Mid-season draftees Roan Steele and Noah Howes touched down at Tullamarine from Perth and Adelaide respectively on Thursday as dusk ensued, however that same night they were out on the track for VFL training.
Less than 48 hours later, they were dripping in Gatorade at Box Hill City Oval as the Collingwood tune reverberated around the visitors’ rooms, having contributed to a stirring Magpies win on Saturday afternoon against the top of the table Hawks.
It’s inherent in the Mid-season Draft that things move quickly, but the pair have attacked their first days in the black and white with an eagerness to embrace everything that’s come their way.
“It’s been a crazy week, from Wednesday night to here it’s been lots of rushing and getting stuff organised and getting over here but it’s all worthwhile with a win today,” Steele said on Saturday afternoon.
“Getting to run around with the boys for the first time in the colours was nice.”
Steele was particularly impressive on the field, amassing 24 disposals as the 183cm midfielder patrolled the wing.
The 23-year-old is no stranger to the VFL, having notched up almost a half-century of games for the Casey Demons between 2022-24, before heading to WA to play for West Perth this season.
His old VFL side will be his next opponent, as Steele quickly settles into a Club that he says has been incredibly welcoming throughout his first week back in his home state of Victoria.
“Lots of the boys and lots of the staff have been really welcoming and Thursday night was really good to meet a few faces and see some people who I’ll continue to meet over the coming weeks,” he said.
“The coaches were really good with me and with Noah in just letting us play and go and enjoy it and not bombarding us with structures and all those types of things.
“Having guys like Tommy Mitchell, Wil Parker, boys that have played AFL footy before to be able to set us up and help us when we need made things a little bit easier today and then to get a few touches early and feel the Victoria cold was nice so that made it much better.”
Howes is a little rawer at 19 years of age, however the towering 196cm forward showed promising signs with two shots on goal against the Hawks.
Having only made his state league debut last year, Howes said his mind was at preparing for what was set to be his 15th SANFL game this Saturday, before he was chosen by the Pies on Wednesday.
“I was getting ready to play Glenelg today so to get the news on Wednesday was unbelievable,” he said on Saturday.
“I knew I was a sniff but I wasn’t very confident and to get the call and have my name read out was pretty unreal.
“The goal is to play AFL footy this year but I’ve got to learn a few more names and the structure of the VFL at the moment so I’m just happy to be here and to get better each day and improve and try and help others improve too.”
