Collingwood forward Paul Medhurst has signed a new two-year deal with the Magpies, saying the rejuvenation of his AFL career at the club made it a simple decision.

The 26-year-old faced an uncertain future when he fell out of favour at Fremantle late in the 2006 season, missing the Dockers' finals campaign that year.

But Medhurst said on Tuesday his subsequent trade to Collingwood, while largely out of his hands, was the best thing possible for his football.

"It's definitely the best move footy-wise I could have made," he said.

"I'm loving my time here and looking forward to another two years.

"The first year I dealt with a bit of homesickness and missing family and friends, as anyone would when you change your job and your state.

"But from then on I've really built some momentum in my footy and also the way that I've handled things off the field, so I'm very settled here in Melbourne."

Medhurst is leading the Magpies' goalkicking, with 48 from 21 games, and could be a contender for the club's best and fairest award.

He said that prospect was a far cry from where his career seemed headed when he left the Dockers.

"It would be great to win it," he said.

"If someone said a couple of years ago you're going to win a best and fairest or be in the mix I would have thought I'd made the transition back to WAFL footy pretty well."

The Magpies, who sewed up a finals berth with Saturday night's win over Sydney, meet Fremantle at Subiaco on Friday night.

A win should give them a home final, or perhaps a double chance, depending on other results, but Medhurst said the opportunity to take winning form into the finals was also important.

"The position we're in at the moment and with a young side, I think momentum's really important going into the finals," he said.

"To win a fourth game (straight) possibly is going to be a big spur on to do well in the finals and give us a lot of confidence."

It will be Medhurst's first time playing against his old side in Perth and he was unsure what sort of crowd reaction to expect.

"Anyone that's up to speed on the dynamics of the trade that went through, I didn't really have a whole heap of say in what went on, so if people sort of bear that in mind, I think they'll go easy on me," he said.

"They wouldn't want to be sitting next to my mum though if they do boo, because they could end up with a lap full of chips or something, or a chicken salad."

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