The four stars Pies are chasing with new cap space

Collingwood has made an aggressive salary cap move to go after free agents this off-season, reports AFL.com.au’s Cal Twomey.

According to Twomey, the Magpies have paid off the rest of what they were owing to their former ruckman Brodie Grundy until the end of the 2027 season.

Grundy initially left the club in 2022 when Collingwood agreed to pay a chunk of his salary when he moved to Melbourne. Now in Sydney, he was still owed approximately $700,000 by the Magpies in 2026 and 2027.

Having now paid that off early, Twomey says the Magpies are almost $1 million better off heading into this off-season with money owed to both Grundy and Adam Treloar now off their books.

“Collingwood made a massive move over the pre-season, this relates to its salary cap and their ability to attract the best players in the competition this year,” Twomey told Nine’s Footy Classified.

“Over the next two years, Collingwood was due to pay $700,000 to Brodie Grundy. He hasn't been paying there since 2022, of course, so they were due to pay that over two years.

“They got ahead of this. They paid it last year. That's now put them into a position where they can go and attack the best in the competition.

“Last year they had room to do it, and now they've opened up this window of money, and they are being super aggressive. It's tactical, it's smart, and they've got ahead of it.

“They also had Adam Treloar on the books for five years, so his $300,000 came off the books last year, that was the final year of that deal.

“Essentially, you look at it, they're a million dollars better off after these two moves.”

Already in a solid salary cap position due to the club’s aging players seeing their contracts come down in recent years, Twomey says the Magpies are now in a position to target restricted free agents Zak Butters, Ben King and Zac Bailey, as well as Gold Coast’s Bailey Humphrey who they met with last year despite the Sun having two years left on his deal.

“There are four players that the Pies are targeting throughout this year,” Twomey added.

“Zak Butters is there as a restricted free agent, of course. (Restricted free agents) Ben King, Zac Bailey and Zak Butters is where all the money is, and there’s Bailey Humphrey (who has two years left), whom they met last year.

“Those are the four that Collingwood has prioritised, and they're right in the mix for them.

“You're going to need upwards of $2 million dollars to attract Butters out of Port Adelaide… but Collingwood this year, get ready for the pursuit.

“The other way they could use this money as well is to actually uplift Nick Daicos’ contract.”

Former Collingwood President Eddie McGuire thinks that looking after Daicos should be Collingwood’s first priority with their cap space before going to target free agents with the rest of their money.

“Well, that's the first thing you do, you go straight in and you make sure that Nick Daicos is looked after,” McGuire added.

“You've got to look after Nick Daicos right off the bat if the money has come clear. You heard Barry Carp, the President, say he’s going nowhere, and that’s the way it should be.”