Mid Season Draft

[Jen2310]

Jen2310 what is the likelihood of all 3 being ready to.playnim Collingwood vfl this weekend?

Not sure how the paperwork with regards to transferring from another league to the AFL and the vfl, but is there time to get the tall approved and be allowed to play this weekend ?

Dont think that should be a problem. Las year, Steele and Noah arrived from WA/SA one day, trained with the vfl that night and played vfl that weekend.

 

[The Phantom]

Dont think that should be a problem. Las year, Steele and Noah arrived from WA/SA one day, trained with the vfl that night and played vfl that weekend.

Agree.
The newbies are now afl listed players. Fastest way to teach them game plan and have them contribute is to…
(Tell ‘em pablo disco bar )

And these guys and their teams would have known that they were a chance to be selected. They’ll be prepared to shift.

 

[Scodog10]

That’s for sure.
The birth certificate dictates whether you play here.

West will be dropped on the back of this sadly

I understand that I’ve countered your opinion already, but I just wanted to follow up by asking what your approach would have been last night to ensure we brought in 3 ready made 22yo future AFL players? This is how I would break down how the night panned out for us:

• Carlton take the first player on our board, Riley.
• Herbert, HHK and Coe make it through to our first pick.
• We know Coe will land at the Dogs if we pass and HHK is likely to the Crows. We get to find out what our priority in this draft is and it’s a ruck.
• Having chosen Coe we’re all in on Herbert making it to 15. He’s off the board at 13.
• We select Puncher who I have to assume you’re fine with based on his birth certificate and literally nothing else.
• We lastly take Pod who every man and his dog with half a brain knew was a lock as soon as Elliott went down.

I’m left asking myself what path could you have possibly taken that would have resulted in a better outcome from your perspective?

As an FYI the draft moving to a Tuesday night will allow an extra session for the three of them to integrate. Puncher would already be in Melbourne, or will arrive shortly, so I’d be surprised if all 3 aren’t playing VFL on Saturday.

 

[granniewolf]

The 2026 list breakdown by age groups (including our latest recruits)

18-22

• Zac McCarthy [18] = 27/10/2007
• Jai Saxena [19] = 27/07/2007
• Tyan Prindable [19] = 25/01/2007
• Sam Swadling [19] = 16/01/2007
• Will Hayes [20] = 16/05/2006
• Joel Cochran [20] = 28/03/2006
• Charlie West [20] = 1/02/2006
• Noah Howes [20] = 28/10/2005
• Harry DeMattia [21] = 11/09/2005
• Iliro Smit [21] = 9/08/2005
• Tew Jiath [21] = 2/03/2005
• Jakob Ryan [22] = 20/09/2004
• Ed Allan [22] = 26/05/2004
• Harvey Harrison [22] = 10/11/2003

23-27

• Liam Puncher [23] = 26/08/2003
• Oscar Steene [23] = 23/08/2003
• Angus Anderson [23] = 25/03/2003
• Ned Long [23] = 5/02/2003
• Nick Daicos [23] = 3/01/2003
• Reef McInnes [23] = 12/12/2002
• Wil Parker [24] = 29/05/2002
• Roan Steele [24] = 22/10/2001
• Jack Buller [25] = 16/05/2001
• Beau McCreery [25] = 19/04/2001
• Bobby Hill [26] = 9/02/2000
• Isaac Quaynor [26] = 15/01/2000
• Harrison Coe [26] = 10/11/1999
• Mitch Podhajski [27] = 4/01/1999
• Harry Perryman [27] = 19/12/1998
• Josh Daicos [27] = 26/11/1998

The age of the players is their age on the day of the 2026 Grand Final.

Not to nitpick but Angus's birthday is 25th May not March.

 

[granniewolf]

I think Pods will make up for it. He'll kick plenty of goals for the pies in the years to come. Very happy with this selection

Me too.

 

[Rorzza]

Good mid season draft, as discussed it looks like O'Bree filled gaps/list needs, excellent!

 

[Vicky Park]

Mid-season rookie on a contract until the end of the season gets a mandated $58,000 base + $4,000 senior match payment, and an additional $20k if they're not retained for 2027, so if he plays 5 games but gets delisted at the end of the year, he'll make $98,000 to play footy and train for 5 months.

Then he can go right back to being a sparky.

If he plays five senior games this year, he almost certainly won’t be delisted. But otherwise your point taken.

