Jake Stringer is officially a St Kilda player as the AFL delisted free agency period opened with a flurry of activity.
The Saints lodged the paperwork for the veteran goalkicker in a move that the club had already confirmed last month.
In other transactions to go through on Wednesday, Carlton signed former Collingwood player Wil Parker and North Melbourne confirmed the acquisitions of Elijah Tsatas, Samson Ryan and Darragh Joyce.
The Saints also added former Hawthorn big man Max Ramsden as part of a double boost.
Stringer last month said he is “grateful” to continue his AFL career at a fourth club when the Saints came with an offer.
The 32-year-old is fresh off a 48-goal season for the Giants and will give the Saints another avenue up forward. He has previously played for Essendon and the Western Bulldogs.
“Jake has a proven ability to hit the scoreboard and we believe he can add another dimension to our forward line,” St Kilda footy boss Lenny Hayes said last month.
“Jake’s experience and goal kicking ability will complement the talent we already have while giving us greater flexibility and depth in attack.
Ramsden, 23, has played 11 games in the past four years for the Hawks, used primarily as a forward. But he will likely be a back-up ruck to Tom De Koning at the Saints following the departure of Rowan Marshall to Geelong.
“Max’s mobility and follow-up work are real strengths when he plays in the ruck, and we’re excited to watch him continue to develop alongside Tom De Koning and Alex Dodson,” Hayes said.
“Max is another player we believe can add valuable depth and flexibility to our forward mix next season.”
Meanwhile, North Melbourne is happy to bring more experience into their side. Tsatas, Ryan and Joyce have all struggled for senior footy at their former clubs, but will give the Roos some valuable depth across the field.
“With a slightly more compressed draft hand this year, we made the strategic decision to be very active in the DFA period,” North Melbourne head of football Brady Rawlings said.
“Elijah already has a solid amount of experience under his belt, but we know he’s still got plenty of improvement ahead of him. Samson has six years’ experience in the AFL system and will give us added depth among our talls as he continues to develop his craft, and Darragh provides proven reliability and key-position flexibility that will strengthen our back half.
“We’re happy that Elijah, Samson and Darragh have signed with us, and our playing group is looking forward to welcoming them all.”
And Parker’s move to Carlton also became official after it originally floated during the trade period.
Parker, who played 14 games across three seasons at the Magpies, had already met with coach Josh Fraser and football manager Chris Davies, but was relieved to officially sign.
The 24-year-old has already worked under Fraser during his time Collingwood development coach.
“Everyone mentions the term, handshake agreement, but it never really settles the nerves until it’s finally official,” he said.
“Now that it is, I can rest a bit easy and keen to meet all the boys and really get started.”
Former St Kilda tall Isaac Keeler is another player expected to earn another chance with Port Adelaide set to swoop, although that could be as a rookie.
