer to family during his footy career.

Then as he spoke of his love of Carlton he was visibly emotional, admitting calls to teammates Marc Murphy and Kade Simpson had been torturous.

It was a poignant note to depart on, and with the Blues having emerged as trade winners there will be few Blues fans angry with his loss.

“It’s been a big 24 hours, there have been a lot of mixed emotions. You can prepare as much as you want for the moment to happen but once it gets closer it certainly got a lot harder for me,’’ he said. “Once it was done it hit home a little bit. I don’t usually get too emotional but it pulled on the heartstrings.”

If Carlton fans were worried they might be bereft of midfield talent without Gibbs, their fears were assuaged yesterday. Again list manager Steve Silvagni pulled off a complicated set of trades, which, on face value, look to have moved Carlton closer to a premiership window.

For Gibbs the Blues received picks 10 and 16 and the Crows’ 2018 second-round pick but gave up their 2018 second and third-round picks. Then the Blues traded pick 16 for pick 28, 40 and a future second-rounder from the Dogs. They secured GWS midfielder Matthew Kennedy, a former pick 13, for selection 28 and picked up former Geelong firstrounder Darcy Lang for pick 58.

Port Adelaide ruckman Matthew Lobbe was secured for ruck depth at just pick 95, with the Power to pay a chunk of his $500,000 salary.