 

[Vicky Park]

The 2026 list breakdown by age groups (including our latest recruits)

18-22

• Zac McCarthy [18] = 27/10/2007
• Jai Saxena [19] = 27/07/2007
• Tyan Prindable [19] = 25/01/2007
• Sam Swadling [19] = 16/01/2007
• Will Hayes [20] = 16/05/2006
• Joel Cochran [20] = 28/03/2006
• Charlie West [20] = 1/02/2006
• Noah Howes [20] = 28/10/2005
• Harry DeMattia [21] = 11/09/2005
• Iliro Smit [21] = 9/08/2005
• Tew Jiath [21] = 2/03/2005
• Jakob Ryan [22] = 20/09/2004
• Ed Allan [22] = 26/05/2004
• Harvey Harrison [22] = 10/11/2003

23-27

• Liam Puncher [23] = 26/08/2003
• Oscar Steene [23] = 23/08/2003
• Angus Anderson [23] = 25/03/2003
• Ned Long [23] = 5/02/2003
• Nick Daicos [23] = 3/01/2003
• Reef McInnes [23] = 12/12/2002
• Wil Parker [24] = 29/05/2002
• Roan Steele [24] = 22/10/2001
• Jack Buller [25] = 16/05/2001
• Beau McCreery [25] = 19/04/2001
• Bobby Hill [26] = 9/02/2000
• Isaac Quaynor [26] = 15/01/2000
• Harrison Coe [26] = 10/11/1999
• Mitch Podhajski [27] = 4/01/1999
• Harry Perryman [27] = 19/12/1998
• Josh Daicos [27] = 26/11/1998

28-29

• Patrick Lipinski [28] = 17/07/1998
• Lachie Schultz [28] = 30/11/1997
• Lachie Sullivan [29] = 25/09/1997
• Dan Houston [29] = 12/05/1997
• Billy Frampton [29] = 20/11/1996

30+

• Brayden Maynard [30] = 20/09/1996
• Jordan De Goey [30] = 15/03/1996
• Darcy Moore [30] = 25/01/1996
• Darcy Cameron [31] = 18/07/1995
• Daniel McStay [31] = 24/06/1995
• Tim Membrey [32] = 26/05/1994
• Jack Crisp [32] = 2/10/1993
• Jamie Elliott [34] = 21/08/1992
• Steele Sidebottom [35] = 2/01/1991
• Jeremy Howe [36] = 29/06/1990
• Scott Pendlebury [38] = 7/01/1988

The age of the players is their age on the day of the 2026 Grand Final.

Really appreciate this work.

 

[PonsfordMagpie]

Not to nitpick but Angus's birthday is 25th May not March.

Thanks for pointing it out. All fixed.

 

[jimmy35]

Good mid season draft, as discussed it looks like O'Bree filled gaps/list needs, excellent!

I absolutely love what they done here. 3 big areas of need filled overnight.
We’re not going to get Jack Regan, Peter McKenna and Len Thompson out of these guys but they should be pretty ready to go and fill areas of need for us.

 

[gouki88]

I absolutely love what they done here. 3 big areas of need filled overnight.
We’re not going to get Jack Regan, Peter McKenna and Len Thompson out of these guys but they should be pretty ready to go and fill areas of need for us.

Two dead blokes and another turning 80 soon would have been some serious left field thinking though

 

[granniewolf]

Really happy with these selections. Have to say there were a few surprises in the draft.
Liam Puncher was a bit of a smokey.
Had to laugh at the who? comments after his name was called.

 

[gouki88]

Really happy with these selections. Have to say there were a few surprises in the draft.
Liam Puncher was a bit of a smokey.
Had to laugh at the who? comments after his name was called.

We do love a left field selection

 

[WanderingDude]

Really happy with these selections. Have to say there were a few surprises in the draft.
Liam Puncher was a bit of a smokey.
Had to laugh at the who? comments after his name was called.

No rookie me link for Coe and just minimal information on Puncher. Puncher’s highlights are about 1 minute, even from the club. Makes their arrival even better with unknowns. Highlight clips are a start point quickly discarded.

 

[unplugged]

Last night gave me more reassurance that it's essentially worthless to read lead-up articles about all of the state league players before the MSD, because clubs are generally using it as an emergency lever.

I was in a meeting for the duration of it, so when I came out I saw all 3 picks. Nearly drove off the road when I saw Ruck, KPD and (arguably) KPF.

 

[Jen2310]

Collingwood​

Pick 8: Harrison Coe (Frankston)

Oscar Steene's cruel ACL blow opened the door for the Pies to target a ready-made ruckman and Coe has been a dominant force in the VFL this season. The 204cm 26-year-old has averaged 23 disposals per outing for the Dolphins and taken big marks around the ground as a premier aerial presence at the lower level. With a tandem ruck proving fruitful alongside Darcy Cameron

14

Darcy Cameron

Age

30

Ht

204cm

Wt

103kg

Pos.

