Ben Reid re-signs with Collingwood as youngster Jaidyn Stephenson extends deal
AS COLLINGWOOD chases the signature of two of its most talented forwards, it’s received a boost with four other players agreeing to new deals at the Holden Centre.
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FREE agent Ben Reid has joined a trio of Collingwood kids including Jaidyn Stephenson in inking new deals with the Pies.
New list manager Ned Guy has begun reducing the long list of out-of-contract players after Reid and Stephenson joined Brayden Sier and Max Lynch in extending contracts.
But livewire forward Jamie Elliott is likely to wait until he gets back into the team to consider his new contract after an injury-plagued season.
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Free agent Alex Fasolo will have to consider his future given he languished in the VFL this year until last weekend,when he suffered a high ankle sprain that will see him missing at least six weeks.
The Pies’ decision to take Stephenson as their No.6 selection in last year’s draft despite worries over a heart complaint has drawn rewards early given his impressive form.
He has added two years to his existing contract, locking him in at the Pies until 2021.
Sier, taken at pick 32 in the 2015 national draft, has taken time to build his game but is nearing a debut as a strong bodied 191cm midfielder after brilliant VFL form.
Like 200cm second-year ruckman Lynch, he has added another year to his contract to lock him in until the end of 2019.
The Pies have a long list of players out of contract including Jordan De Goey, Josh Thomas, Darcy Moore, James Aish, Tim Broomhead and Tyson Goldsack.
Ideally Elliott would have played brilliant early-season football and been locked away on a contract given his talent as a high-flying, goalkicking forward.
He is still some weeks away from a return after ankle surgery and a pair of hamstring injuries, with the Pies digging deeper to investigate the cause of his soft-tissue injuries.
Fasolo is behind a host of Pies medium-sized forwards in the pecking order and will have to decide if he wants to fight hard for his spot next year or pursue other options elsewhere.
Guy paid tribute to Reid, who was coming off a four-year deal and turns 30 next week.
“Ben has a role to play in the team that everyone - teammates and coaching staff in particular – recognises. His game sense and forward craft help the attack tick,” Guy said.
“He also has experience to pass on to the likes of Jaidyn, who is starting out on his football journey. Ideally, we have young players like Jaidyn, Max and Brayden come through the Collingwood system with guidance from seasoned team-mates and premiership players like Ben, Scott Pendlebury and Steele Sidebottom.”
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