Star defender Heath Shaw will make a swift return to AFL action after he was named in Collingwood's team to face Carlton at the MCG on Sunday.
Shaw, a late withdrawal from the Magpie side which claimed a hard fought 16-point victory over North Melbourne last weekend, is joined by youngster Paul Seedsman as the two inclusions to a Collingwood side that runs deeper than ever before.
Renowned for his capacity to counter from the half back line, Shaw's return will provide substantial weight to Collingwood's attacking armoury against an outfit which has triumphed over the side in its last two encounters.
Josh Thomas and Jack Frost, two of last week's debutants, have been omitted but remain in contention for a last minute call-up as emergencies.
Untried teenager Ben Kennedy rounds out the side's three emergencies.
Demonstrating his fitness on the training track throughout the last week, Seedsman has been deemed ready to enter the fray after spending the last three weeks on the sidelines.
Outstanding in Collingwood's NAB Cup triumph over West Coast at Patersons Stadium, Seedsman appeared poised to add to his 11 senior appearances from last season and secure his place in Magpies best 22 for the opening bounce of the season only for a hamstring injury to intervene.
In additional selection news, early casualties of Collingwood's bruising clash with North Melbourne, Ben Reid and Ben Johnson, have been cleared and are fit to play, while Dayne Beams remains one to two weeks away with a quad injury.
Having recovered well from their hit out with Collingwood's VFL side against the AIS-AFL Academy last Thursday, Dale Thomas and Andrew Krakouer will feature once again with Dale Tapping's side, which faces North Ballarat at Victoria Park on Saturday.
They will be joined by Clinton Young (calf), Alex Fasolo (hamstring) and Alan Didak (hamstring) who will appear for the first time this year at VFL level after being sidelined by niggling injuries for several weeks.
Carlton, meanwhile, will be without two of its most important forwards. Eddie Betts, who regularly troubles the Magpies. will miss with a jaw injury while big Shaun Hampson has had his appendix removed.
Mature-age recruit Sam Rowe is poised to make a fairytale AFL debut for the Blues having been named in the forward pocket. The 25-year-old has had to overcome several hurdles in his journey to the top level. He was originally on Sydney's rookie list back in 2006-2007 but failed to play a senior game. After several years with SANFL club Norwood, Rowe was drafted onto Carlton's senior list at the end of 2011.
Rowe was diagnosed with testicular cancer in April 2012, understandably sidelining him for the remainder of the season. After some promising pre-season form, he will finally be rewarded for his patience and courage with a debut against the Magpies on Sunday.
Collingwood v Carlton
Sunday 7 April
MCG, 3:20pm
Collingwood
B: Nathan Brown, Nick Maxwell, Ben Reid
HB: Alan Toovey, Heath Shaw, Harry O'Brien
C: Steele Sidebottom, Dane Swan, Paul Seedsman
HF: Jamie Elliott, Travis Cloke, Quinten Lynch
F: Ben Sinclair, Tyson Goldsack, Sam Dwyer
Foll: Darren Jolly, Scott Pendlebury, Jarryd Blair
Int: Marty Clarke, Ben Johnson, Brent Macaffer, Jordan Russell
Emg: Josh Thomas, Jack Frost, Ben Kennedy
IN: Paul Seedsman, Heath Shaw
OUT: Jack Frost (omitted), Josh Thomas (omitted)
Milestone: Scott Pendlebury (150 senior games)
Carlton
B: Chris Yarran, Michael Jamison, Lachie Henderson
HB: Zac Tuohy, Dennis Armfield, Bryce Gibbs
C: Kade Simpson, Andrew Carrazzo, Mitch Robinson
HF: Chris Judd, Andrew Walker, Jeff Garlett
F: Tom Bell, Levi Casboult, Sam Rowe
Foll: Matthew Kreuzer, Marc Murphy, Brock McLean
Int (from): Josh Bootsma, Jeremy Laidler, Kane Lucas, Marcus Davies
Emg: Dylan Buckley, Nick Duigan, Simon White
IN: Sam Rowe, Jeremy Laidler, Marcus Davies, Tom Bell
OUT: Eddie Betts (jaw), Shaun Hampson (appendix), Nick Duigan (omitted), Aaron Joseph (omitted)
New: Sam Rowe (25, Norwood)