Ruck

Career

Season

Last 5

D

6.0

1star

K

3.3

1star

HB

2.7

2star

CL

0.3

2star

HO

5.3

5star

D

7.5

2star

K

4.5

2star

HB

3.0

2star

CL

0.5

3star

HO

3.5

5star

D

6.0

2star

K

3.3

2star

HB

2.7

3star

CL

0.3

2star

HO

5.3

5star

there's scope for Coe to debut for the Pies this year.

Pick 15: Liam Puncher (Woodville-West Torrens)

Defender by name, defender by nature. Puncher was a Sydney Swans Academy graduate but the 22-year-old has improved rapidly in the SANFL to get his opportunity with Collingwood. He's an interceptor at 195cm and looks comfortable rolling off his man to impact aerially as has been Craig McRae

Craig Mcrae

Age

52

Ht

176cm

Wt

73kg

Pos.

Fwd

Career

Season

Last 5

D

12.9

3star

K

9.0

3star

HB

3.9

3star

M

2.4

3star

T

1.9

4star

G

1.2

4star

No current season stats available

D

16.2

4star

K

10.6

4star

HB

5.6

4star

M

1.8

2star

T

1.2

3star

G

1.4

5star

's defensive system. He's another candidate to earn a debut in 2026 given Reef McInnes' knee injury and Darcy Moore

30

Darcy Moore

Age

30

Ht

203cm

Wt

100kg

Pos.

Def

Career

Season

Last 5

D

11.1

3star

K

7.0

3star

HB

4.1

3star

M

4.8

5star

T

1.6

4star

MG

169.1

3star

D

13.9

3star

K

7.3

3star

HB

6.6

4star

M

4.9

5star

T

0.7

1star

MG

182.0

3star

D

6.8

2star

K

4.2

2star

HB

2.6

3star

M

2.6

3star

T

1.8

4star

MG

87.4

2star

's injury struggles.

Pick 17: Mitch Podhajski (Coburg)

One of the best stories to come out of the MSD is Podhajski, a journeyman state league star finding his AFL chance as a 27-year-old. The Pies clearly see an immediate role for the Lions goalkicker who has kicked 17 majors in 2026. At 191cm he competes well in the air but his strengths come as a roaming forward that slips into dangerous space and converts his opportunities. There's some similarities in game style to Brody Mihocek

28

Brody Mihocek

Age

33

Ht

192cm

Wt

99kg

Pos.

Fwd

Career

Season

Last 5

D

11.9

3star

K

8.2

3star

HB

3.7

3star

M

5.3

5star

T

2.0

4star

G

1.6

5star

D

8.4

2star

K

6.3

3star

HB

2.1

2star

M

4.3

4star

T

1.9

3star

G

1.7

5star

D

10.2

3star

K

6.4

3star

HB

3.8

3star

M

4.6

5star

T

1.8

4star

G

1.6

5star

who departed the club last off-season.

Mid-season draft wrap: What each of the draftees can bring to your club

On Tuesday night, 18 more AFL dreams were realised in the 2026 mid-season draft, with Essendon selecting dashing defender Jaxon Artemis with pick 1. Here's what each prospect adds to their team's list.

www.espn.com.au

 

[larrikan]

For all the demands we get a KPD, we have now done that
Unfortunately we needed a ruck with Steene down. We had a few to choose from and chose Coe so trust he will fill a role.
Sadly, Jamie went down so we had a bonus third pick to fix some goal kicking issues (long is not the answer)

Have we made a mistake not picking Marcus Herbert?
He has a good argument being best player in draft
Time will tell.
Harrison Coe looks a need and likely would have been taken by Dees and will be fighting for a spot with Smit in 2027 but Herbert looks a 6-7 year prospect and 100-150 gamer that could release Josh into the middle.

O’bree knows him as well as anyone. There must be a list need why we passed because it looks like Coe or May could have got through to our second pick.

It feels like we really wanted Coe as the number one priority.

 

[Daicos Torpedo]

It was my birthday yesterday...
58 years young.
I'm hoping that the addition of these three gentlemen, will be the gift that keeps on giving!!

 

[tmpies01]

You guys have got a ripper in Pod. Smart, high character teammate with a great work ethic who is duly rewarded after 100+ games in the VFL. He absolutely has the ability to come in and make an instant impact in the Collingwood forward line.

A ripper indeed. I love this guy already.

Sounds like he’s going to be one of McRae’s favourites. Confidence all over him, because he’s done the mountain of work. Stoked!

