AS CARLTON wallows in its worst start in nearly a decade, the real story behind Eddie Betts’ departure from the club can be revealed.

Betts, second on the Coleman Medal table and setting the Adelaide attack alight, left Carlton in 2013 when the now low-scoring Blues refused to meet the free agent’s asking price.

Betts’ father Edward was unwell, but this was a decision based more on money than a need to be closer to family.

Adelaide and North Melbourne made identical four-year offers to Betts that blew Carlton’s three-year proposal out of the water. The difference was as much as $900,000.

The goalsneak led the AFL in score assists from 2009-2013 and ranked fifth for scoreboard impact in that time, but Carlton chiefs refused to budge.

media_camera Eddie Betts left Carlton in 2013, Picture: Wayne Ludbey

Instead, they chose to fork out $2.8 million over four years to lure Dale Thomas from Collingwood, but insiders insisted the club could have afforded both.

Those close to Betts said the 28-year-old would still be wearing navy blue if a more competitive offer had been made.

“Look, in hindsight we shouldn’t have lost him,” a man involved in negotiations for Carlton said.

“At the end of the day we offered him a deal we thought was about right. He wanted more and we wouldn’t come at it and then he got offered a longer-term deal.

“He was pretty popular. It was really interesting when he left and finally came and said, ‘I’m going’. You could almost tell he didn’t want to, but he almost had to.”

The common belief is Carlton baulked at Betts’ price so it could fork out on Thomas, but that notion was rejected.

“They weren’t related, even though people don’t want to believe that. If we kept Eddie, that would have been fine,” the man said.

“We just didn’t feel that Eddie was worth the money he was asking for the length of time. With us, he was having a bad year and hadn’t played well in finals over the journey.”

Betts finished second in Carlton’s 2012 best-and-fairest. He won the goalkicking that year and in 2010 and was second in 2008, 2009 and 2011.

But 2013 was a battle. He broke his jaw in Round 1 and accidentally broke Saint Nathan Wright’s jaw in Round 7.

While Matthew Kreuzer, Lachie Henderson, Chris Judd and Bryce Gibbs all re-signed, Betts grew disenchanted with the watering-down of his onfield responsibilities under new coach Mick Malthouse.

While Carlton dithered with an offer, the Crows and Kangaroos were circling.

Feasting at the feet of big men Taylor Walker and Josh Jenkins, Betts this year leads all small forwards in marks inside 50m, ground ball gets, score involvements, goals and scoreboard impact, according to Champion Data.

He kicked 51.22 in his first year as a Crow in 2014.

The Crows have gone from supposedly overpaying to getting a bargain.

“He’s everything I thought he was and a bit more,” Adelaide coach Phil Walsh said at the weekend.

LISTEN TO BLUE-BAGGER SAM EDMUND ON EDDIE BETTS, THE BLUES AND A HEAP MORE IN THE ROUND 6 EDITION OF THE SUPERFOOTY PODCAST: