Click here to watch CTV's game highlights of Cameron WoodYOUNG ruckman Cameron Wood has officially become a Magpie,
after Collingwood agreed to trade its first round selection in the NAB AFL
Draft to the Brisbane Lions in exchange for the emerging South Australian.
The Lions will receive selection No.14 in the November
draft, with the 20-year-old ruckman now bound for Victoria
after spending three years with Brisbane.
The 20-year-old was officially traded on Thursday afternoon
for the Pies' highest selection, despite speculation Rhyce Shaw may have been
set to become part of the deal.
But, the Pies got their man without losing a listed player,
and are optimistic he will continue to develop when given more opportunities.
"Our thoughts were that Cameron is a 204cm ruckman, and
that's an area that we needed to support," Collingwood recruiting manager
Derek Hine told collingwoodfc.com.au.
"He'll be playing as a 21-year-old next year, he's had
three years in the system, so the scope for his development, we think, is
large.
"We're able to bring him in with our first round
selection, and hopefully, he'll have a long career with us.
"Us trading our pick 14 is not a decision we took
lightly. We think Cameron has got enormous scope for improvement, he's probably
been a victim of circumstance at Brisbane,
which allows us the opportunity to bring him in and we think he's going to play
a significant role for us in an area we're deficient in.
"When we go to the draft or the trade table, we look
for opportunities, and we see Cameron as an opportunity to really develop our
list."
Wood commenced his career at the Lions after being selected
by the club with the overall No.18 pick in the 2004 NAB AFL Draft, after his
agility and marking ability impressed the club's coaching staff.
He was the tallest player to be picked up from that draft,
and was previously named the 2004 All-Australian ruckman after representing his
native South Australia
in the NAB AFL Under-18 Championships.
Under the tutelage of the Lions' ruck coach - dual
premiership player and All-Australian ruckman Shaun Rehn - Wood has since developed
into an impressive young player who now has 16 senior games to his name.
He was nominated for the NAB AFL Rising Star this season following
his round-two performance against St Kilda, after receiving several opportunities
at senior level last year when the Lions' ruck stocks were limited by injury.
Collingwood coach Mick Malthouse told collingwoodfc.com.au he
believes Wood will continue to flourish when given the opportunity to work with
existing ruckman Josh Fraser.
"It's terrific to have Cameron on board. He's a young
ruckman that has been in the system for three years, he's played second fiddle
to some very good ruckmen up in Brisbane,
and we feel that under Josh, he will develop quickly into a very good
ruckman," he said.
"At 204cm, he's our tallest player, which gives us the
opportunity to get our hand to the football. We've been under a bit of pressure,
as no doubt everyone is aware.
"The boys have tried their hardest in the middle, but
sometimes when you're giving away inches and kilos, it's difficult to get to
the ball.
"This is a very promising trade for us. I think it fits
well within the criteria. We don't like giving away our picks, but this is for
a young man who has been tutored by [Jamie] Charman and [Beau] McDonald in
Brisbane, who have been very successful ruckmen.
"I think under those circumstances, we're getting
ourselves a very young ruckman with three years' guidance from a pretty good
couple of players."
Please note, no trades are official prior to paperwork
being accepted by the AFL and formally recognised after 2pm, Friday October 9,
2007.