Welcome home Patrick Dangerfield.

With the Cats and Crows agreeing on a trade for the 25-year-old elite midfielder, Dangerfield will now represent the club he supported throughout his childhood.

Of course, Dangerfield isn’t the first high-profile player to join the Cats from another club. In fact, the timing of his arrival mirrors very closely two of the biggest names to land at the Cattery.

Brian Peake’s arrival, via helicopter, at Kardinia Park in 1981 was a major recruiting coup at the time.

Although Peake wasn’t playing VFL football prior to joining Geelong, he was one of the country’s most devastating players.

He had been East Fremantle’s captain and had played in two premiership sides.

Peake had also won a Sandover Medal and five straight club best and fairest awards.

Similarly, in the 2004 trade period the Cats prized All Australian ruckman Brad Ottens away from Richmond.

It wasn’t cheap for the Cats to bring Ottens in. They handed the Tigers pick 16 in the national draft, along with pick 12 that had been acquired from Melbourne for talented young midfielder Brent Moloney.

The decision to trade Moloney was extremely tough for the Cats, given the nuggety midfielder had grown up in the Western District heartland of the club.

While the three acquisitions may span 35 years, there is a common thread throughout.

All three were recruited not because they would be saviors of the Cats, but because their attributes, combined with the club’s list profile, meant they would complement the existing and promising playing groups.

In 1980, the Cats narrowly lost a preliminary final to Collingwood in disappointing finals series.

That year the Cats had performed as well as any side in the home and away season, but up against the class of Richmond and Collingwood they fell away.

The skill and tenacity of Peake was seen as vital to going a couple of steps further.

In 2004, the young Cats side had performed admirably throughout the home and away season before falling to powerhouse Brisbane in a tight preliminary final.

The side was full of young and exciting talent but lacked a key forward who could also shoulder some of the ruck load.

Ottens was seen as someone who could fill that role with aplomb.

History would show that Peake’s arrival didn’t result in the Cats taking the next step to premiership success.

Peake played 66 games across four seasons with Geelong before returning to East Fremantle.

The Ottens recruitment would be a much happier one for the Cats, with the big man becoming a key figure in the club’s golden era, which included three premierships.

And now the Cats find themselves in a similar position.

A young and exciting list, with a sprinkle of premiership heroes, will be complemented by the superstar midfielder.

The Cats have not obtained Dangerfield to be the difference between success and defeat.

What they have done is recruited a player in his prime, who, along with 45 teammates, will continue the club’s quest for greatness.