IN THE back end of 2022, as the Magpies rode the coat-tails of a whirlwind first season under Craig McRae into the next pre-season, a baby-faced ruckman arrived at the club looking to earn his own spot on the list.

He'd flown over from South Australia – the home state of the Magpies' senior coach – and was eager to put his strong SANFL form on display. Oscar Steene, the big man from the West Adelaide Football Club, wanted to be wearing black and white in 2023.

But his opportunity wasn't going to be easy to take. While Supplementary Selection Period picks are now far common in the league, they were a scarce prospect a few years ago. Nevertheless, they were the path Steene was willing to pursue to get his shot.

And standing in his way was Oleg Markov, a seasoned player with 51 senior games of experience across two clubs, and a close personal relationship with McRae. Markov, or 'Leggy' as he was affectionately known, had just finished his time at Gold Coast and was giving his AFL dream a third crack with his own hopes of earning the Pies' vacant spot.

If that wasn't enough for Steene to face, his new would-be teammates in the Pies' ruck division weren't going to be taking it easy on him. While Brodie Grundy had left the club over the off-season, the former Copeland Trophy winner's departure meant emerging tall Darcy Cameron and the ambitious Mason Cox were going to be as eager as ever to show their qualities over the course of the summer.

Cameron, who used that pre-season to cement his spot as the team's No.1 ruck, vividly remembers the immediate impact Steene had around the group.

"There was an eagerness to compete and get better and you just knew that there was an AFL footballer inside of him because of those two attributes," Cameron told collingwoodfc.com.au.

"He came in and was always keen to get better and he's shown that over the last few years."

For Steene, it was the intensity of the training during what was a "nerve-racking" period that stands out.

"I remember it was just intense. Every day you had to rock up and be 100 per cent and put everything in, but it was also just a cool experience," Steene said.

"I knew if I didn't get the spot, I would be a better person for it, because I had spent a couple months training with elite standards.

"But definitely it was nerve-racking as well. I was pretty fortunate to get the spot."

After more than three months trialling, Steene was successful in achieving his dream and signing on as Collingwood's SSP player in February of 2023. Having pipped Markov – who would end up as his teammate less than a week later, after an injury opened another position on the club's list – Steene was officially on the rookie list for the season ahead.

But while Markov became a fan favourite almost instantly and ended the year with a premiership medal around his neck, Steene was in a different stage of his footballing journey. Still just 19 years old and aware of the age-old adage of rucks taking time to develop, he set about putting together a strong first season in the VFL and continuing to build his strong training habits.

He did that in 2023, with 18 state league games, but things took a turn in 2024 when a dislocated toe ruled him out of all bar one game for the season. A lengthy rehabilitation period ensued, before he returned to the field for another 18 VFL matches in 2025, showing notable improvement in his all-round game.

It's this journey that his new partner in crime in Cameron is so proud of, as Steene prepares for his AFL debut on Friday night, more than 1100 days since he first became an AFL-listed player.

"He's had a bit of an eventful journey over the last three or four years coming here, he had a few injuries and setbacks, but he's never dropped his head," Cameron said.

"I feel like some of the coaches this pre-season gave him a bit of a tough time, riding him pretty hard and pushing him to the limit, but he never once dropped his head, which just shows the kind of person he is, he just wants to get better.

"The improvement he's made in his game and his body is unbelievable. He's turned himself into an AFL footballer, which he'll be able to say after this weekend, which is special, so I can't wait to play with him because he's a very good man."

The two share a working relationship that will have another layer added with their first official game together against the Giants. While they're each other's biggest fans, Cameron and Steene's weeks are spent split between of learning and teaching each other off the track about ruck craft, while also battling it out on the track in one of the most combative positions on the ground.

"(Our relationship is) very unique, we get to work all week about what we can do better, about our opponents and we do a lot of homework about who we'll come up against or who we just faced," Cameron said.

"And then you go out against each other on a track and you try to beat each other, so it is different, but also competitive and he's a real competitor too."

Steene shared a similar sentiment, adding Cameron had been one of his biggest supporters to help him get to this stage.

"He's been huge for me for the last three years I've been here. He's been a great mentor and he's obviously a great player, so it'll be exciting and a lot of fun to play with him I reckon," Steene said.

"You have to go 100 per cent when you're doing ruck work at training. It's not like you want to hurt them obviously, you're good mates with all those guys.

"But I think we have a really good ruck group and the intensity of every session is really good. It gets the best out of everyone and Darcy definitely leads that."

Now, Steene gets his first chance at making his own mark in the black and white. Buoyed by the delight of his teammates at the news of his debut, as well as the league's new ruck rules that came into effect this season and aid his strengths, the 201cm big man is eager to hit the ground running.

And the man he beat out for that spot over three years ago, will be the one announcing him to the crowd under the Marvel Stadium roof, with Markov the Pies' 2026 MC on game days in a neat full-circle moment in the pair's interwoven journey.

"It's been a bit of a whirlwind. I'm not used to having all the attention on me. It's been great. All the guys are really happy for me which is cool," Steene said.

"I like the ruck rules. I think it goes along with my strengths and I love going for a good run and jump.

"I think at the centre bounce, both rucks are hitting it further away from the contest which I think means there's a lot more risk versus reward. You don't get as many secondary stoppages at centre bounce and I think it's exciting, an exciting brand of footy.

"I feel like it gets me in the game early and I'm enjoying them."