By Sam McClure
St Kilda have secured their second multimillion-dollar signing in the space of two weeks as Carlton ruckman Tom De Koning committed to joining the Saints on an eight-year deal.
Competition sources confirmed to this masthead that the Saints upped their offer to De Koning from seven years to eight years to secure his signature.
Tom De Koning played his 100th game for the Blues last week.Credit: AFL Photos
The 26-year-old’s commitment comes a week after the Saints re-signed young star Nasiah Wanganeen-Milera on a two-year deal.
De Koning has played 100 games for Carlton since making his AFL debut in 2018. He gave a speech in the Blues’ rooms after his milestone match on Thursday night – a victory over Essendon that ultimately signalled his departure from the Blues.
After the Essendon game, De Koning indicated he would make a decision soon and expressed gratitude to Carlton. He said he was planning post-season a surfing holiday in Bali.
His departure is now confirmed, and he will officially confirm that to Carlton at his exit meeting for the 2025 season on Wednesday.
Carlton had been hoping De Koning would tell them as soon as possible whether he is staying or going to St Kilda as a restricted free agent, so they could plan their next moves with certainty.
It had previously been reported that St Kilda’s offer to De Koning was in the range of $1.7 million per season.
Carlton’s coach Michael Voss admitted post-game after their round 24 win over the Bombers: “We’re not [expecting] the best of news, but we’re holding on to that hope that it’s going to be here”.
De Koning did not say anything definitive about his future late last week, but what he didn’t say post-game, when he was left in the unenviable position of having to give a speech to a crowded room as the club recognised his 100-game milestone, spoke loudest.
His defection is a success story for the Saints, who have unsuccessfully targeted stars from other clubs in recent years, including young Giant Finn Callaghan, who spurned a similar offer to stick with GWS earlier this season.
Wanganeen-Milera re-signed with the Saints last week to become the AFL’s first $2 million man. The 22-year-old had fielded huge offers from Port Adelaide and Adelaide to return to South Australia.
St Kilda have been contacted for comment.
With Peter Ryan
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