It's something that is probably taken for granted by the average footy punter.

A star player gets traded into another club and he is simply expected to instantly immerse himself in his new destination's culture and gameplan.

But, in reality, there are so many additional elements that are required for a smooth transition to take place.

Take Chad Wingard's situation as an example.

Growing up in the South Australian city of Murray Bridge, Wingard was drafted to Port Adelaide at the age of 18 and spent the next seven years building a reputation as one of the competition's most exciting talents.

Then, at the age of 25, the two-time All Australian is forced to uproot his life and forge a new path across a foreign border.

“You plan for it to go well, but you probably don’t realise how difficult it can be moving away from family," Wingard said whilst on the Hawks pre-season camp in Launceston.

The mercurial forward was also hampered by soft tissue injuries which hindered his ability to put a stamp on his opening campaign as a Hawk.  

In his second summer in the brown and gold though, Wingard says he has felt something click in recent months for both him as an individual and for the Hawks squad on a whole.

“I just want to repay the club," he said. 

“There is a path for us now, last year it was a lot about finding that path and what personnel and what game plan is best suited for the guys and I think we kind of found that in the last six weeks."