DAN HOUSTON moved home at the end of 2024 with two All-Australian blazers and a mountain of expectation among his belongings, after joining Collingwood in the biggest deal of that Trade Period. Living up to the hype in 2025 proved tough. 

Houston played 21 games in his first season at the Magpies but struggled to replicate the form that earned him selection as one of the two best half-backs in the AFL across his final two seasons at Port Adelaide. 

But the tide is turning again. Despite an interrupted pre-season, due to hip surgery in the off-season, Houston is now showing why Collingwood was prepared to part with a first-round pick in the blockbuster five-player, three-club trade, 18 months ago.

The 28-year-old starred against St Kilda in Opening Round, collecting 28 disposals, 10 rebound 50s and 629 metres gained, then collected 32 touches – his most for Collingwood – 10 intercept possessions and 702 metres gained against Adelaide, before playing his role in the 33-point win over Greater Western Sydney on Friday night. 

When Houston first moved to South Australia on a one-year deal in 2015 after Port Adelaide selected him at pick No.45 in the Rookie Draft, little was expected. But when he moved back across the border almost a decade later, everyone was talking about him.

Houston admits he struggled with the pressure to be a difference maker for the Magpies last year, but believes he is better for enduring the external criticism and social media heat.

"I think obviously having a down year is not ideal. There were a lot of eyes on me. I felt like there was a lot of expectation and sometimes it can feel like there's a massive weight on your shoulders and it can weigh you down, which I definitely felt at times last year it did," Houston told AFL.com.au after the win over Greater Western Sydney.

"You have always got to find learning curves out of that, which I did, and just learn the game style. I learned a bit about myself and how to deal with those sorts of things, because at Collingwood, it's never going to go away. But how I can deal with it and build a bit more of a thick skin to all that sort of stuff.

"Footy is one of those games, when you're on top of the game it can feel real simple, and then when you're not, it can actually feel like such a difficult game. I just appreciate the good times and never take a good game for granted. That was more so for me last year."

Lachie Schultz went through the same onslaught 12 months earlier. He copped it from everywhere. Collingwood had sent a future first-round pick to Fremantle to get him, and his first season didn't go to plan. But things turned last year. Schultz set the standard for forward half pressure and would have finished high in the Copeland Trophy if he didn't miss seven games due to two hamstring strains, plus two more due to a concussion.

Houston has sought Schultz's counsel. The biggest lesson was it wasn't just him. Players moving to Victoria on high-profile deals have been weighed down for a long time. Steven May copped it in the early days before becoming a two-time All-Australian. Dylan Shiel, Jack Martin, Zac Williams and Jacob Hopper have been in the firing line. Even Tim Taranto before he won a second best and fairest. 

"'Shooter' was just reassuring me that it's normal [to feel that level of pressure]; it's not just me," Houston said. 

"He was always in my corner for a chat, and it wasn't like it wasn't ground zero, but it was frustrating. So he was always there for me and it was good to have someone to talk to that had been through that. 

"Going forward I'm sure there'll be trade recruits that come through in the future and we'll be able to help them through that."

Collingwood's other recruit from 2024 – Harry Perryman – thrived in his first year at the club, finishing fifth in the Copeland Trophy, but unlike Houston – or Schultz 12 months earlier – he moved as a free agent and didn't cost a first-round pick. This year, Collingwood has found ways to inject Houston into its movement out of the back half far more effectively.   

"Personally, I don't think my role has changed too much. I think more so me, I understand my role more. That's been able to help me contribute to the team this year at the start of this season," he said.

"The boys are playing really well. We have that connection now with the team now; they know how I move; I know how all the other boys move and where to expect where the boys to show up on the ground."

After regaining Darcy Moore and Jeremy Howe for the first time in 2026 last Friday night, Collingwood will need to manage without the captain for at least the next few weeks after he suffered a low-grade hamstring strain and an inflamed bursa behind his knee in his return game. 

Houston backed Brayden Maynard and Isaac Quaynor to play above their weight divisions, like they did against St Kilda and Adelaide, but knows having the backline all out there at the same time will be pivotal this year.

"I think there's probably about four or four guys who can play tall. When 'Darce' and 'Howie' and Billy [Frampton] are back there, it allows us to play in our strength roles. I think 'Q' [Quaynor] and 'Bruz' [Maynard] are really good at playing in that middle tier, and me and Josh a little bit higher," he said.

"It allows us to go to work on our strength areas. When they're out, it just means we probably lose a few players back a line. We've still got good players that can come in and play those roles."

While Houston has been one of the stories of Collingwood's season to date, Oscar Steene was the story of Friday night. The 22-year-old had waited more than three years for a debut, but quickly dominated centre bounce to capture the attention of everyone at Marvel Stadium and a national primetime audience. 

"I don't know if people could tell on TV, but the crowd was going nuts every time he got a bit of height in the centre bounce," he said.

"He's a very humble guy, he's a bit shy, but all the boys love him, and I think this week you could tell once he was named in the team, the excitement that was inside of him that he was trying not to show was very obvious. He gave Nick, Josh and Jordy (De Goey) some good looks out of the centre bounce. It was awesome to watch."

There is a long way to go between now and September, but as March becomes April, Houston has made inroads in the first month of the season to show he will be crucial in just how far Collingwood progresses in 2026.