COLLINGWOOD has declared it would love to recruit a power forward like Geelong's Tom Hawkins or Gold Coast's Tom Lynch – and the Pies have the salary cap space to make it happen.

Lynch, who will become a free agent at season's end, looks likely to command upward of $1 million a season should he choose to leave Gold Coast and return home to a Victorian club.

Collingwood is reportedly among several clubs keen on the in-demand forward's services.

In defending the Pies' decision not to target a key forward in last year's trade period, Magpies football boss Geoff Walsh said the club preferred to chase one who was among the elite in his position.

President Eddie McGuire added the club would have the salary cap space to fit a player of Lynch's high calibre and pay packet, reiterating Walsh's statement from October last year.

"The power forward, unless they're at the absolute elite level of the spectrum, their influence in the game has lessened now," Walsh told members at Collingwood's annual general meeting on Tuesday night.

"We'll run quite a few of our bigger mids through (the forward line) as clubs are tending to do and we've seen that already in some JLT games that have been played to date.

"While we would love Tom Hawkins, or (Tom) Lynch from the Gold Coast, because they're proven track performers in the power forward area… we'll adapt to what we've got at the moment."

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Classy stuff from Tom Lynch, who gives the Suns the lead once again! #AFLSunsPies pic.twitter.com/bUaEQZWw2J — AFL (@AFL) July 15, 2017

After a flurry of activity in recent seasons, the Magpies weren't big players in last year's trade period, only bringing in former Sydney half-back flanker Sam Murray.

Sydney's Sam Reid was among the most sought-after restricted free agents last year until he signed a four-year contract extension in August.

Walsh said the Magpies would have to find better ways of making the most of their inside 50 entries after poor conversion let the club down in 2017.

Collingwood was ranked sixth in the competition for average inside 50s last year (54.7 per game ) but were 15th for scoring accuracy (55.3 per cent).

The Magpies look set to swing Ben Reid to the forward line on a permanent basis this season, with highly touted key-position player Darcy Moore training in defence across the pre-season.

Collingwood's two leading goalkickers from 2017 – Jamie Elliott and Alex Fasolo – have had injury-interrupted pre-seasons following ankle and shoulder surgery, respectively.

Ruckmen Brodie Grundy and Mason Cox look likely to spend more time up forward in 2018 as well.

JLT squads: Pies missing plenty, star Giant back

"Power forwards – the very good ones are extremely hard to get. The game's changing a bit, the power forwards these days are probably not as crucial to team setups as perhaps they once were," Walsh said.

"But... you've got to kick goals to win the game, we understand that and we have struggled to kick goals.

"We haven't so much struggled to kick goals because we can't get the ball in there, but our conversion has been down – particularly in 2017.

"Our coaches, development coaches and academy guys will work on that skill development aspect in terms of improving conversion."