It had been on the cards and was speculated about for many months, but things really ramped up on July 24 when Nick Dal Santo penned a column for The Age newspaper titled, 'Talk of trades takes its toll on the players'.  In it, the experienced midfielder opened up about potentially being on the table during the trade period.

"You think of past horror trade stories such as guys coming out of surgery to discover they now play for a team on the other side of Australia; it's only natural with this speculation that I have moments of wondering what this all means for me.  "Are you getting traded?'' It's a question I've been asked frequently in the past couple of weeks.

"I've never entertained the idea of leaving the Saints."

Dal Santo had been forced to face the prospect of moving on with St Kilda looking to rebuild.  His coach Scott Watters had been on the record to establish a new vision for the club.

"Our supporters aren't fools, they understand our group," Watters had said in April.

"We are making change - we've made change over 12 months - and we will continue to evolve our group."

Dal Santo had already seen others leave the club including coach Ross Lyon to Fremantle, Luke Ball to Collingwood and Brendan Goddard to Essendon.  

"It also gave us a greater understanding of the new world of free agency," Dal Santo wrote.

"The players wanted it (free agency), so we have to deal with it and embrace it. And as BJ (Goddard) starts to have success at Essendon, it makes it even easier to understand how the process can work for the player."

Most recently, Ben McEvoy was traded to Hawthorn.

The media focussed on Dal Santo's future for much of the year, floating the idea that his contract could be torn up if both he and the Saints agreed to part company and allow him to become a restricted free agent.  

In April, the Herald Sun's Jon Ralph asked Dal Santo about his thoughts on the Saints' supposed 'rebuild'.

"How do I see it?  Whether it's called rebuild or whether it's called fresh blood, it's needed. There is no doubt about that.

"It is a dangerous word," Dal Santo said.

"In the past we have had a pretty solid, set team for quite a while and things have changed a bit and that's the way footy goes.

"For me personally, I always strive for a premiership, so it doesn't really change my day-to-day actions, or my thoughts on where we are at."

Dal Santo even admitted his contract situation was confusing.

"I don't really understand what it all means, to be honest. All I know is I have a contract next year if I am able to keep walking and I am feeling OK," he said.

"I don't understand all that other stuff (about triggers and clauses), but I do have a contract if I am still here."

In May, Dal Santo dominated the headlines again, this time in The Age with Jake Niall discussing his future.

"In the media, Dal Santo has suddenly become a topic," Niall explained.

"In part, this is because he has struggled in a team that is heading down the rebuilding road. Some commentators have raised the possibility of him leaving the Saints. Matthew Lloyd suggested on Footy Classified that a move to a contending team might refresh Dal Santo.

On July 23, Ralph detailed the complexity of the issue facing St Kilda and likened it to the one the club faced with Goddard.

"St Kilda is faced with the same conundrum this year, in considering how to best maximise the services of a 29-year-old Nick Dal Santo who comes out of contract in 12 months," Ralph said.

During several appearances on Channel Nine's The Footy Show, Dal Santo was bombarded with questions on his future but maintained he wanted to remain with the club he began his career at.

The story however, would not go away.  North Melbourne soon came into the frame.

"It can be revealed the Roos first approached Dal Santo's management, Stride Sports, mid-season," The Herald Sun's Jay Clark reported.

"Dal Santo, 29, has told the rebuilding Saints he is happy to stay for a 13th season, but would leave to help a rival win a premiership if St Kilda decided to deal."

Former Kangaroo Wayne Schwass liked North's thinking.

"Clubs probably think if you stop (Daniel) Wells and stop (Brent) Harvey, you stop North Melbourne, but if you add Dal Santo, then who do you tag?" Schwass said.

"So he's definitely worth getting, but only if he is willing to get super-fit over summer so that can run his opponents into the ground."

It was revealed in early October Dal Santo had met with key North coaching staff and its leadership group including Drew Petrie.  Essendon also emerged as a contender to lure the Saint.

"It was just a mutual discussion about him wanting to know about North and about us asking him about his intentions going forward," Petrie said of the meeting with Dal Santo.

"It was just (about finding out) if he wanted to come to us, he wanted to find out about North Melbourne and we wanted to find out about Nick's intentions and how much longer he thinks he can play and where he can play positionally."

"It's still his decision and it's up in the air and it has to be done through the right processes. I'm hearing it's out of two, Essendon and us, and strange things have happened in the trade period," Petrie said.

"Nick's a classy footballer and he'll complement our midfield at the moment. we've got some good youngsters along with Brent Harvey and Daniel Wells so to throw in Nick if we got him into that mould as well would just give us a little bit more depth again and a bit more quality," Petrie added.

North made an offer, but was forced to wait for an answer with Dal Santo and St Kilda working together to reach a mutually beneficial arrangement.  As the month of October entered its third week, there was still a chance he could stay a Saint.

"Our discussions with Nick have been really positive and we'd really like to have Nick at our club, but it's very much up to St Kilda now to talk to Nick and for both parties to decide what they want to do," Brad Scott said on the opening day of the Trade period.

"I think Nick is very much in discussions with St Kilda as to what's best for that club. Nick quite rightly is a St Kilda player and he wants to do what's best by St Kilda.

"I think once both parties have come to an agreement as to which is the best way to go for their club then they'll let us know.

"But we've registered our interest, we really like him, we think he'd fit into our playing group really well. But it's a matter for St Kilda and Nick to work that out."

Essendon made a bigger play with the free agency window closing.

"There's a chance he could stay, there's also a chance he could move," Dal Santo's manager Tom Petroro told AFL.com.au's Trade Week Radio.

"I will say that throughout this process Nick was aware there were two options and that was staying or going.  Nick's never gone through the process basically saying one out 'I'm staying at St Kilda or I'm going to North Melbourne'.

"He's understandable that each party needs to win out of the situation and until we get to a decent compromise, we're still not sure how it will unfold."

"The AFL have given us the undertaking that if both parties, that's St Kilda and Nick, choose to tear up that clause, and make it null and void, Nick would be declared a free agent," Petroro said.

"It would have to be a mutual agreement. If that means the best deal is achieved for all parties, then yes (he might become a free agent)."

North remained in the box seat.

"At present North Melbourne is the main club I've spoken to throughout the process," Petroro said.

"It's obviously been reported throughout the last couple of months that Essendon has some interest.

"At this time, our discussions are continuing with both those clubs, but North Melbourne and St Kilda have obviously been the most proactive."

There's no doubting it, Dal Santo was torn and the decision was an emotional one.  But finally on October 17 after several weeks of wheeling and dealing, a resolution was reached and he became a Kangaroo.

"We identified Nick early as a player we wanted and we are thrilled to have finally landed him," North's List Manager Cameron Joyce said.

"He will be a valuable addition to the team for many years to come.  Nick is an experienced, elite midfielder who will add depth to our list and bring some real class.

"It's been a long negotiation, but I want to thank St Kilda and Nick's manager Tom Petroro for the way they conducted themselves throughout this process."