Ruckman to sign up with Pies

JORDAN Roughead will play for Collingwood next year.

The Western Bulldogs premiership ruckman has agreed to join the Magpies and is set to be traded before Wednesday’s 8.30pm deadline.

Roughead, 27, was a free agent this year but free agency shut on Friday and so the Magpies will have to facilitate a trade.

The former Bulldogs vicecaptain told the club last month he would explore his free agency options and appeared set to join West Coast after Nic Naitanui underwent second knee reconstruction.

But the Eagles instead traded in St Kilda ruckman Tom Hickey, aware that signing Roughead as a free agent would dilute their Scott Lycett Port Adelaide) compensation selection.

Roughead is now certain to join the Magpies, most likely for a late draft pick in either this year or next year’s national draft.

In other good news for the Pies, defender Tom Langdon has reportedly rejected an offer from Sydney and will sign with Collingwood when he returns from Africa.

Fremantle and Sydney were chasing the star Magpie.