Liam Puncher Joins Collingwood Football Club at Pick 15
Collingwood Football Club added defender Liam Puncher with Pick 15 in the 2026 Telstra AFL Mid-Season Rookie Draft, giving the club another backline option while three injured players edge toward return. The move came alongside an injury update from Jarrod Wade ahead of Round 12 against the Western Bulldogs at Marvel Stadium.
Pick 15 for Puncher
Puncher was Collingwood's third selection in the draft after Harrison Coe went at Pick 8 and Mitch Podhajski at Pick 18. The club used the middle of the draft to add a defender, a forward, and another young option in the same intake.
The Pick 15 call is the clearest roster change in the update. It puts Puncher into a group of mid-season arrivals that can be tracked immediately against the club's injury list, which has grown out of Saturday's game against the West Coast Eagles.
Wade's injury update
Jamie Elliott sustained an anterior cruciate ligament injury in the last quarter against the Eagles and will require ACL reconstruction surgery. Will Hayes dislocated his shoulder in the final quarter of that match and has started rehab with the aim of being available for selection in five to six weeks.
Darcy Moore picked up a moderate grade hamstring injury in Saturday night's game. Joel Cochran is progressing well through rehabilitation for his AC joint injury, has moved into skills training, and is expected to be available in one to three weeks.
Harry Perryman is also moving forward after hamstring rehab. He has started skills training, increased his running speed, and is expected to be available in one to two weeks.
Round 12 at Marvel Stadium
The update leaves Collingwood with one clean addition and several players working back through different timelines. Elliott's surgery means one of the club's key names is headed for a longer recovery, while Hayes, Cochran and Perryman are on shorter tracks that could bring them back in the near term.
For Collingwood, the immediate task is to carry those ranges into Round 12 against the Western Bulldogs while integrating Puncher into the list. The draft picks and the injury timeline now move together, with the club balancing new depth against the need to replace minutes from players still in rehab.
