John McCarthy, Tobias Thoolen and Jaxson Barham - welcome to Collingwood!

Collingwood selected John McCarthy with its first pick, No. 31 overall, in Saturday's 2007 AFL Draft, and selected Tobias Thoolen with pick 47. Jaxson Barham officially joined the Magpies as a father/son selection with pick 61.

Pick 31 - John McCarthy
Dandenong Stingrays, VIC, Medium forward, November 19 1989, 188.6cm, 79.6kg

Bio: Very good one-on-one player who is strong overhead and a good kick. Has pace and a sound understanding of the game. From Sorrento FC.

What national recruiting manager Derek Hine says:
“We see John coming in and playing that inside midfielder type role. He’s a really nice size.

“One thing we were mindful of, John’s really got the capacity to go and play in defence as well, so when you’re looking at his role, he’d be a midfielder that goes back.

“He has played forward, and is quite comfortable in the forward 50, but I think we see him as a midfielder/defender.”


Pick 47 - Tobias Thoolen
Bendigo Pioneers, VIC, Ruckman/Key forward, February 23 1990, 194.6cm, 91.9kg

Ruckman who placed second in the Bendigo Pioneers 2007 Best and Fairest award as well as representing Vic Country at U18 level. Athleticism has allowed him to move forward with good effect during the 2007 season.

What national recruiting manager Derek Hine says:
“One thing that we’ve been able to do in the last two to three drafts is bring in tall players that have got great flexibility. We see Toby fitting that mould.

“He’ll certainly go down and play forward, but we’re mindful of some more height down back, given that Jimmy (Clement) is going out, Simon (Prestigiacomo) is getting to the end of his career, so with an eye to that, and the type of player we want to bring in, in terms of that flexibility, we thought that Toby really fitted it to a tee.”


Pick 61 - Jaxson Barham (Father/son)
Geelong Falcons, VIC, Midfielder, May 20 1988, 181.5cm, 73.6.kg

Speedy midfielder selected by the Magpies under the father/son rule. Son of former Collingwood great Ricky Barham.

What national recruiting manager Derek Hine says:
“He's got natural speed, his kicking’s efficient, he needs to do a bit of work on that. He’s got a natural endurance base, so the way the game’s being played these days, he’s certainly got the attributes to play at the right level.

“The short time he’s been at the club, the work that he’s been doing with Alan (Richardson), Gavin (Brown) and Brad Scott, they’re really encouraging signs where he’s really making some progress.”