Both clubs have selected 29 players, with the final number to be trimmed to 26 before the first bounce, and it’s clear from those picked that the Eagles and Magpies are treating the clash as a full-scale preview to the regular season.
The Magpies will head west with close to a full complement to choose from, with their squad headlined by comeback kids Alan Didak and Heath Shaw as well as impressive summer draftees Steele Sidebottom and Dayne Beams.
A couple of new arrivals to the Lexus Centre in former Kangaroo Leigh Brown and one-time Brisbane Lion Anthony Corrie have also earned themselves a place in the Collingwood squad.
Nick Maxwell will skipper the Pies for the first time, as assistant Mark Neeld takes the coaching reins for the pre-season match.
The Eagles, hell-bent on climbing the ladder this year after a horror 2008, know they need to get to work fast and coach John Worsfold is fielding a strong unit against the Magpies.
Captain Darren Glass, club champion Dean Cox, champion midfielder Daniel Kerr and Norm Smith medallist Andrew Embley are all in the West Coast squad.
Among the younger batch of Eagles set to excite the home crowd are Chris Masten, who missed much of last year with osteitis pubis, and the highly-touted Tom Swift – a local midfield product who was injured for much of 2008 but has impressed over the summer.
Ashley Arrowsmith and former Cat Liam Bedford are among the rookies to earn a chance, while Eagles fans will also be eager to see how key-position prospect Tony Notte – taken at pick 20 in the 2007 NAB AFL Draft – fares should he run out against Collingwood.
