MELBOURNE has finalised a deal that will see Jack Watts traded to Port Adelaide in exchange for selection No. 31 in this year’s NAB AFL Draft.

General manager of football operations Josh Mahoney acknowledged the difficult nature of the decision and thanked Watts for his service to the club.

“I would first like to thank Jack for his contribution to the Melbourne Football Club,” he told melbournefc.com.au.

“He will always be welcomed back to the club as a Melbourne person and we wish him the very best for the future.

“At the end of the year, we had a conversation with Jack regarding his future at Melbourne where we spoke openly about what is best for him and the club.

“We agreed that we would look at our options and we feel this outcome is the best thing for Jack as an individual and that’s why both parties have agreed to the deal.”

Mahoney said the decision was ultimately based on performance.

“There is no doubt that this has been a difficult decision for the club to make but the list management group felt that Jack’s consistency of performance while at Melbourne hasn’t been at the level expected of a player with his experience,”” he said.

“This may be attributed to the fact that Jack has attracted immense public interest from day one. This has no doubt placed an unfair amount of pressure and expectation on Jack throughout his career at Melbourne and both parties feel like a change of environment and a fresh start will be the best thing for Jack’s career.

“We know that Jack is a well-liked character but we’ve based this decision on performance and what is best for both parties.

“While this has been a hard football decision, we have made great strides in rebuilding our playing list and we will continue to make hard decisions to ensure that we take the club to where our supporters want it to be, which is a club capable of sustained success.”

Watts said he was grateful for his time at Melbourne and paid tribute to the club’s supporters as well as his teammates.

“I want to thank all of the supporters and everyone at the Melbourne Football Club. The supporters have been tremendous to me over the years and I can’t thank them enough,” he told melbournefc.com.au.

“I have no hard feelings towards the club. I know it’s difficult to leave as I have always enjoyed playing for Melbourne but I think a clean break is the best thing for me and I’m looking forward to the next stage of my career.”

“I also want to acknowledge and thank all of my teammates who have been awesome to play with. I know the club is on the right path and I wish the boys nothing but success in the future.”

Watts played 153 games for Melbourne from 2009-17 after being the No.1 draft pick in the 2008 NAB AFL Draft.

He was recruited from East Sandringham/Brighton Grammar/Sandringham Dragons.

His 2016 season was his best at Melbourne, when he booted 18 goals and finished fifth in the club’s best and fairest award.

This year, he played 16 matches and kicked 22 goals.