Wingard becomes Hawk after Port nab Burton

CHAD Wingard became a Hawthorn player after Ryan Burton agreed to Port Adelaide’s four-year contract while on a South Carolina golf trip with Hawks teammates.

Hawthorn and Port Adelaide yesterday collaborated with the Brisbane Lions to finalise a deal that also saw the Power send a future thirdround pick to the Hawks, while Hawthorn sent picks 15, 25 and a future fourth-round selection back to Port.

The Power then packaged pick 6, 35 and a future thirdrounder to Brisbane in ex- change for Sam Mayes and the Lions’ pick No.5 to move further up the draft.

Burton’s decision to join the Power came at 1am Australian time, a week after he was shattered by Hawthorn’s decision to trade him with two years to run on his contract.

The 21-year-old completed a medical in his Las Vegas hotel room, spoke to Power coach Ken Hinkley and got his head around joining the club he barracked for as a kid.

The Power yesterday said they would look to develop Burton as a midfielder or forward.

“The initial feeling was shock. We’d only re-signed with Hawthorn in July last year, but once we got through that … he got excited,” Burton’s manager Marty Pask said.

“It got to the point where, in the early hours of this morning, he was happy and excited to join Port Adelaide.”

Wingard’s exit was messy, with his “you’ll hear my side of the story” social media post angering the Power.

But the dual All-Australian and best and fairest winner changed tack after the deal was sealed. “To the fans, I have always loved you guys, and wish nothing but the best for the boys in the future,” he wrote.