They might be hometown rivals come 2017 but WA's biggest AFL recruits Sam Mitchell and Bradley Hill were all smiles as they made their way across the Nullarbor together this week.
The pair appear to be driving from Melbourne to Perth, with Hill posting a photo to his Instagram of the former Hawthorn teammates at the start of their 3500-kilometre journey on Wednesday.
He captioned the snap, "Cruising across the Nullarbor. Here we come WA".
The midfielders were traded from Hawthorn in October, with Mitchell moving to West Coast in what was the trade shock of the season, while Hill will head to the Fremantle Dockers to join brother, Stephen in 2017.
The West Coast Eagles in a Twitter post on Wednesday joked, "bet these guys can't wait for our first Derby".
The two WA teams are due to clash in Round six of the 2017 season, and again in Round 17.
At the time of his trade, Mitchell released a statement conceding his move "would have come as a shock" to Hawks fans "but hopefully you can understand the logic of this decision".
"At 34, with a young family and perhaps my best footy behind me, this all makes sense and it opens doors in terms of my next dream to be a coach," he said.
"Some of you will be angry and think the club and I have made a big mistake, which I understand, but emotion aside this is the right decision for myself and the football club.
"The thought of pulling on a new jumper, while still a little strange, is a great opportunity and has reinvigorated me for a new challenge."
Hill was traded to the Dockers in exchange for pick 23, which is the pick the Dockers got as compensation for Chris Mayne's move to Collingwood.
No word yet on whether the pair have arrived safely in Perth.
