Collingwood has met with delisted Hawthorn forward Chad Wingard in a move that threatens to blow up the Hawks' master plan of re-drafting the former All-Australian.
Wingard underwent a medical with the reigning premiers on Friday, merely hours before the AFL delisted player free agency period closed and less than a day after he was expelled by the Hawks.
However, the 30-year-old reportedly intends to return to Hawthorn as a rookie.
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Wingard met with coach Craig McRae and football boss Graham Wright, both of whom he is already familiar with through the pair's previous jobs at Hawthorn.
Currently recovering after rupturing his Achilles during the Hawks' three-point win over the Bulldogs in round 22, an injury which will sideline him for a significant portion of next season, the Hawks delisted Wingard on Thursday with the intent of picking him up again in the rookie draft in two weeks.
Shifting Wingard to the club's rookie list, would open up an additional spot on their primary list and allow some money to be moved out of their salary cap.
The move has always been fraught with danger with the possibility that Wingard could always choose to try his luck at another club as a delisted free agent, or that a rival club could select him in either the national draft or the rookie draft if they have a pick ahead of the Hawks.
While Wingard could still be taken by another club in next Monday's national draft, and despite Wingard meeting with Collingwood, a source with knowledge of his situation told the Sydney Morning Herald that Wingard wanted to return to Hawthorn.
Proving that Wingard is at the centre of the Hawks' future, the club re-signed him on a new one-year deal in September, weeks after he suffered his Achilles injury.
Beginning his career at Port Adelaide, Wingard has played 218 games across 12 seasons.
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