As of Thursday afternoon, Stewart, who is the son of former Magpie Craig Stewart, was yet to have any indication from the club whether it would bid on him when the father-son process opens on Monday morning.
But a chat with North Melbourne's Tom Curran earlier this year opened Stewart's mind to the opportunities that existed beyond the club his dad represented 115 times.
Curran could have been drafted to Hawthorn under the father-son rule last year, but was overlooked by the Hawks. Instead, the Kangaroos selected him with pick 40 in the 2011 NAB AFL Draft.
"I organised to catch up for dinner with Tom and it was quite good. I think by this stage of last year he knew what was happening, so speaking to him was good," Stewart told AFL.com.au.
"He had that approach where although one door shut with Hawthorn, another 17 doors - he hoped - were still open for him. I've adopted that approach if Collingwood is not to take me."
Although slightly disappointed with his season in the TAC Cup with the Sandringham Dragons and Vic Metro at national level, Stewart said the chance to be taken by the Pies was a bonus rather than a burden.
If it doesn't eventuate, he'll be like nearly every other prospect in hoping, but not knowing for sure, what could happen.
"I'm just approaching it like any other kid in the draft at this stage, just keeping my mind open and being ready to take up an opportunity anywhere," he said.
Stewart, who also played for Scotch College in Melbourne's APS competition and is a graduate of the AIS-AFL Academy, had a largely interrupted pre-season after developing stress fractures in his back late last year.
Those were the result of a rapid growth spurt of seven centremetres, something that saw him move from a regular midfielder to a running, marking and long kicking forward.
He expected to be able to quickly recapture his best form, and when it took longer than he'd hoped, found it frustrating. He ended his season with one of his best performances, a three-goal game in the Dragons' preliminary final loss to Gippsland Power.
"It took me a long while to play the type of footy I know I can," he said.
Callum Twomey is a reporter for the AFL website. Follow him on Twitter at @AFL_CalTwomey.
