Shepparton’s Ned Byrne became the latest from the league to test his mettle, debuting against Box Hill Hawks at the weekend and marking his first appearance in the black and white with a goal and a win.
But now his teammate at Shepparton, Jake Watts, is also waiting in the wings, translating a train-on position at the Pies into a VFL contract signed, sealed and delivered last month.
After a similar stint at Essendon in 2024 didn’t eventuate into a full-time gig, the switch to Collingwood has paid dividends for the Bears midfielder, who is ready to take his game up a notch.
“It’s a bit more stabilising and settling (to sign), but it's still a fair bit of work to keep proving yourself,” Watts said.
“Obviously, coming from Essendon last year probably set me up well to have a bit more of an understanding of what to expect.
“It’s good, but the work's still going.
“At the moment I’m just ticking the little boxes, especially with games every week and training every second day; it’s always just focusing on what you can do in the now.
“That adds up to the bigger picture. Hopefully, that'll lead to some games with Pies, and then you never know what comes from all of that.”
Watts is the sixth GVL product to lock down a spot on the Pies’ list, following in the footsteps of Seymour’s Riley Mason, Mansfield’s Harry and Max Mahoney, former Shepparton junior Boston Dowling and, of course, Byrne.
The 21-year-old has benefitted from another strong campaign, averaging 23 disposals and featuring in his side’s best in four out of his seven games.
That made him not only a prime candidate for Collingwood to snap up, but to also don the purple and gold of the GVL for the first time in the recent interleague clash against the O&M.
“Obviously, the score wasn’t great, but it was a cool experience and a very free-flowing, fast game,” Watts said.
“We’re probably used to a lot of structure and a lot of game plans, so it was cool for the coaches to back our talents and abilities and play our game.
“I hope interleague does keep going because I know we all had fun doing it, especially playing with boys whose impact you’re usually trying to stop.
“You're playing alongside them and getting to know them on a more personal level.”
He also had a front-row seat to one of the more memorable interleague moments as Byrne cannoned into the goal post at Wangaratta.
The Bears hard-nut walked away without incident, but left the goal post on a lean for the rest of the game, which had a viral reaction to the clip posted online.
Watts wasn’t surprised to see the goal post come off second best.
“Of course it had to be Ned,” he said.
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