With the news that Gold Coast could potentially throw Frankston midfielder Nathan Freeman an AFL lifeline, Gerard Healy and Matthew Lloyd have looked back on the draft that could have changed Collingwood’s fortunes.
AFL Media is reporting that Freeman, after a dominant year in the VFL averaging 38 disposals per game, could join the Suns in the supplemental selection period.
The 26-year-old is set to train with Gold Coast over summer as they look to replenish their inside midfield stocks following the losses of Hugh Greenwood and Will Brodie. They also drafted delisted Geelong midfielder Charlie Constable.
Lloyd hopes Freeman gets the opportunity to prove his credentials at the top level.
“He’s been averaging about 40 disposals per game at VFL level, it’ll be good to see how he goes against the bodies at AFL level now,” the Essendon great told Sportsday.
Freeman was taken by Collingwood with pick 10 in the 2013 National Draft. The Magpies went into that year with a strong draft hand, also selecting defender Matt Scharenberg with pick six.
Given Collingwood came so close to lifting a premiership cup in both 2018 and 2019, Healy wonders whether this draft could have been the final piece of their puzzle.
“I look back at that draft with the view that Collingwood and Nathan Buckley were one kick short of a flag,” Healy said.
“They had that draft where they took Freeman and Scharenberg and the highlights that I saw, and I used to look at it a fair bit closer of the kids coming through, Scharenberg was as good as any kid in that draft yet unfortunately he also fell foul of the injury gods.
“So it was a real blow for Buckley and the Pies because they had two (top 10 picks) who basically produced not that much.”
Scharenberg played 41 games for the Magpies before being delisted in 2020, with ruptured ACL injuries continuously setting him back.
“It hurts doesn’t it,” Lloyd said.
“We’ve seen what Essendon has got back from their picks, Scott Pendlebury and Dale Thomas, Lance Franklin and Jarryd Roughead, that’s where Nick Coffield and Hunter Clark need to come through for St Kilda, because if you miss those ones it really does hurt you.”
The likes of Patrick Cripps, Zach Merrett, Matt Crouch, Dom Sheed, Luke McDonald and Zak Jones were also taken in that 2013 draft after Collingwood’s picks.
Collingwood found a gem late in that draft with defender Tom Langdon, whose career was also derailed by injury.