COLLINGWOOD has finally secured the big-bodied ruckman it was after with Sydney Swan Darren Jolly agreeing to cross to the club from 2010.

The Magpies got the deal done by offering the Swans their first and third-round selections (14 and 46 overall) in next month's NAB AFL Draft.

Jolly has been keen to return to his native Victoria for family reasons while Collingwood was eager to provide that home since meeting with him shortly after its season finished.

Coach Mick Malthouse and football manager Geoff Walsh convinced the 27-year-old that Collingwood was the place to build on his 166 AFL matches.

News of Collingwood's interest in Jolly sparked speculation that the club might have been looking to offload Josh Fraser, however, recruiting manager Derek Hine has given the impression the players will work in tandem.

"Darren fills a need, where both Josh Fraser and Cameron Wood need support, and when you look at what Darren's achieved in his career to date, he's certainly in the top bracket of ruckmen in the competition," Hine told collingwoodfc.com.au.

"We know that both Cameron and Lachlan (Keeffe) are emerging, developing ruckmen. Both players have taken some really significant steps this year.

"Now we've got Darren, who will support Josh, and hopefully provide a terrific platform in that particular area of the ground."

Jolly, who spent four years at Melbourne before moving to Sydney for five seasons and 118 matches, including the 2005 premiership, said he was thrilled to be joining one of the competition's biggest clubs.

"It will be good to get out onto the MCG in front of some big crowds in blockbuster games, so I'm really looking forward to getting back to Melbourne, where it all started," Jolly said.

"I've come off the best year of my career so far, and I'm feeling good. The body is sound, and I'm ready to get into it at Collingwood."

Originally from Lexton, about 160km north-west of Melbourne, Jolly will also be closer to both his and his wife's families.

"Family was the major reason for requesting a move. We have two little ones, and we wanted to be closer to our families, so they can enjoy being around them, it would make it a lot easier," he said.

"I sat down with my manager a couple of weeks ago and mapped out who might need a ruckman, and we instantly had a chat with Mick (Malthouse) and Geoff (Walsh).

"It was a really good meeting, and I came away from it feeling great about the situation, and the rest is history. I'm really looking forward to it."

Jolly has played 113 consecutive matches, having not missed one since round eight, 2005.

The 2009 AFL exchange period runs from October 5-9. No trades are official until paperwork has been accepted by the AFL and formally recognised after 2pm on Friday, October 9.