Collingwood will once again go regional this February when the football season officially kicks off with the JLT Community Series.

For the second consecutive year the Magpies will travel to the Latrobe Valley, with a clash due against the Western Bulldogs at Ted Summerton Reserve in Moe on Saturday 10 March (2.05pm).

Collingwood also plays the week prior, against the GWS Giants at UNSW Canberra Oval on Thursday 1 March (7.10pm).

Each team has two games each across the three-week Community Series period. Along with a number of other sides, Collingwood sit out the first week of action before playing two consecutive games.

The game against the Bulldogs in Moe ties in to the club’s commitment to a growing partnership with Victoria’s Gippsland region. Moving forward, Collingwood aims to deliver a program of major events and community initiatives to support the vision and key objectives of the Latrobe Valley Sports and Community Project.

The connection to the area was reaffirmed last season, when 5,700 people watched on in Moe as the Magpies won a high-scoring clash against eventual-premiers Richmond.

While the memories of that day are fresh, minds have to be cast further back to recall the last time Collingwood played in Canberra.

The pre-season competition was called the Wizard Cup as Tony Lockett returned from retirement in a clash against Sydney at Manuka Oval.

16 years later, a Thursday night fixture against the Giants will give Collingwood’s players an eight-day break before taking on the Bulldogs in what is expected to be the final warm-up before the 2018 home and away season begins.

2018 JLT Community Series

ROUND 2
GWS Giants vs Collingwood
Thursday 1 March, 7.10pm
UNSW Canberra Oval

ROUND 3
Collingwood v Western Bulldogs
Saturday 10 March, 2.05pm
Ted Summerton Reserve, Moe