Essendon champion Dyson Heppell is headed to Collingwood in a development role in Craig McRae’s team.
The Bombers legend is back in the AFL system at his former club’s rival, where he’ll primarily help mentor Collingwood’s young talent, after serving as a playing assistant at VFL club Port Melbourne in 2025.
Heppell retired at the end of 2024 following 253 games for Essendon including captaining the club from 2017 to 2022.
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The 33-year old, who remains contracted at the Borough for 2026 after signing a two-year deal with the team, also played Leongatha in the Gippsland League.
He presented Essendon’s trio of first-round draftees — Sullivan Robey, Jacob Farrow and Dyson Sharp — their jumpers at the national draft earlier this month.
The Magpies also welcome former Demons assistant Greg Stafford as ruck coach to continue a raft of changes to Collingwood’s football department.
Former Magpies Tyson Goldsack (defensive coach) and Matthew Lokan (VFL coach) are back at the club, while Scott Selwood stepped away from football and Andy Otten also departed.
Josh Fraser left his role as head of development for Carlton and Neville Jetta also shifted from the development team to become the Pies’ academy first nations and multicultural lead.
Collingwood was excited by its off-field additions as the club looks to hold off father time in 2026 with one of the most experienced lists in the competition.
“Dyson is a fantastic addition to our coaching team and football department. His experiences as a player, including his knowledge around leadership, will be a valuable asset to our playing group,” Pies head of football Charlie Gardiner said.
“Working predominantly with our upcoming talent, Dyson’s ability to form strong relationships and understand the needs of players will allow him to be influential and mentor our emerging talent.
“Greg has over 20 years of football experience and has a track record of developing talented players. He will play a pivotal role in developing our current and future rucks.
“We are excited to welcome such a high-calibre people to Collingwood and we look forward to seeing the impact Dyson and Greg can have throughout our club.”