ROAN Steele didn't expect to be back so soon. When he packed up his life last November and moved from Frankston to Perth, the 23-year-old had never met with an AFL club. Landing on a list was always the dream, albeit a fading one, but the Mid-Season Rookie Draft didn't feel like a realistic proposition in 2025.

Little did he know when he joined West Perth that Collingwood had already been tracking him. Sort of. Shane O'Bree scouted him when he was still recruiting for Geelong. When he joined the Magpies as national recruiting manager in March, he narrowed his focus on the wingman. 

Steele played 53 games across three years with the Casey Demons, finishing runner-up in the best and fairest last year, before making the decision to move to Western Australia. That sea change was as much about joining his sister Kiah in Perth and having a life experience, as blowing opponents up with his big tank on the big WAFL grounds. 

"I shipped all my life over to Perth thinking footy a little bit, but more of a lifestyle change. I was really happy to give that a crack for a couple of years. But in hindsight it looks like a great decision," Steele told AFL.com.au after making an eye-catching debut on Friday night.

"A lot of people said to me, 'Obviously the move to Perth worked'. But I wasn't thinking that was a possibility in November, that's for sure. After a few years at Casey, I reflected on where I was at and thought I probably needed a little bit of a change. 

"I felt like Perth and the WAFL environment might suit my strengths a little bit to show my strengths. That was a part of it, but it was also a broader thought of finishing uni and starting work in the sports industry, so I just wanted to try something while I was young. I would have kicked myself if I didn't try it, regardless of whether I got drafted or not. I was really happy over there, and worked out well in hindsight, but I definitely wasn't thinking that in November."

The Magpies had other plans for someone who had just settled into a role with the WA Soccer Association. On the eve of the season, O'Bree returned to the club he played 227 games for in the 2000s and continued to consider a player who first captured his attention after he kicked five goals for Casey in a VFL final in 2023.

Collingwood rated Steele's form on the bigger grounds in the WAFL. They were the only club that reached out before the Mid-Season Rookie Draft when O'Bree put some time in his diary a week out. A few clubs expressed some passing interest through his manager, Luke Morabito from TGI Sport, but the Magpies swooped at pick No.8. 

After collecting 19 disposals and running 15.2km – the furthest distance on the ground – in front of 75,827 people last Friday night, Steele proved that his gut-busting ability up and down the wing translates from Joondalup's HIF Insurance Oval to the MCG.

"I only knew in May when he [O'Bree] told me he had been watching me at Casey. I hadn't heard too much before then. He said that he'd watched a few games here and there. He floated that the WAFL really brought out my strengths more," Steele said a couple of hours after O'Bree presented him with his first guernsey in the rooms.

"When you're in a VFL aligned program you are almost second to the Melbourne guys and just filling holes. West Perth gave me a great platform to show my strengths and take real responsibility. It was a nice change and wanted to give it a crack. I thought if I played some good footy maybe some interest would come up and lucky enough it was the Pies."

Steele wasn't expecting to debut so fast, but Collingwood's coaching team had contemplated picking him even sooner than they did. When Craig McRae went around a meeting last Tuesday at the AIA Centre, the premiership coach caught him off guard. He'd just asked Will Hayes and Tew Jiath what it meant to debut in the guernsey, then he asked the softly spoken Steele what it would be like.

"I was pretty speechless then," Steele said, "and I'm still pretty speechless now to be fair. It's been a whirlwind month."

Debut games are a milestone to reflect on the journey to this point, remembering those who helped get you here. It has been almost a decade since Roan's father passed away from the neurodegenerative disease Multiple System Atrophy (MSA), but on Friday night, he wasn't far away from the Steele family's thoughts. 

"I lost my dad when I was 13 or 14 from MSA. He lost his ability to keep his balance, his speech got slurred a little bit and that sped up the process from being fully fit and healthy to 18 months later he passed away. That was something really to take on as a young fella," he said with his mum Megan watching on with his sisters.

"I tried not to think about it too much before the game because I knew I would get pretty emotional, but I think tonight, it is something I can really reflect on. 

"He will be super proud of me and I’m super thankful that I got to spend the time I did with him. I've got a beautiful mum and a couple of sisters that are along the journey and they'll be super emotional, too, so we'll take the time tonight and really soak it up."

When Steele arrived at Collingwood a month ago, he didn't know anyone. He had a six-month contract, which is essentially four months. And he was joining the ladder leaders, who bat deeper than almost anyone else, especially in the midfield. 

But after making a statement in his first game, there will be more to come. Steele hasn't put a foot wrong since he entered the AIA Centre for the first time, standing out with his character and work ethic. The Magpies have players returning, including the other Steele at the Magpies, but this Steele is making the most of an opportunity that seldom arrives for someone at 23.

"I wasn't too fazed whether it was six months or 18 months, to be honest," he said. "I just really wanted an opportunity, whether that was a train-on spot in the pre-season or a six-month deal, or a one-month deal for that matter, I just wanted to get a spot and show my strengths and build relationships, use all the resources around the club, which I think I've done pretty well and I think people have noticed how much I want to be here as much as possible. This was always the ultimate goal and now I've got a taste of it, it's addictive, you want to stay and keep being here."

Steele had to move to Perth to get this chance, but he is accustomed to taking the long route. He didn't get picked for the Dandenong Stingrays or underage rep teams as a junior. He had to win a senior best and fairest for Frankston YCW before getting a VFL spot. Resilience is part of his DNA, part of his journey. That journey led him to the MCG in round 17.