Departed Collingwood defender Charlie Dean has ventured to Western Australia for the next two years, signing with WAFL club Perth after being delisted by the Magpies.
The Demons confirmed the signing of the "highly sought after" key defender on Monday, with Dean having been a player in demand this off-season.
The Williamstown product left Collingwood after an injury-hit four years in the black and white, managing a dozen AFL games as setbacks continued to limit his exposure in the top flight.
A Fothergill-Round-Mitchell Medal winner prior to joining the Magpies, Dean will return to state league football full-time in 2026 after signing a two-year deal with Perth.
"Perth have won the race to sign former Collingwood defender Charlie Dean for the next 2 seasons," a club post read.
"The highly sought-after 195cm key defender comes to Perth having spent the past 4 seasons on the Collingwood AFL list.
"The 24-year-old was drafted to Collingwood after winning the Fothergill-Round-Mitchell Medal for the Most Promising Young Player in the VFL.
"Dean made his AFL debut in Rd 1 of 2024 against GWS."
Dean played 15 VFL games in 2025, adding to his four appearances under Craig McRae at AFL level.
The 195cm defender joins recently departed Sydney youngster Indhi Kirk in heading to the Demons for next year, while the WAFL outfit has also landed the services of Freddy Brayshaw (Sandringham), Joe Chaplin (Geelong) and Archer Gardiner (Werribee) this off-season.
Perth, which finished fifth on the ladder this year, has also added AFL experience to its coaching ranks under Mark Stone, recruiting premiership-winning pair Sharrod Wellingham and Sam Butler.
