The trio have been absent from different slices of Collingwood’s eight match winning streak. Reid has spent the longest on the sidelines after injuring his quadricep in the final term against Geelong in round eight. The Magpies have been without the rebound of Shaw and Toovey for the past fortnight both as results of calf injuries.
They replace the injured Alan Didak (adductor) and Ben Sinclair (ankle) while Tom Young has been omitted.
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Didak tore his adductor muscle in the opening minutes of Collingwood’s win over Melbourne on the Queen’s Birthday a fortnight ago and is estimated to sit out the next two weeks.
Fellow small forward Sinclair will miss his first match for the season due to an ankle injury. The 20-year-old has been one of the big improvers over the course of the season and was recognised with a NAB AFL Rising Star nomination in round 11.
Collingwood’s Director of Football Geoff Walsh said that Sinclair’s was only minor.
“Sinclair has an ankle strain that he sustained against Melbourne. He’ll only miss one week.”
Young remains in the minds of the coaching staff who have named him as an emergency. He joins Cameron Wood and Kirk Ugle as the players on stand by.
The addition of the defensive trio will be critical against the Eagles who sit atop the ladder and boast the third most successful forward line in the competition. Shaw, Reid and Toovey will inject experience and attacking flair to a backline that has held up remarkably well in the absence of several seasoned figures during the first half of the season.
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All three have continued to maintain their high standards throughout the early stages of 2012. Shaw has averaged 22 disposals in his seven matches for the season and has pushed forward to kick six goals, which represents his highest tally since 2008.
His teammates Reid and Toovey have continued to blend defence with attack, with the latter’s tackling (ranked equal second at the club) continuing to stand out.
Collingwood will be looking to extend its winning streak against West Coast to seven games. The Eagles have not defeated the Magpies since the second round of 2007 and will be searching for their first win over Collingwood at the MCG since round two, 1995.
Please Note: Due to the recent heavy rain, Yarra Park will not be used for public vehicle parking at Saturday’s match. The MCC has encouraged patrons to use public transport where possible. For further details, including parking for disabled patrons, click here.
Collingwood v West Coast Eagles
Saturday 23 June
MCG, 4:40pm
Collingwood
B: Harry O’Brien, Nathan Brown, Chris Tarrant?
HB: Nick Maxwell, Ben Reid, Martin Clarke
?C: Simon Buckley, Dale Thomas, Jarryd Blair?
HF: Alex Fasolo, Chris Dawes, Heath Shaw?
F: Dayne Beams, Travis Cloke, Tyson Goldsack?
R: Darren Jolly, Dane Swan, Steele Sidebottom?
Int: Sharrod Wellingham, Alan Toovey, Jamie Elliott, Marley Williams
Emg: Cameron Wood, Tom Young, Kirk Ugle
IN: Ben Reid, Heath Shaw, Alan Toovey
OUT: Alan Didak (adductor), Ben Sinclair (ankle), Tom Young (omitted)
West Coast Eagles
B: Beau Waters, Darren Glass, Patrick McGinnity
HB: Shannon Hurn, Eric Mackenzie, Jacob Brennan
C: Andrew Gaff, Matthew Priddis, Matthew Rosa
HF: Josh Hill, Quinten Lynch, Chris Masten
F: Nic Naitanui, Jack Darling, Daniel Kerr
R: Dean Cox, Scott Selwood, Luke Shuey
Int: Mitch Brown, Brad Sheppard, Ashton Hams, Tom Swift
Emg: Sam Butler, Koby Stevens, Lewis Stevenson
IN: Mitch Brown, Beau Waters
OUT: Will Schofield (hamstring), Adam Selwood (illness)
Milestones: Quinten Lynch (200 games)
