AFL Daily: Costly injury setback for Sam Draper; why ‘significant’ Pies tweak had to happen

Brisbane has confirmed a costly injury setback to one of its big-name recruits.

At Collingwood, a star flagged the “significant change” coming in the way the side plans to play this season — and an analyst has outlined why it had to happen.

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Lions coach Chris Fagan confirmed on radio on Monday morning that ruck recruit Sam Draper had suffered a stress fracture in his foot.

The massive setback is expected to cost Draper at least the first round of the campaign.

“Sam Draper has a stress fracture in his foot, which means he won’t be in line for selection until round two of the AFL season,” Fagan said on SEN Tassie.

Having come across as a big-money free agent fish from Essendon, Draper was, and still is, expected to revitalise Brisbane’s ruck stocks following Oscar McInerney’s retirement.

But after this latest blow — having also had his 2025 season culled by a ruptured Achilles — it’ll still be the Darcy Fort show in the middle for the back-to-back reigning premiers.

WHY ‘SIGNIFICANT’ PIES TWEAK HAD TO HAPPEN

Veteran interceptor Jeremy Howe revealed the Pies are set to unveil a large-scale change to the way they’ll move the footy in 2026.

And an expert believes it’s the Pies’ only option after they were found out late last year.

Collingwood was mostly lethargic in the way it moved the footy last year, relying largely on contest wins and numbers around the ball after long kicks, rather than short passes and quick decisions.

“There’ll be a bit of significant change in the way we play, especially with ball in hand,” Howe told Channel 7, citing the back-to-back reigning premier Lions without giving too much away.

“I’m not going to reveal it all, but there’ll be some shifts. I think everyone’s got to find ways to improve.

“Brissy are clearly a bit of a standout at the moment, both (with) the way they defend and move the ball.”

Fox Footy analyst David King said it was the only way the Magpies could move forward with hopes of remaining in flag contention.

Asked if Collingwood had the personnel to be able to become a precise-kicking team in the mould of Brisbane, King, who cited Champion Data’s speed of ball metric, said on SEN: “I just don’t see what the other choice is.

“A major component of this is the speed of ball discussion. And it’s not a one-year discussion; it’s seven years of data that shows if you don’t play with speed, you can’t win.

“The teams that play slow have become the poorer teams in the competition. They think playing safe will keep them in games defensively. It doesn’t work that way.

“So, I don’t see what the other choice is. Now, does that alter selection? We know (Scott) Pendlebury is going to start at half-back — he could be an igniter, he could get things going with angles and creativity (through the) corridor.

“Whereas maybe they don’t trust all of those guys as kickers down back over the past 12-18 months.”

Howe, 36, is battling his latest calf flare-up, while skipper Darcy Moore (calf) is no certainty for Opening Round, and Dan Houston (hip) recently joined Isaac Quaynor (hamstring) and Beau McCreery (foot) on the sidelines.

Brayden Maynard, however, appears to have escaped serious injury after recently going down with a quad concern.

READ ALSO: Rd 1 bolters, crucial role tweaks and injury setbacks — Mega AFL pre-season state of play

ALL-AUS PANEL CHANGE LOOMING

Two changes to the All-Australian selection panel are set to be confirmed imminently.

According to SEN’s Sam Edmund, the league will this week confirm two replacement panel members for the outgoing Matthew Pavlich and Nathan Buckley.

Pavlich officially exits after assuming the role of Sydney Swans chief executive, while Buckley last year took up an assistant coaching gig at Geelong.

“At least two new members will this week be added to the committee to sit in judgement of the team of the year,” Edmund wrote on X on Monday morning.

The 2025 All-Australian selection panel comprised Andrew Dillon (Chair), Eddie Betts, Jude Bolton, Kane Cornes, Abbey Holmes, Glen Jakovich, Laura Kane, Buckley and Pavlich.