 

[HFF]

I understand that I’ve countered your opinion already, but I just wanted to follow up by asking what your approach would have been last night to ensure we brought in 3 ready made 22yo future AFL players? This is how I would break down how the night panned out for us:

• Carlton take the first player on our board, Riley.
• Herbert, HHK and Coe make it through to our first pick.
• We know Coe will land at the Dogs if we pass and HHK is likely to the Crows. We get to find out what our priority in this draft is and it’s a ruck.
• Having chosen Coe we’re all in on Herbert making it to 15. He’s off the board at 13.
• We select Puncher who I have to assume you’re fine with based on his birth certificate and literally nothing else.
• We lastly take Pod who every man and his dog with half a brain knew was a lock as soon as Elliott went down.

I’m left asking myself what path could you have possibly taken that would have resulted in a better outcome from your perspective?

As an FYI the draft moving to a Tuesday night will allow an extra session for the three of them to integrate. Puncher would already be in Melbourne, or will arrive shortly, so I’d be surprised if all 3 aren’t playing VFL on Saturday.

I’m not against making needs based selections…on the contrary I don’t have an issue with selecting a ruck or a key back.

The issue I have is, are we purely focusing on the last 10 games of the season only?

Did we select the best prospects in terms of their ability to make the grade or did we just select the best “ready made” prospects to select for the rest of the season because we have a history of not really trusting younger players to fill roles?
Do we understand where this list is at?
Do we really expect to make a flag tilt with this current group of players to top up with so many mature agers post the age of 27?

We talk about players coming in, developing, learning the system before getting games…yet we bring in players who are magically now going to pick all this up in a matter of weeks and hit the ground running?

Look at every prospect taken last night…and 99% of clubs have taken younger prospects.
We decide it’s best to go the opposite way like we aren’t already flushed with mature bodies primarily.

We are trying to seriously hang on for dear life ….it reeks of desperation to me.

I hope to be proven wrong but we missed an opportunity to think beyond this season only.

 

[gouki88]

View attachment 2622282
A ripper indeed. I love this guy already.

Sounds like he’s going to be one of McRae’s favourites. Confidence all over him, because he’s done the mountain of work. Stoked!

That final point he made about being an active defender as a third tall forward jumped out at me - it’s something Elliott has done really well for a long time and would be a real difference maker for Pod vs Membrey, for example

 

[stormskye]

I’m not against making needs based selections…on the contrary I don’t have an issue with selecting a ruck or a key back.

The issue I have is, are we purely focusing on the last 10 games of the season only?

Did we select the best prospects in terms of their ability to make the grade or did we just select the best “ready made” prospects to select for the rest of the season because we have a history of not really trusting younger players to fill roles?
Do we understand where this list is at?
Do we really expect to make a flag tilt with this current group of players to top up with so many mature agers post the age of 27?

We talk about players coming in, developing, learning the system before getting games…yet we bring in players who are magically now going to pick all this up in a matter of weeks and hit the ground running?

Look at every prospect taken last night…and 99% of clubs have taken younger prospects.
We decide it’s best to go the opposite way like we aren’t already flushed with mature bodies primarily.

We are trying to seriously hang on for dear life ….it reeks of desperation to me.

I hope to be proven wrong but we missed an opportunity to think beyond this season only.

We took a 26 year old ruck because we have nobody if Cameron gets injured. Pretty obvious tbh.
We took a 22 year old KPd because we seriously lack in that area.
We when took 27 year old Pods likely as best available. He’s not a KPF, seems a more mobile third tall, and with Elliot gone, membrey on way out we lack talent here.

There’s nothing desperate about our selections at all. They balance the list

 

[manicpie]

For all the demands we get a KPD, we have now done that
Unfortunately we needed a ruck with Steene down. We had a few to choose from and chose Coe so trust he will fill a role.
Sadly, Jamie went down so we had a bonus third pick to fix some goal kicking issues (long is not the answer)

O’bree knows him as well as anyone. There must be a list need why we passed because it looks like Coe or May could have got through to our second pick.

It feels like we really wanted Coe as the number one priority.

Herbert's disposal both by hand and foot is really average. Probably a big reason why we avoided him

 

[stormskye]

Herbert's disposal both by hand and foot is really average. Probably a big reason why we avoided him

O’bree has been at Geelong. He’d know a lot more about him than anyone on here. Reality is hardly anyone picked up by all clubs will move the dial much. We’ve atleast got some basic coverage/break glass depth if need be

 

[gouki88]

O’bree has been at Geelong. He’d know a lot more about him than anyone on here.

Yeah, I liked him but given our familiarity with him us not selecting him makes fine with it