North Melbourne recruit Caleb Daniel has opened up on his exit from the Western Bulldogs, believing he may have fallen out of favour at the Kennel due to "a lack of trust from the coaching staff".
Daniel sought a trade to Arden Street despite having two years to run on his contract, which has been doubled in length thanks to his switch to the Kangaroos.
The 28-year-old was one of three key players to leave the Dogs during the trade period, with midfielder Jack Macrae also seeking a move to St Kilda while being under contract while Bailey Smith requested a trade to Geelong.
Daniel managed to understand the club's decision to name younger players ahead of him at selection this year, with the premiership utility left to play in the VFL and fight for his spot on several occasions during the season.
Holding nothing against the club, the South Australian said it was "always going to hurt" to leave the club he won the 2016 flag with, noting he may not have been "pulling my weight" prior to his exit.
"You're always seeking to play AFL footy, and I was able to do that for nine years. Last year didn't pan out my way, probably through form and a lack of trust from the coaching staff," Daniel told media on Monday.
"They just went with a different mix. They wanted some speed off half-back and a couple of young guys in the midfield. That's up to the Western Bulldogs to choose their team and they went without me, which is fair enough if I wasn't pulling my weight and playing decent footy.
"Bevo (coach Luke Beveridge) is about ever-evolving and the football club is looking to always change and evolve. Sometimes he sees different qualities in different players and he decides to play them.
"A fresh start is sometimes really good for players. Some players seek that out as well. There's always those sort of opportunities.
"I loved my time at the football club for the 10 years I was there. The fresh start is exciting and I don't think it's anything towards the Bulldogs. They're looking to evolve and change the way they're playing.
"It's always going to hurt when people lose confidence in you. As a proud person, you never want that to happen. It does drive you, it drove me throughout the year to keep punching up and hold my head high."
Moving from Beveridge to Alastair Clarkson, who mentored the Western Bulldogs coach, Daniel said he is excited to be a leading voice at the Roos as they look to rise up the competition.
Joining premiership duo Jack Darling and Luke Parker, as well as young forward Jacob Konstanty in landing at North Melbourne this off-season, Daniel expressed his delight to be able to show his values as a loyal and passionate player.
"He spoke to me about the leadership aspect and trying to bring these guys up to standard and fully invest in what's happening at the footy club," Daniel said of his conversations with Clarkson.
"That's something I'll always do. I'm very loyal and I'm a team person. That's what I strive towards every day.
"[Clarkson] talked about that and positioning, whether or not I'll be playing in that half-back position or around midfield. It's exciting to be able to do a few things."
Daniel joins the Kangaroos following five successive bottom two finishes, with the Victorian club not featuring in finals since 2016.
The clean ball user said he sees a September return on the horizon at North Melbourne given the club's riches of talent coming through the ranks.
"I think really quickly (we can be pushing for finals)," Daniel added.
"It's hard to say as I haven't trained with the boys, but there's so much talent and it's extremely exciting to see what they'll be able to push for.
"Some of their young stars took a hold of the Bulldogs (in Round 16). I think they can push really quickly and hopefully I can bring some experience and push that a bit quicker."
North Melbourne will further add to their list at next month's draft window, holding Picks 2 and 62 for the AFL Draft on November 20-21.