Former Bright and Wangaratta Rovers product Ben Reid was delighted to be back at the town where his journey to the top began when the AFL giants made their way to the region on Tuesday.

“It’s always good to get back up here and see a few familiar faces and give a bit back to all the kids,” Reid said.

“From the look on their faces today, they’re having a good time.

“I think Collingwood do it really well, giving back to the community, and this is one we particularly like to do.

“A lot of these kids probably don’t see AFL players walking down the street like to kids do in Melbourne, so it’s great to be here and share some footy experiences with them.

“Having played thirds for Wangaratta Rovers and all my junior footy up at Bright, I know the area pretty well and get up here as much as possible.”

Reid admitted it has been a tough pre-season for the Magpies, but the group is enjoying getting back into playing mode after a hard-fought win against Essendon last Thursday.

“It’s still a building phase for us and all eyes are on round one, so we’ll use the next couple of games to fine tune ourselves and get ready for the season proper,” Reid said.

“We’ve got to get some consistency with our team.

“Last year we had some good quarters and some bad quarters that cost us in the end.”

Reid was one of four former Murray Bushrangers to make the trip including Steele Sidebottom, Jack Crisp and new recruit Max Lynch.

“He (Lynch) is living with Crispy so I’m sure Cripsy is showing him the ropes of Melbourne and teaching how to be a city boy,” Reid added.