North Melbourne defender Josh Gibson is now officially a Hawthorn player after the two clubs were able to agree to a trade deal during the opening minutes of AFL trade week on Monday.

The 25-year-old, who has played 65 games in the past four seasons, moves to the Hawks in exchange for the Hawks' second-round pick (selection 25) and third-round pick (41) in this year's draft with the Hawks also receiving the Kangaroos' fifth-round pick (49) as part of the deal.

The deal is a major coup for the Hawks as Gibson has emerged as one of the best young defenders in the AFL in recent seasons, playing every game this season and finishing fifth in the Kangaroos' best and fairest.

The recruitment of Gibson will help the Hawks cover the biggest deficiency in their failed premiership defence this season - their backline, which leaked goals all season as the Hawks became the first defending premier to miss the finals since Adelaide in 1999 as the club were unable to cover injured pair Trent Croad and Stephen Gilham for most of the season.

Gibson, who was not even allowed to attend the Kangaroos' best and fairest awards on Friday night after having earlier walked out on the club in a bid to move to Waverley Park, told the Hawks website he was thrilled to have succeeded in his bid to join the club.

"Joining the Hawks was a footballing decision for me," Gibson said.

"The club has given me the chance to play a role and I look forward in contributing to the future success of Hawthorn."

"I'd like to thank the Hawks for the opportunity and I look forward to playing my part."

North Melbourne football operations manager Donald McDonald said his club was pleased to have secured two additional draft picks higher in the draft order for Gibson for a player that had indicated he no longer wanted to be at the club.

"We will now have the opportunity to bring in two young players who desperately want to be at this club," he said.

"We have an extremely bright future and we're only interested in people who believe in where we're heading as an organisation."

The Hawks had previously failed to land prime targets in Bret Thornton of Carlton and Ryan O'Keefe of Sydney in past trade periods but Hawks list manager Chris Pelchen was delighted to have secured Gibson - a player that has long impressed the Hawks given his epic battles with champion spearhead Lance Franklin in recent seasons.

"We're obviously delighted to have completed the trade for Josh Gibson so early in AFL Trade Week," Pelchen said.

"Josh will become an important part of the Hawthorn defensive structure in 2010 and notably assist with the further development of emerging young players such as Ryan Schoenmakers and Brendan Whitecross in defence."

The Hawks can now turn their attention to trying to secure Port Adelaide star Shaun Burgoyne but are likely to have to give up their first-round selection (pick 9) in order to secure one of the AFL's most exciting stars, who has expressed his desire to leave Alberton.

But Port also wants one of the Hawks' young stars also as part of the deal but the Hawks have said that Port's top two targets in Jordan Lewis and Grant Birchall will not be part of any deal to secure Burgoyne.

That could open the door for Essendon to steal Burgoyne out of the Hawks' clutches by offering their first-round pick (selection 10) and pacy midfielder Andrew Lovett to Port Adelaide to secure the 2006 All-Australian.

However the Bombers will have to convince Burgoyne, who turns 27 later this month, to move to Windy Hill given he has stated his clear preference is to move to the Hawks where he would be united with former Port assistant coach and now Hawthorn coach Alastair Clarkson.