The Smithy’s VFL teams for Round 2.

Reef McInness and Harvey Harrison will both return from ACL injuries when Collingwood plays its first game of the Smithy's VFL season at home to the GWS Giant at the KGM Centre.

McInnes last played in the Magpies' Round 2 AFL win over the Western Bulldogs last year, while Harrison's time on the sidelines extends back to Round 20 of the 2024 Smithy's season.

The Magpies will also unveil five players picked up in last year's National and Rookie drafts, along with new VFL recruits and former AFL-listed players Oscar Faulkhead and Brynn Teakle.

Their opponents, the GWS Giants, have made four changes to the team that accounted for St Kilda by 44 points last week, with Harry Rowston and Connor Stone among the ins.

Brad Close will play his first VFL game for Geelong when the Cats host the Box Hill Hawks at GMHBA Stadium on Friday night.

Close has played 129 AFL games and was a member of the 2022 premiership team. He will be joined in the Cats’ line-up by James Worpel, however Jay Polkinghorne goes out with a foot injury after kicking 4.6 in last week’s huge win over Essendon.

Matt Leray will make his debut for the Hawks after being selected by Hawthorn with pick 56 in last year’s Telstra AFL Draft.

Frankston has named an unchanged team for its clash with St Kilda at Kinetic Stadium, where the Dolphins will be looking to bounce back from a two-point loss to Williamstown in Round 1.

The Saints have made seven changes, with Dan Butler and Dougal Howard returning to the AFL team, Alex Dodson to serve a three-match ban, skipper Billy McGee-Galimberti and Charlie Banfield both injured, while Tobie Travaglia and Kye Fincher have been managed.

In better news, AFL listed quartet Hugh Boxshall, Lance Collard, Angus Hastie and Liam O’Connell come into the side.

Teams for all other Smithy’s VFL Round 2 matches will be announced on Friday.

STREAMING: All matches in the 2026 Smithy’s VFL season will be live streamed free via the AFL website, AFL Live Official App and VFL App.

BROADCAST: ABC – Sandringham vs Werribee; Kayo Sports – Collingwood vs GWS Giants; Seven Tasmania and 7plus – Tasmania vs Port Melbourne

COLLINGWOOD vs GWS GIANTS

Friday 27 March, 3:00pm, KGM Centre

COLLINGWOOD
B: I. Smit (20), R. McInnes (26), J. Ryan (24)
HB: J. Cochran (27), B. De Bolfo (51), T. Jiath (19)
C: S. Swadling (32), B. Grey (55), T. Prindable (18)
HF: J. Saxena (43), J. Buller (34), Z. McCarthy (37)
F: N. Howes (40), H. Harrison (36), W. Hayes (39)
R: B. Teakle (50), L. Sullivan (33), E. Allan (16)
INT: C. West (29), Z. Maher (52), O. Faulkhead (54), A. Anderson (41), L. Quaynor (78)
23rd Player: L. Quaynor (78)
EMG: M. Mahoney (77), C. McCartin (65), J. Browne (57), H. Kennedy (53), J. Bennetts (71), H. Mahoney (72), T. Woewodin (59)

NEW: Angus Anderson, 22, 190cm, Sturt; Oskar Faulkhead 22, 185cm, North Adelaide; Zavier Maher, 23, 180cm, North Adelaide; Zac McCarthy, 18, 199cm, Oakleigh Chargers/Kew; Tyan Prindable 19, 181cm, Brisbane Lions Academy/Coorparoo; Jai Saxena, 18, 180cm, Oakleigh Chargers/Beverly Hills; Sam Swadling, 19, 187cm, West Perth/Whitford; Brynn Teakle 26, 205cm, North Melbourne

GWS GIANTS
B: K. Pfrengle (56), N. Kelly (49), L. Aleer (21)
HB: L. Montgomery (50), O. Taylor (34), D. Fitzgerald (64)
C: C. Stone (18), J. Ough (28), T. McMullin (31)
HF: R. Hamilton (43), L. Grubb (52), S. McMeeken (62)
F: R. Hebron (47), I. Hughes (54), R. Dillon (60)
R: N. Madden (41), J. Bell (48), H. Rowston (24)
INT: T. Hitchens (63), C. Edwards (58), H. Hooper (51), J. East (68), M. Belbasis (66)
23rd Player: D. Fitzgerald (64)
EMG: M. Allen (59), E. Roberts (61), J. Lawrence (57), T. Moraschi (67)

IN: M. Belbasis, C. Edwards, H. Rowston, C. Stone
OUT: J. Leake, O. Hannaford (AFL), J. Butson (concussion), T. Moraschi (omitted)
NEW: Matt Belbasis, 30, 184cm, Footscray VFL/Airport West

Head-to-head: GWS Giants 2-1; At KGM Centre: GWS Giants 2; Streak: Collingwood 1; Last time: Collingwood 8.8 (56) def GWS Giants 5.14 (45) – Round 8, 2025, Victoria Park

