Brown new Wakelin

New Collingwood recruit Leigh Brown has set his sights on emulating the feats of the man he has been earmarked to replace in the Magpies' defence next season - the recently retired Shane Wakelin.

Brown, the former Fremantle and North Melbourne key position player, was one of just four recycled players taken in last Saturday's AFL national draft after being claimed by the Magpies at pick 73.

The 26-year-old brings a wealth of experience to the Magpies having played a total of 181 games already - 63 with Fremantle from 2000-2002 (after being taken as high as pick five in the 1999 national draft) and then 118 with the Kangaroos from 2003-2008.

Last season was the first time the versatile big man - who can play either in defence or in attack and can even ruck - failed to play at least 20 games in a season after he managed just nine for the Kangaroos and then was ultimately delisted at season's end.

Ironically he joins the Magpies at the same age as Wakelin joined the club back in 2001 after seven seasons with St Kilda.

Wakelin, who came to the Magpies with far less games under his belt than Brown (94 as opposed to 181), went on to play another 158 games with Collingwood and revived his career to such an extent that he played in two grand finals and finished third in the Pies' best-and-fairest in 2005.

Brown, who trained with the Magpies for three weeks prior to being selected in the national draft, admits he is excited by the challenge of replacing Wakelin in the Pies' inexperienced defence and hopes the move to the Lexus Centre will have the same impact on his career as it did for Wakelin.

"Wakes was in the similar situation when he came here and he was a similar age with similar experience," Brown said on Wednesday.

"And he finished up as a champion of this club and he did a lot of things at the Collingwood Football Club and if I can do half as much as he did here, it would be fantastic."

Brown says he is determined to make the most of his third opportunity in the AFL admitting he is fortunate to get such a chance when increasingly players are being denied even a second chance these days after being dumped by their initial clubs.

"I feel young and fresh again, especially hanging out with the new draftees and going through this whole process (of changing clubs) again," he said.

"I thought I was only a 50/50 chance of being drafted and it was fantastic when my name was called out."

Brown admitted a hand injury combined with a lack of opportunity this season forced his exit from Arden Street and he is hoping to get the chance to play in a set position at Collingwood after playing in a variety of roles with North Melbourne.

"I probably haven't played in a key position for a couple of years and hopefully there is a spot there for me (in defence)," he said.

"Obviously playing in the one position throughout a game could help me but I felt like I was playing some good footy this season (in the VFL) but I just couldn't get a look-in (in the seniors)."