A chance meeting with Adelaide captain Nathan van Berlo in Broome a fortnight ago helped secure Eddie Betts as a Crow.

Betts, fiancée Anna and 11-month-old son, Lewis, escaped to the popular Western Australian tourist destination to weigh up their future following Carlton’s exit from the finals.

The two-time Blues leading goalkicker had received offers from Adelaide and North Melbourne, as well as his current club. As the couple contemplated whether to leave Carlton, where Betts is a Life Member, and uproot their young family they ran into van Berlo and his partner, Jess.

Not only did van Berlo provide Betts with a familiar face should he decide to join the Crows, ‘VB’ and Jess also provided reassurance to the young couple about a potential move interstate.

Was the encounter an act of fate? Maybe.

Regardless, it was pivotal in Betts’ final decision to become a Crow.

“We bumped into VB and Jess in Broome when everything was happening,” Betts said.

“To run into the Adelaide captain on holiday was pretty good. We had a bit of a chat and we all got along well. It definitely helped.

“(Afterwards) I sat down with Anna, and we had a chat about our future. We spoke about where we would live and if we wanted to make the change. We came to the decision that we would go to Adelaide.

“It was a pretty tough and emotional time. I’ve been at Carlton nine years and the club means a lot to me, but that’s life and now I move onto the team that I grew up barracking for all my life.

“It’s a dream come true.”

It’s a homecoming of sorts for Betts, who was born in Port Lincoln.

Betts moved to WA mining city Kalgoorlie with his mum at age 2 after his parents separated. The classy forward returned to Port Lincoln as a teenager to further his football at revered club, Mallee Park, where his second cousin, Graham Johncock, also played junior footy. His father, Eddie Robert Betts snr, still resides in Port Lincoln.

But it was a move to Melbourne as a teenager that changed Betts’ life.

Betts’ mother, Cindy, made the difficult decision to take her son to Melbourne after he fell in with the wrong crowd and risked wasting his enormous talent and life. She enrolled Eddie in a TAFE program for promising indigenous footballers, where he excelled. He won successive premierships with the Calder Cannons, where he played alongside new Crows teammate Richard Douglas, in 2003-04 and after being overlooked in the national draft was recruited by the Blues with pick No.3 in the 2005 Pre-Season Draft.

It’s family support like this Betts is keen to repay.

The security of a four-year deal with Adelaide and ability to provide for his family were significant factors in his decision.

“I’ve come from nothing. I had nothing growing up. None of my family owned their own house, so it’s been tough at times,” he said.

“Growing up, we shared a house with my mum’s sisters and brothers and their kids. There were about 16 of us in a three bedroom house in Kalgoorlie.

“To come from there to where I am now is fantastic. To set-up my family and put my son through college is part of why I made the move. I’m a big family person and we’re all pretty close.

“Once I get my immediate family sorted, I can look after my mum and dad.”

Getting drafted was only the start of the hard work for Betts.

The shy teenager didn’t finish his schooling and took literacy classes in his first three years at Carlton to help him with basic skills of reading and writing. He was also overweight as a result of a bout of osteitis pubis that plagued his draft year.

It was in these early days he established his trademark ‘baggy’ shorts.

“At the start of my career, I was a bit overweight,” he said.

“I lost some weight … but kept the same shorts. ‘Fev’ (Brendan Fevola) tells everyone they’re his shorts, so I run with that – Fev gave them to me and I wear big shorts.”

Now, Betts will continue the tradition of wearing oversized shorts at his new club.

Betts toured West Lakes earlier this week, meeting with former Carlton teammate Sam Jacobs, dual Club Champion Scott Thompson and new forward line partner, Taylor Walker. The loveable Lewis, whose middle name is ‘Edward’ in keeping with the Betts family tradition, stole the spotlight from his media-shy dad both at a press conference and around the Club.

“Lewis is very active. He loves his footy and he looks good in the colours, I reckon,” Betts said.

“Hopefully, I can (play 100 games to qualify for Father-Son at Adelaide) we’ll see how we go.”

Eddie and Anna were also invited to ‘catch-up’ with ‘VB’ and Jess over dinner during their stay.

A much-loved character at Carlton, Betts is keen to meet the rest of his new teammates.

“I’m just looking forward to getting to know all the boys and getting stuck into pre-season,” he said.

“They’re a fantastic club and I’m glad to be part of it. I see the Crows playing finals in the next year or two and the boys and staff are great from what I’ve heard.

“I’m excited and looking forward to the challenge.  I’m at a new club and starting fresh, so I’ve got to earn respect again.”

General Manager of List Development and Strategy David Noble predicted Betts would be an instant hit with the Crows faithful.

“Eddie is going to be massively embraced by our fans. They’re going to love him and what he offers,” Noble said.

“When you talk to people and investigate, they say his personality is absolutely infectious. It’s a fantastic boost for our Club and our supporters.

“Supposedly, it’s difficult to move people to Adelaide … but we’ve been able to secure a terrific addition to our Club.”