GEELONG CATS vs BOX HILL HAWKS

Friday 27 March, 7:05pm, GMHBA Stadium

GEELONG CATS
B: M. Herbert (62), J. Kolodjashnij (8), N. Driscoll (27)
HB: C. Burke (41), D. Capiron (50), H. Holmes (22)
C: J. Bowes (12), L. Hofmann (23), B. Close (45)
HF: W. White (52), J. Ballantyne (57), J. Worpel (29)
F: J. Pike (37), M. Knevitt (10), J. Mellor (25)
R: R. Stanley (1), G. Stevens (15), J. Bews (24)
INT: J. Hart (48), M. Williams (54), J. Rantall (55), K. Annand (59), P. Kelly (74)
23rd Player: M. Williams (54)
EMG: W. Sheahan (72), R. Gunsser (49), J. Costello (51), D. Edmends (53), T. Lewis (66), K. George (67), T. Bond (73), C. Green (84)

IN: J. Ballantyne, B. Close, J. Worpel
OUT: O. Henry, O. Wiltshire (AFL), J. Polkinghorne (foot)

BOX HILL HAWKS
B: M. Leray (31), N. Mraz (21), B. Ryan (26)
HB: S. Horner (62), H. Morrison (1), B. Macdonald (42)
C: F. Perez (39), J. Dalton (34), C. Nairn (22)
HF: M. Hill (41), C. Dear (13), O. Greeves (35)
F: K. Declase (53), A. Schubert (29), W. McCabe (27)
R: M. Ramsden (38), F. Maginness (20), C. Anderson (32)
INT: T. Bianco (58), J. Uhr-Henry (43), W. Pewtress (79), T. Farrer (76), T. Brown (66)
23rd Player: T. Farrer (76)
EMG: B. Tennant (56), B. Simondson (74), J. Baldwin (72), G. Julian (52), W. Kellar (78), A. Lukic (60), L. Ward (54), B. McLaughlin (50)

IN: M. Leray
OUT: L. Ward (omitted)                        
NEW: Matt Leray, 19, 193cm, Central District/Golden Grove

Head-to-head: Box Hill Hawks 24-10; At GMHBA Stadium: Box Hill Hawks 10-7; Streak: Box Hill Hawks 10; Last time: Geelong 11.7 (73) def by Box Hill Hawks 18.11 (119) – Round 4, 2025, GMHBA Stadium

FRANKSTON vs ST KILDA

Friday 27 March, 7:35pm, Kinetic Stadium

FRANKSTON
B: P. Cotter (26), A. Grant (19), J. Voss (13)
HB: P. Dozzi (25), T. Barlow (3), K. De La Rue (33)
C: S. Quirk (11), D. Hipwell (14), W. Hamill (9)
HF: W. Papley (20), N. Gown (1), T. Milne (15)
F: C. Ellison (4), B. Lambert (22), T. Mynott (12)
R: T. Hofert (30), L. Reidy (2), T. O'Leary (29)
INT: B. Lloyd (31), L. Sharp (36), O. Moran (28), H. Coe (16), W. Derrington (24)
EMG: H. Jones (8), B. Fergusson (42), H. Hayes (43), M. Gregory (38), J. Noble (37)

No change

ST KILDA
B: E. Warburton (61), I. Keeler (17), B. Chambers (58)
HB: J. Davey (69), C. Algeri (77), L. O'Connell (45)
C: A. Hastie (24), H. Boxshall (38), J. Campigli (64)
HF: T. Nagel (68), L. Gunson (57), I. Baldwin (55)
F: E. Armstrong (46), B. McKenzie (53), L. Collard (4)
R: J. Barrat (28), J. Clarke (59), P. Said (33)
INT: N. Maginess (52), B. Richardson (51), J. Hartman (62), E. Peckett (67), O. Wilson (72)
23rd Player: O. Wilson (72)
EMG: T. McKenzie (54), D. Plotkin (74), W. Mazzeo (66), J. Galbally (73)

IN: I. Baldwin, H. Boxshall, L. Collard, A. Hastie, L. O'Connell, E. Peckett, E. Warburton
OUT: D. Butler, D. Howard (AFL), A. Dodson (suspended), C. Banfield (shoulder), K. Fincher (managed), B. McGee-Galimberti (calf), T. Travaglia (managed)
NEW: Isaac Baldwin, 19, 177cm, GWS Giants Academy/Gungahlin; Elwood Peckett, 20, 186cm, Sandringham/Bonbeach; Ethan Warburton, 23, 186cm, Shepparton Swans

Head-to-head: Frankston 1-0; At Kinetic Stadium: Never met; Streak: St Kilda 1; Last time: St Kilda 27.7 (169) def Frankston 9.14 (68) – Round 16, 2020, RSEA Park