Five trade targets for every AFL club: Collingwood

Collingwood had a busy trade period at the end of the 2022 season, picking up Brownlow medallist Tom Mitchell, small forward Bobby Hill, forward and ruck option Dan McStay and the versatile Billy Frampton, who has been one of the value-for-money recruits of the season.

After such an aggressive trade period, it is unlikely Collingwood will attack hard again this year, with list guru Derek Hine noting on Gettable they would look for "one or two new additions."

In this part of our club-by-club AFL trade targets series, we've taken a look at the potential off-contract players Collingwood could look to lure to the AIA Centre.

Adam Tomlinson

Tomlinson hasn't had the impact he would've hoped for since crossing to Melbourne from GWS, playing just 33 games across four seasons. Instead, the Demons have favoured Steven May, Jake Lever and Harrison Petty for their backline.

Tomlinson was open to moving clubs during last year's trade period, with Melbourne's list manager Tim Lamb openly expressing that he would be happy to facilitate a move for Tomlinson to receive more opportunities.

A key defender, Tomlinson is another who would be able to complement the likes of Moore and Murphy in defence. He has a strong presence in the VFL, often ranking as one of the best players on the ground, and was also an integral part of the Casey Demons team which won the 2022 VFL Premiership.

When he has played this season, Tomlinson has averaged 15.2 disposals, 1.6 tackles and one intercept mark. Tomlinson showed what he can do when he's playing his best footy across the 2017-2019 seasons at GWS.

After 11 seasons in the AFL, could he cross to Collingwood to reignite his career?

Flynn Perez

Perez's career has been heavily impacted by injury, suffering an ACL rupture in his first year and being placed on the inactive list in 2021 after a second ACL rupture.

Perez featured in 16 games in 2022 after recovering from his injury, but has failed to play at the same level this year, having managed just two games for the season in the blue and white.

Across his 21 games, Perez has shown glimpses of his ability to perform at the highest level, averaging 12.4 disposals and 3.1 marks in 2022 as a rebounding defender.

Perez's dash off half-back would free up Isaac Quaynor for more one-on-one contests and allow Nick Daicos to occupy a permanent midfield position. Perez could be another one looking to explore more opportunities elsewhere.

Cameron Fleeton

Fleeton is a largely untried medium/tall defender, having only debuted this season in Round 9 after being picked up by GWS in the 2020 AFL Draft. Originally from Geelong, having been recruited from Geelong West Giants, Fleeton may want to return home to Victoria to seek further opportunities.

Fleeton had a quiet debut, accumulating six disposals, three tackles and a mark. He saw more of the ball the following week against St Kilda, finishing with 11 disposals, two marks and two tackles.

Collingwood don't have many other young defenders on their list, with Charlie Dean currently on the inactive list following a second year at the Magpies which has been ruined by injury.

Fleeton proves as a cheaper option for Collingwood who will only get better with time, and he might not ming a move to the club he grew up following.

Hayden McLean

Hayden McLean is a priority re-signing for the Sydney Swans, given the previous interest he has attracted from rival clubs. After only featuring for the Swans in Rounds 1-8 last season, McLean received the call-up for the Grand Final to replace Logan McDonald.

Since being called up in the Grand Final, McLean has cemented his spot in the Swans' forward line, playing 13 games for the year up forward.

With Collingwood currently facing selection dilemmas up forward, even this weekend as Brody Mihocek is out injured, no doubt they would want a player like McLean in their team to complement the likes of Bobby Hill and Jamie Elliott.

As Mason Cox gets older and Ash Johnson attracts rival interest, McLean would be a valuable pickup for the Magpies as a key forward. He could also be used as a backup ruck alongside Darcy Cameron.

Brandon Zerk-Thatcher

After six seasons on Essendon's list, Zerk-Thatcher is finally putting together his strongest season to date, having only missed one game since Round 16, 2022.

Standing at 195cm, he is a key defender who would slot into Collingwood's backline alongside Darcy Moore and Nathan Murphy, allowing players such as Billy Frampton to be used up forward if required.

Zerk-Thatcher is uncontracted for 2024 as a free agent, so a move to Collingwood could be possible, but it seems unlikely given how crucial he has become to Essendon's backline and the consistency that he is building under new coach Brad Scott.