Five of Collingwood's most experienced players are among the lists of Restricted and Unrestricted Free Agents released by the AFL ahead of the 2013 season.

Captain Nick Maxwell and star wingman Dale Thomas are the club's two Restricted Free Agents, while Alan Toovey joins veterans Alan Didak and Ben Johnson as Unrestricted Free Agents. All five were members of the club's 2010 premiership triumph.

Under rules agreed between the AFL and the AFL Players Association three years ago, free agents may consider offers from other clubs during the post-season period.

The AFL rules dictate that an Unrestricted Free Agent may automatically move to the club of his choice, while an offer to a Restricted Free Agent may be matched by the his club, which has right of first refusal over his services. If the Unrestricted Free Agent player does not wish to remain with his original club, he must enter the draft or seek a trade.

Compensation in the form of AFL allocated draft picks will apply to clubs with a net loss of Free Agents, based on the formula determined by the AFL.

Last October, Collingwood swooped on two players in the post-season Free Agency window. Quinten Lynch (West Coast) and Clinton Young (Hawthorn), premiership players at their respective former clubs, both opted to continue their careers with the Magpies after several years of service elsewhere.

Restricted Free Agents:
Collingwood - Nick Maxwell, Dale Thomas
AFL - Scott Thompson, Nathan van Berlo (Adelaide), Joel Patfull (Brisbane), Eddie Betts (Carlton), Jobe Watson (Essendon), Lance Franklin (Hawthorn), Aaron Davey, Colin Sylvia (Melbourne), Alipate Carlile, Kane Cornes (Port Adelaide), Nick Dal Santo (St Kilda), Mark Le Cras (West Coast), Adam Cooney, Dale Morris (Western Bulldogs).

Unrestricted Free Agents:
Collingwood - Alan Didak, Ben Johnson, Alan Toovey
AFL - Graham Johncock, Brent Reilly, Ben Rutten (Adelaide), Simon Black, Jonathan Brown (Brisbane), Andrew Carazzo, Heath Scotland (Carlton), Dustin Fletcher, David Hille, Nathan Lovett-Murray, Jason Winderlich (Essendon), Michael Johnson (Fremantle), Paul Chapman, Joel Corey, Corey Enright, Josh Hunt, Matthew Stokes (Geelong), Max Bailey, Xavier Ellis, Brent Guerra, Luke Hodge, Sam Mitchell, Michael Osborne (Hawthorn), Michael Firrito, Brent Harvey, Scott McMahon, Drew Petrie (North Melbourne), Brett Ebert, Tom Logan, Matt Thomas (Port Adelaide), Daniel Jackson, Luke McGuane, Chris Newman, Shane Tuck, Matthew White (Richmond), Jason Blake, Lenny Hayes, Jason Koschitzke, Stephen Milne (St Kilda), Jude Bolton, Adam Goodes, Nick Malceski (Sydney), Dean Cox, Andrew Embley, Darren Glass, Mark Nicoski, Adam Selwood, Beau Waters (West Coast), Dylan Addison, Daniel Cross, Daniel Giansiracusa (Western Bulldogs).

Click here to view the rules of Free Agency as outlined by the AFL.