Key forward Chris Dawes returns to the Collingwood side after a seven-week injury layoff, and is one of four big-name inclusions for the round 23 clash with Fremantle.
Dawes comes in for the Friday night game at Paterson’s Stadium in Perth along with veteran trio Leon Davis, Ben Johnson and Andrew Krakouer, each of whom missed one match.
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Star midfielder Luke Ball will miss his first game of the season with soreness, while Simon Buckley, Lachlan Keeffe and John McCarthy have been omitted.
McCarthy is an emergency alongside young defender Luke Rounds and ruckman Cameron Wood. 23-year-old Dawes played the first 13 matches of the season for a career total of 43 before suffering a fractured knuckle in the win over Hawthorn, and hasn’t played since.
He comes straight back into the side having not played any VFL matches, and will be looking to add to his season tally of 21 goals. Dawes is also third at the club for contested marks with 21 despite missing seven matches, behind only Travis Cloke (80) and Ben Reid (29).
Davis, Johnson (both soreness) and Krakouer (quad) each missed last Saturday night’s 18-point victory over Brisbane, but return to add plenty of experience to the Magpies’ line up.
The match will also be key defender Ben Reid’s 50th at AFL level. Reid, from Bright in country Victoria, was the eighth overall draft pick at the end of 2006 and has established himself as an integral part of the Magpies’ line up. CLICK HERE for more on Reid.
Sharrod Wellingham (groin) remains out of the side but is a chance to play next week, while captain Nick Maxwell is still a few weeks away from returning as he recovers from a broken thumb.
Heath Shaw will be available for the first week of the finals in a fortnight once he’s served his eight-week league-imposed suspension.
Collingwood is first on the ladder with two rounds remaining, with 19 wins, one loss and a percentage of 178.96.
Fremantle has slipped to tenth with nine wins and 11 losses after losing to North Melbourne by 98 points last weekend, and must win to keep its finals hopes alive.
The teams last played in round eight, 2010, when the Magpies travelled west and came away with a 36-point win in a game that featured the top two teams on the ladder at the time.
Collingwood has won its last two matches at the West Australian venue.
AFL ROUND 23
Fremantle v Collingwood
Friday 26th August 2011
Patersons Stadium, 6:40pm (8:40pm EST)
COLLINGWOOD
B: Leon Davis, Ben Reid, Harry O'Brien
HB: Tom Young, Chris Tarrant, Tyson Goldsack
C: Dayne Beams, Dale Thomas, Alan Didak
HF: Ben Sinclair, Ben Johnson, Alex Fasolo
F: Steele Sidebottom, Travis Cloke, Leigh Brown
Foll: Darren Jolly, Scott Pendlebury (c), Andrew Krakouer
Int: Jarryd Blair, Dane Swan, Alan Toovey, Chris Dawes
Emg: Cameron Wood, Luke Rounds, John McCarthy
In: Leon Davis, Andrew Krakouer, Ben Johnson, Chris Dawes
Out: Luke Ball (soreness), Simon Buckley (omitted), Lachlan Keeffe (omitted), John McCarthy (omitted)
FREMANTLE
B: Peter Faulks, Luke McPharlin, Ryan Crowley
HB: Greg Broughton, Michael Johnson, Nick Lower
C: Garrick Ibbotson, Michael Barlow, Tendai Mzungu
HF: Clayton Hinkley, Nathan Fyfe, Paul Duffield
F: Kepler Bradley, Christopher Mayne, Zachary Clarke
Foll: Aaron Sandilands, Nick Suban, Stephen Hill
Int: Byron Schammer, Rhys Palmer, Clancee Pearce, Jack Anthony
Emg: Benjamin, Bucovaz, Joel Houghton, Justin Bollenhagen
In: Paul Duffield, Byron Schammer, Kepler Bradley, Clancee Pearce, Peter Faulks, Jack Anthony, Nick Lower
Out: Antoni Grover (hamstring), David Mundy (ankle), Matthew Pavlich (calf), Hayden Ballantyne (hamstring), Adam McPhee (foot), Alex Silvagni (concussion), Jayden Pitt (groin)
