As Melbourne marked the start of summer by providing a wet and windy 14-degree day, Collingwood’s entire playing squad returned to the KGM Centre for day one of pre-season on Monday.

While the first to fourth year players and a keen group of the older contingent were spread across the Club’s home base and Tennant Creek last week, the whole list reunited today ahead of a block of training before the holiday break.

That included the Club’s very own Benjamin Button in Scott Pendlebury, with the Magpies legend beginning his 21st pre-season ahead of what looms as a record-breaking 2026 campaign.

Now just seven games away from equalling Brent Harvey’s games record of 432, the champion midfielder was joined by a large group of experienced campaigners, with the group kicking things off with the 30-15 French Test.

In last week’s first to fourth years edition, 2025 mid-season draftee Roan Steele took out the test, while today’s pack was headlined by last pre-season’s champion Isaac Quaynor.

Joined by veterans Jeremy Howe and Steele Sidebottom, young guns Ned Long and Harvey Harrison, and big men Darcy Cameron and Billy Frampton, a steady pace ensued in the test designed to increase in difficulty and pace as time goes on.

Going up by 0.5km/h every 30 seconds, the assigned squad ramped up their cadence and subsequent breathing rate as the minutes begin to stack up, with players eventually dropping out to reveal a final five of Harry Perryman, Quaynor, Long, Sidebottom and Harrison.

Harrison, who missed all of 2025 as he rehabbed a knee injury sustained in August of 2024, looms as somewhat of a new recruit in the coming season and caught the eye with his performance.

Harrison saw off Perryman and Sidebottom, before succumbing to the demands of the test shortly after himself, leaving only Long and Quaynor to battle it out.

Standing at 195cm tall – with a frame built for breaking through opponents rather than outrunning would-be tacklers – Long’s effort was particularly impressive and challenged Quaynor every step of the way, with the whole squad assembling to watch the final stages and cheer the duo on.

Despite digging deep, Long can’t quite hold on as reigning champion Quaynor took out the title again, surviving until the 23km/h stage.

Having just returned from Dubai alongside skipper Darcy Moore and Josh and Nick Daicos on the Club’s trip to the UAE with Premier Partner Emirates, the defender showed no signs of jetlag as he reaffirmed his status as the pre-eminent runner in the current squad.

Concurrent to the French Test, the younger core who completed the feat last week endured their own conditioning block, while the likes of Tew Jiath and Dan McStay ran away from the two main groups as they continue to rehab persistent injuries.

Nick Daicos trained away from the main group as well as he works through an individualised program.  

With the running largely out of the way, the footies emerged as the rain arrived on the dreary December morning.

Splitting up into a range of rotations throughout the session, the Pies’ five recent draftees got their first chance to train alongside some of the more experienced players in the competition.

National draftee quartet of Tyan Prindable, Sam Swadling, Zac McCarthy and Angus Anderson all put their qualities on display, while rookie selection and Next Generation Academy graduate Jai Saxena showcased his deadeye status in front of the big sticks.

Prindable’s raking left boot was most eye-catching during the full ground drills, while it was in tight during handball-centric sessions that Swadling impressed.

Anderson looked every part a season-campaigner at AFL level despite only being in his second week on a list, with his more-than 190cm frame standing out alongside his new midfield teammates.

McCarthy, who at last measure fell just one centimetre short of the 200 mark, also couldn’t be missed as he flew around the Olympic Park oval, capturing attention alongside second-year defender Joel Cochran, whose similar frame and elite running capabilities will excite Pies fans.

Alongside the draftees, former player and 2010 premiership defender Tyson Goldsack was another relatively new face out on the track. 

Having spent the past six seasons at Port Adelaide as both an assistant and a listed player, Goldsack has returned to the Club as an assistant coach.

Reconnecting with an old teammate, Goldsack and Pendlebury’s history goes beyond their time in black and white.

The pair were members of the same Gippsland Power squad in the premiership-winning season of 2005, with Goldsack arriving at Collingwood a year after Pendlebury.

Now two decades on, Goldsack will bolster the Pies’ brilliant strategic minds - as will new VFL Senior Coach and development coach Matthew Lokan, who also crossed over from the Power throughout the off-season.

A former Pie of 46 games himself, Lokan worked particularly closely with the younger contingent of the playing group on Monday morning as he looks to acquaint himself with the developing talent heading into 2026.

Two of those players include young rucks Oscar Steene and Iliro Smit, who will enter next season with another year of experience under their belts and a step closer to their dream of playing at the top level.

Both impressing at different stages in the VFL throughout 2025, with the pair competing in isolated drills throughout Monday’s session. Both will be crucial support to reigning Copeland Trophy winner Darcy Cameron next season.

With line-specific work complete and a full ground drill under their belts, only another block of conditioning remained, rounding out a solid introduction back to training.

The group will return to the track on Wednesday and Friday morning as they stack as much hard work as possible before the Christmas break arrives.

Head to the Magpie Army Hub for all training time information.