The word from Collingwood, time and time again, is its desire to bring in talent that will make the club better. Craig McRae has said it. Craig Kelly has said it. And when you ask the players, they're consistent with their messaging.
“You'd like to think anyone who's a free agent that hasn't signed, we've got some sights on," McRae said following the narrow King's Birthday loss to Melbourne.
So it should be no surprise they are up to their necks in this year's free agency and trade market, and the decisions around Bobby Hill's future may only reinforce the Pies' capacity to lure players from rival clubs.
In the past 12 months, Collingwood has cleaned up its Total Player Payments (TPP), freeing up its salary cap by completing its financial responsibilities to former clubmen Brodie Grundy and Adam Treloar.
Another lever the Pies are looking at is an agreement to cease Hill's contract, which expires at the end of 2030, worth approximately $750,000 per season. At this stage, there's no confirmation on whether there's a payout, but one things for certain: the decision, which looms, will free up some room in the Magpies' wallet.
Tough calls will need to be made on 16 Collingwood players, including a litany of veterans. Scott Pendlebury, Tim Membrey, Jeremy Howe and Jack Crisp are poised to go around again, while Steele Sidebottom may be forced to wait until after the trade and free agency period.
Ed Allan's renewed role and subsequent form should result in the Pies attempting to retain him, while Noah Howes, Wil Parker, Joel Cochran and Jai Saxena have all developed consistently.
SEE MORE: Collingwood players out of contract
These decisions will not only alleviate salary cap space but potentially list spots, and Collingwood is keen on two things: one being top-end draft picks - a focus communicated by Kelly and McRae multiple times throughout the year. The other is free agents - players who don't cost any draft capital.
Hence the Pies interest in acquiring Lachie Neale's services, and their unsuccessful attempts to convince Mitchell Lewis to trade his brown and gold stripes for black and white ones.
Neale is all but confirmed to join the Pies, while Lewis re-signed at Dingley during the week.
Zak Butters and Ben King have both been linked to the Pies, although the restricted free agency pair are set to join rival Victorian clubs. But could their heads turn late if Collingwood throw a life-changing offer, coupled with lining up alongside the Daicos brothers, Neale, Pendlebury, while being coached by the ultra-impressive McRae, at the biggest club in Australia?
Who else could Collingwood be looking at? They need some key defensive stoppers.
Western Bulldogs' Buku Khamis is an unrestricted free agent, and is being courted by Carlton, while the Bulldogs want to retain the high-flying defender. He's yet to re-sign.
Adelaide duo Jordon Butts and James Borlase are garnering interest from rivals, and with the key defender squeeze at West Lakes, could they be lured by the Pies?
Collingwood went hard for Jack Silvagni last year, before he chose the Saints, with McRae admitting he'd gone on a "date" with the father-son Blue.
“I'm impatient, I'm impatient to get the right people in our environment and also try to get our list to a state where we can compete,” McRae said in June.
GWS Coleman Medallist Jesse Hogan has been floated as a low-cost option if a suitable deal cannot be struck with the Giants. Despite scoring more than 88 points in the past five weeks, the Pies will need to bolster their key forward stocks.
And if not this year, then 2027 could be another season, before Tasmania enters the league, when Collingwood bolsters its list.
Gold Coast duo Matt Rowell and Noah Anderson are restricted free agents, and the Pies have held strong interest in Rowell in previous years. The pair also played with Nick Daicos at Carey.
The Pies couldn't be clearer with their messaging, and their intent to bring in free agents in the current AFL landscape, ultimately avoiding the dreaded rebuilding phrase, has never been stronger.
