Four changes, two new faces.
That’s the tale of Collingwood’s night at the selection table ahead of its clash with St Kilda at the MCG this Saturday.
Just one of the four changes was forced, given the tear in Jackson Ramsay’s left anterior cruciate ligament during training on Thursday morning.
Three players, Jack Frost, Corey Gault and Brent Macaffer, have been omitted.
Together, the four make way for Magpie debutants Jeremy Howe and Matthew Goodyear and backmen Tyson Goldsack and Brayden Maynard.
TEAM SHEET: Balme on Swan and the latest on Ramsay.
Howe’s first senior outing at his new club has been a long time coming.
Foot and hand injuries meant he did not feature in any of Collingwood’s three NAB Challenge matches, and instead returned to football via the VFL against Coburg a fortnight ago.
He crossed from Melbourne amid a complex four-club trade last October.
A 100-game career at Demonland was highlighted by a series of Mark of the Year contenders at both ends of the ground.
The boy from Tasmanian town Dodges Ferry grew up a Collingwood supporter and said the opportunity to play for the club he had grown up supporting played a key role in his decision to shift westbound on Olympic Boulevard.
Goodyear’s selection is a fine reward for patience and dedication.
The wingman was the Magpies’ fourth and final selection in the 2014 National Draft, and the 48th overall.
The former Calder Cannon played 16 VFL games last year and impressed during his only NAB Challenge outing against North Melbourne in Wagga Wagga.
ULTIMATE PREVIEW: Our analyst looks at Saturday's match ups.
In making his debut, Goodyear will join Jordan De Goey, Darcy Moore and Brayden Maynard in the senior team, uniting all four members of the draft class of 2014 for the first time.
Of the established players, Goldsack’s return gives coach Nathan Buckley options at either end of the ground, while Maynard will slot back onto a back flank after his omission last week.
The match marks Goldsack’s first since July 2015, when a knee injury left him sidelined for the remainder of the year.
St Kilda v Collingwood
Round 3 2016
Saturday 9 April
MCG, 1.45pm
Collingwood
B: Ben Sinclair, Nathan Brown, Tom Langdon
HB: Brayden Maynard, Ben Reid, Marley Williams
C: James Aish, Adam Treloar, Levi Greenwood
HF: Jarryd Blair, Darcy Moore, Jordan De Goey
F: Alex Fasolo, Travis Cloke, Jeremy Howe
Foll: Brodie Grundy, Scott Pendlebury, Taylor Adams
Int: Tyson Goldsack, Jack Crisp, Matthew Goodyear, Adam Oxley
Emg: Brent Macaffer, Jesse White, Alan Toovey
IN: Tyson Goldsack, Matthew Goodyear, Jeremy Howe, Brayden Maynard
OUT: Jackson Ramsay (knee), Jack Frost, Corey Gault, Brent Macaffer (omitted)
NEW: Matthew Goodyear (19, Calder U18), Jeremy Howe (25, Melbourne)
Selection: Four changes, two new faces
Four inclusions, two new players. That’s the tale of Collingwood’s night at the selection table ahead of its clash with St Kilda at the MCG this Saturday.
