HAVING remained a contender with its return to the top four, Collingwood has turned over some key squad pieces and will look to regenerate at this year’s AFL Draft. Much of the Magpies’ intake will revolve around where a bid lands for their leading Next Generation Academy (NGA) talent, Zac McCarthy.

>> 100+ PROFILES: View the 2025 AFL Draft Guide

2025 RECORD: 4th H&A | 16-7 | 122.4% | Eliminated: Preliminary Finals
2025 PICKS: 39, 45, 56, 61, 77
FUTURE PICKS: ’26 R1, ’26 R2, ’26 R4, SYD ’26 R4 | ’27 R1, ’27 R2, ’27 R3, ’27 R4
ACADEMY/FATHER-SON NOMINEES: Zac McCarthy (NGA)

FIRST PICK:
Pick 39

Like many clubs among a compromised intake this year, Collingwood’s first pick will almost certainly change positions come draft night. NGA prospect McCarthy is viewed by several recruiting teams as a genuine first rounder, but whether a bid lands that early remains to be seen.

The most likely scenario is that a club calls out his name between picks 25-35, with the raw and mobile tall projecting as the long-term key position fold Collingwood fans have been crying out for. Whether as a new-gen athletic ruck or utility at either end of the ground, his upside is considerable.

While not formally committed, Collingwood is prepared to match for McCarthy as early as night one, although will be hoping a bid comes somewhere in the 30s. That will give the Magpies more freedom to go on and make as many as four selections, while an early bid may restrict them to only two live picks.

REMAINING CROP:
Picks 45, 56, 61, 77

Collingwood has addressed the immediate need for key position depth by recruiting Jack Buller from the Swans, in light of trading out Brody Mihocek and delisting Mason Cox. The McCarthy coup will also aid that department in the long-term, meaning midfielders will likely be the target area.

With Tom Mitchell also among the delistings, perhaps a clean inside extractor is on the cards with Collingwood’s second round pick. West Australian captain and MVP Fred Rodriguez fits the bill as a hard-working onballer, as does prolific teammate Sam Swadling – albeit more outside-leaning.

Perhaps, then, a player like Riley Onley fits the bill. The Magpies got a good look at him during preseason and he offers a point of difference to someone like Ned Long, being that tall midfielder who is also athletic. Similarly, Richmond VFL star Harry Scott is a readymade option in that mould.

Don’t rule out diminutive running machine Jack Dalton as another role-player for the engine room, either. Elsewhere, the Magpies are not shy on placing bids where they see fit, and Academy prospects like Kye Fincher (St Kilda) and Koby Coulson (Gold Coast) offer value as powerful midfielders.

Around the square, father-son candidate Thomas McGuane may even find his way to Collingwood via the rookie list having been told the Magpies would not nominate him for the National Draft. The clever, hard-running utility is the son of 152-game club champion, Mick.

Depending on how early the McCarthy bid falls, Collingwood will look at bringing in one to three more players. There is a strong hand of future picks to dip into, potentially ensuring the Magpies can snap up any second round sliders, although the quality of the crop takes a dip thereafter.

KEY QUESTIONS:

– How much stock will Collingwood have after the McCarthy bid?
– Are midfielders Collingwood’s primary target thereafter?
– Can Collingwood nab McGuane as a rookie pick?