Collingwood have backed in their uncontracted players, re-signing four and promising to re-draft two that have been delisted.
Ash Johnson and Oleg Markov have both been axed by the club, but will be re-selected as rookies after the upcoming drafts.
Fellow uncontracted quartet Charlie Dean, Ned Long, Reef McInnes and Lachie Sullivan have all signed one-year contracts for next season.
Johnson’s retaining is a slight surprise with Magpies coach Craig McRae only selecting him for three matches in 2024, despite the team being short on key forwards.
Collingwood are also expected to sign forward Tim Membrey, who was delisted by St Kilda on Monday.
“We are pleased to retain Charlie, Ned, Reef and Lachie for another season,” Collingwood Head of Football Strategy, Innovation and List Management Justin Leppitsch said.
“Charlie and Reef have had their own injury struggles, but their ongoing resilience has enabled them to easily slot back into our system.
“Since joining us, Ned and Lachie have shown great determination to learn our game plan and have seamlessly integrated into the team.
“All four players have added value to both our AFL and VFL programs and we look forward to seeing each of them take their football to another level next year.
“We’ve had to make a difficult decision around Ash and Oleg for 2025, but we are committed to re-listing them as Rookies in the upcoming draft in November.”
