Collingwood recruit Jack Buller had a long-standing connection to the club long before he joined the AFL.
Buller was traded to the Pies from Sydney after the Victorian club identified his talents and skillset as a must-have in their front half.
The 22-year-old, along with a future fourth-round pick, was sent to Collingwood in exchange for a future third-round selection.
Buller's grandfather, Ray Jones, was a member of the Pies reserves side in 1943, and three years later, made his debut. He played 22 games in the black and white, before moving to Melbourne.
Sadly, the former Pie passed away in 2022 at 97 and won't see his grandson follow in his footsteps, but Buller thinks it's "cool" to have that connection.
Jack Buller's message to the Magpie Army as he spends his first day at the KGM Centre ๐ pic.twitter.com/eaEBwbfBKL
— Collingwood FC (@CollingwoodFC) November 3, 2025
"It's a bit of a full circle moment, he played 80 years ago now," he told Collingwood Media.
"For him to lay some roots down here and have a connection to the club and for me to pick up where he left off in a sense, is cool.
"It was so long ago and would've looked a little bit different for him, but the family is so proud and it's really exciting."
Buller admitted that he had "no intentions" of departing the Swans, especially after breaking into the senior team to play the last nine games of the 2025 season, showing real promise.
However, the New South Wales club successfully traded in Carlton's Charlie Curnow, which would've pushed the Western Australian down the pecking order, while Logan McDonald's expected return from injury would have also limited senior opportunities.
As for the Pies, they farewelled premiership players Brody Mihocek (Melbourne) and Mason Cox (delisted), and have been on the lookout for some front-half reinforcements.
"It happened pretty late to be honest, when the season wrapped up, I had no intentions of leaving Sydney, but Leppa's been awesome and letting me know that if I work hard there's definitely a career here for me," Buller said.
"There were a few decisions that needed to be made, but I'm absolutely stoked to be here and walking through and meeting everyone. I know it's the best decision I could've made.
"Hopefully I'll continue to take the next step, I learnt a lot in the back half of last year and feel that I've got such a long way to go.
"I think there's a lot of tools in place here that can help me evolve and become a better player, and I know if I give a lot to the club, hopefully I can take a little bit back myself, and hopefully we achieve something special.
"Playing footy always has its ups and downs, but the back half of last year (2025) was good. I got to play some games and get a bit of continuity, and in my last few games really found some form, and I'm just excited to get a few more tools in place here and become even better."
Buller will reunite with fellow WA and Pies star Bobby Hill at the KGM Centre (formerly known as the AIA Centre). The pair played U18s together for the state side.
He also acknowledged the "similar career path" to Darcy Cameron, who was a Swan but found large amounts of success at Collingwood, claiming a premiership and a Copeland Trophy in recent years.
"There's so many I'm excited to play with. Q (Isaac Quaynor) is awesome, Darcy Cameron, we've had a bit of a similar career path at the moment, so that'll be exciting to play alongside him," he said.
"I played state 18s with Bobby Hill, so I talked to him on the phone, and he was saying how excited he was, and I share the same feeling. Hopefully, we can do something really cool together.
"When I got traded, Ed (Allan) was really good and Hayesy (Will Hayes) in reaching out, and we did a few runs together, so it was good to meet them and become close with them
"It's good having some connections back home, and they've been so awesome in helping me come home."
