At the age of 27, Shaun Burgoyne will finally get to experience AFL life outside the Port Adelaide "bubble".

Burgoyne, a premiership star and All-Australian for the Power, was one of the biggest names to change clubs during the trade period.

And he freely admits he was chasing a new environment after spending his entire career in the Port Adelaide system.

"That's the main reason I wanted to change clubs and come to Hawthorn," Burgoyne said on Wednesday.

"I wanted to experience playing in Melbourne.

"Since I started my career I've been in the Port Adelaide bubble - I came up through the Port Magpies juniors, I lived with brother (Peter) and came to the Power and I haven't known anything other than that.

"Myself and my wife thought this was a great opportunity to move to Melbourne and experience something different and Hawthorn was the ideal location.

"I've been coached by (Alastair Clarkson) and Andrew Russell, the fitness guy and a couple of people I knew here so it was just the logical choice at the end of the day."

After AFL-sanctioned mediation, Burgoyne eventually made his way to Hawthorn as part of a complicated multi-club deal that netted the Power two first-round draft picks.

"I was pretty confident the trade would get done, it just took a lot longer than we thought," he said.

"I was always hoping they would be compensated and they were because I'd spent so many years there."

Burgoyne is still on crutches after recovering from knee surgery.

Hawthorn also swooped on North Melbourne defender Josh Gibson early in trade week.

"At the end of the year Hawthorn made an offer to myself and my manager and after reviewing it pretty closely we thought it would be a really good match," he said.

"They really wanted a defender and I thought that I could help them out and vice versa and get the best out of myself here.

"Also barracking for Hawthorn as a kid was a little added bonus."

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