“I felt like I still have a bit to offer a new club and was looking for a place where I can fall back in love with footy and enjoy the game and the opportunities it brings as well.” Ruck role: Versatile new recruit goes up in a contest against Demon Braydon Preuss during a practice match against Melbourne. Credit:Paul Rovere He looked likely to move to West Coast. They were looking at options and had a sizeable contract available for ruck support to replace Scott Lycett while Nic Naitanui worked his way back from injury. They were looking at either Roughead and Tom Hickey. It appeared likely they would go for Roughead but chose Hickey instead. Collingwood moved sharply and a deal was quickly done for Roughead. He was traded for just pick 75 (he didn’t move as a free agent as that would have diluted compensation Collingwood got for losing free agent Alex Fasolo). Before a deal happened list manager Ned Guy sounded out Roughead’s former teammate Matthew Boyd who was on the Collingwood coaching staff. He gushed about him and continued to harangue Guy on the reasons why they should snap him up.

“They asked me about him and I said what a quality person he is, regardless of the role you want him to play. It’s a win for the footy club for what he does on the field and a very big win for the footy club with what he does off the field. He is the sort of player you want in your footy club. Loading “They already knew the footy stuff and what he can do so they wanted know about off the field and in training and around the club. I played with him for nearly ten years and played in a premiership with him. Put it this way - we are really, really happy to get him to Collingwood because of the type of person he is.” Boyd recalled Roughead's decision to play in the grand final despite the eye injury he had suffered the week beore that saw him locked in a dark room for three days and confronting a potential risk to his sight. "I don't think the playing group knew the severity of the injury and what he was facing, He saw an eye surgeon the (day before) the game and I don't think the docs were too keen on him playing, especially the surgeon, but he wanted to play and not let anyone down," Boyd said.

"He played and played well, but I would not like to be put in that position to make that decision. It's pretty remarkable the lengths these guys go to." When the Collingwood option arose Roughead also sounded out his former teammate. Suffice to say he was comfortable to sign on. Glory days: Jordan Roughead celebrates the Bulldogs grand final triumph over the Sydney Swans in 2016. Credit:Eddie Jim “For a period of time I probably thought it might be West Coast I was going to but then I am so grateful to the Pies,” Roughead said. “In hindsight I am so happy because I am living 1500m from where I work, I ride my bike to work most days and so it has been a great lifestyle move as well as a great move for my football.”

On Friday morning Collingwood played Melbourne in a practice match with Darcy Moore at full back. Roughead was at centre half-back. The last time Collingwood played a game against an opposition they had Tyson Goldsack and Tom Langdon playing those roles, and that was grand final day. Goldsack and Langdon played well, extraordinarily well given they were essentially just flankers playing key roles. They were manful but undermanned, willing but less able than bigger men to play on big men. The defence was analogous of Collingwood’s year. They were a team that overcame injury to find a way. With each injury another player had to come in who had played the role. The defenders replaced defenders, forwards filled forward roles rather than bringing in the next best or most talented player regardless of position. Roughead is the archetype of the plug and play player. He's versatile and his size means he's able to fill myriad roles at for the Pies. Doubtless had he been at Collingwood last year he’d have played on grand final day.

Collingwood enters the season with Moore returning from injury but looking fit. Linden Dunn and Matt Scharenberg recovering from his knee reconstructions, with Ben Reid and Brodie Mihocek both now forwards. Loading Roughead is the player earmarked to start the year as the key defender, however on Friday he also played in the ruck. He had accidentally created his own opportunity to do so in a pre-season mishap. While rucking on a training camp in Queensland, Brodie Grundy's little toe was smashed during a contest against his new teammate. “I didn’t even know it happened, but apparently I landed on his foot in a ruck contest and I broke his little toe. It was completely unintentional," Roughead laughed. "He will be back over the next couple of weeks and will certainly be fit by round one.” But the unfortunate incident meant that on Friday Roughead was used in the ruck at times. The logic is that Buckley’s preferred structure is for Mason Cox to spend most of his time forward and so the course of least disruption is to leave him in his role and use someone else in Grundy’s role.