Tuesday's Mid-Season Draft was dominated by mature-agers, with 11 players from the VFL, seven from the SANFL and just one from the Talent League selected.
As expected, most clubs targeted list needs after Essendon used their Pick 1 on the player consensually viewed as the best player in the crop.
Six key-position players were picked up, including four rucks, with former Sydney player Hugo Hall-Kahan the only formerly listed player to get a second chance.
A total of 12 clubs participated, with GWS, Gold Coast, Brisbane, Fremantle, Sydney Swans and Geelong not taking a player.
Below is a club-by-club grading.
Collingwood (Harrison Coe, Liam Puncher, Mitch Podhajski)
Grade: A+
Collingwood wanted to bring in ready to go talent and did just that. Given their list dynamic, bringing in players in their mid-20s able to contribute who would not take years of development was a must.
Harrison Coe was viewed as one of the leading rucks in the pool and Collingwood have spoken before of how rucks' capacity to mark the ball and give them possession is a key indicator and, like Darcy Cameron and Oscar Steene, that is exactly what Coe provides. Mature-aged, he has the capacity to come in immediately, and is not afraid to use his size.
Key defender Liam Puncher was a surprise name from left field who has received minimal fanfare, but adds to an area of the ground where the Pies are in desperate need of depth, particularly with captain Darcy Moore's body letting him down this year. Unlike the others the club was considering, Puncher is more of a key-position height so offers something different.
Mitch Podhajski is a player the club did work on some time out from the Mid-Season Draft and knows where the goals are. With Jamie Elliott going out with an ACL injury and the Pies already struggling in attack, bringing in a proven goal kicker who gives real presence inside 50 makes sense.
On paper, the Pies are a big winner of the night - the question will be how each player makes the step up to the big time.
