DELISTED Collingwood wingman Trent Bianco will use the journey of former teammate Caleb Poulter as a blueprint for him to revitalise his career at another AFL club.
Bianco was one of five Magpies delisted last week in the days after the club's Grand Final win.
The 22-year-old played 23 AFL games for Collingwood after joining via the 2019 draft, including just one as the sub this year.
Despite being uncontracted, Bianco is confident he can find a new home like his former teammate Poulter, who was cut from the Pies late last year but played nine AFL games in 2023 after being signed by the Western Bulldogs as a mid-season draftee.
"He's a very good player and I always knew he had potential if he had the opportunity," Bianco told Continental Tyres AFL Trade Radio of Poulter.
"That does give me confidence that if a team was to back me in, I'd be able to repay them.
"There's a little bit of interest out there. I just want to be on an AFL list again. I'm more hungry than ever and I feel like I have so much more to give.
"I thought I played some really good footy this year in the VFL, but the (senior) team was just so hard to break into."
Despite spending some time at half-back in 2023, Bianco says he's most comfortable on the wing and identified Melbourne, Fremantle and the Western Bulldogs as clubs who could use his skillset, adding he would be happy to move interstate if an opportunity was to arise.
He said the examples of Poulter, former teammate Tyler Brown and premiership Pie Oleg Markov - who all found their way onto an AFL list in 2023 despite being delisted last year - shows him the door isn't closed on his AFL career.
"The amount of opportunity there is to get back on a list is bigger than ever," he said.
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"Ten years ago it would have been harder in my position, but there's just so many opportunities now, whether it's train-ons or delisted free agency or even the mid-season draft."
Bianco also praised Craig McRae for the way the Pies coach delivered the news of his delisting.
"He was pretty honest throughout the year, through the backend especially, with what was likely to be the plan," he said.
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"I went to his office and he got to the point straight away. He couldn't have been anymore real with it, he was up front. He mentioned that I've improved so much this year, but the team was just so good.
"It was good words from Fly, and I took it well because we've got a good relationship."
