Collingwood brings back Beams with last-ditch offer

COLLINGWOOD will enter 2019 with the most powerful and hyped midfield in the competition after waiting until the final minutes of trade week to secure Dayne Beams.

The Pies eventually handed over two first-round selections for Beams, and the Lions avoided the untenable situation of having a player at their club who made clear he didn’t want to be there.

Collingwood handed over pick 18 this year, its firstrounder next year and pick 56, receiving picks 41 and 44 and the prized signature of Beams.

At one stage a trade that looked certain to fall over ended up with the Pies giving up a huge draft haul for a 29year-old.

But Pies list boss Ned Guy said yesterday securing those two picks in the 40s meant the club did not jeopardise its aspirations to heavily consider top-25 prospects Isaac Quaynor and Will Kelly.

As football boss David Noble said of the Collingwood offer: “We didn’t have to relent but it ended up the deal that came across our desk was too good to knock back”.

Beams left the Pies in a blaze of controversy four seasons ago, having said that he had only a “working relationship” with coach Nathan Buckley.

But throughg ggood mate and former teammate Steele Sidebottom, Beams met Buckley in the days after this year’s grand final loss to patch up their relationship.

He now adds a destructive edge to Collingwood’s hardworking midfield, as one of the best goalkicking midfielder finishers in the competition.