Mooney is joined by fellow teenager Jackson Paine as the Magpies’ two inclusions to tackle the Dockers. Marty Clarke and Tom Young are the two omissions.
The inclusion of Mooney comes after only 13 matches of Australian football in the eight months he has spent at the club since arriving from County Down last summer. He was signed to Collingwood in August 2010 on a two-year international rookie contract that began this year.
Read what Marty Clarke has to say about Mooney here.
Standing at 184cm, Mooney has played the majority of his football across half forward in his first season and was rewarded for a strong pre-season with three NAB Cup matches. In nine VFL games he has booted a team high 16 goals, and was named as Collingwood’s best after kicking five in the loss to Coburg.
“I’m still coming to terms that I’ve got the news that I’ll be playing. It’s a pretty good feeling,” Mooney told collingwoodfc.com.au.
“Bucks rang me when I was out for dinner last night and he broke the good news really casually. He asked me where I was eating and then he broke the news and surely enough I couldn’t eat my dinner because I was pretty nervous after that.”
Despite his bright performances at VFL level in the first half of the season, Mooney said he did not anticipate the call up to arrive so quickly and described himself as a player Magpie fans should enjoy watching.
“Hopefully they expect to see a quick small forward causing havoc in the forward fifty, hopefully kicking a few goals.”
Paine, meanwhile, has been selected to play his fourth game for the season after several promising showings in the VFL. He collected 11 possessions in the mud against Coburg last week and shone in the loss to Werribee three weeks ago when he kicked three goals and held nine marks.
The 193cm forward debuted against Hawthorn in round one but has not appeared at senior level since the round four win over Port Adelaide.
They replace Marty Clarke and Tom Young who have both been squeezed out of a Collingwood team aiming for its 10th win in succession.
It’s a bitter-sweet selection night for Clarke who makes way for his fellow countryman who is debuting at the same age as Clarke did back in round 12, 2007.
Young has been a member of Collingwood’s senior team for the past three weeks, beginning the last two as a substitute.
Ruckman Cameron Wood joins the pair as the three emergencies for Saturday’s clash.
Multicultural Round
In round 14, the AFL celebrates Multicultural Round. The themed round acknowledges and pays tribute to the Australian game’s cultural diversity. To mark the round, the league has named a 50-man squad from which a Multicultural Team of Champions will be chosen. Nine former Collingwood players have been nominated: Dermott Brereton, Peter Daicos, Alan Didak, Sam Kekovich, Mal Michael, Harry O’Brien, Simon Prestigiacomo, Anthony Rocca and Saverio Rocca. Jock McHale has been named as the coach.
Collingwood v Fremantle?
Saturday 30 June?
MCG, 1:45pm ?
Collingwood
?B: Harry O’Brien, Nathan Brown, Marley Williams?
HB: Nick Maxwell, Ben Reid, Alan Toovey
?C: Simon Buckley, Dale Thomas, Jarryd Blair?
HF: Alex Fasolo, Chris Dawes, Heath Shaw?
F: Dayne Beams, Travis Cloke, Tyson Goldsack?
Foll: Darren Jolly, Dane Swan, Steele Sidebottom
?Int: Sharrod Wellingham, Caolan Mooney, Jamie Elliott, Jackson Paine?
Emg: Martin Clarke, Cameron Wood, Tom Young??
IN: Jackson Paine, Caolan Mooney?
OUT: Martin Clarke (omitted), Tom Young (omitted)
New: Caolan Mooney, 19, Country Down (Ireland)
Fremantle
B: Adam McPhee, Luke McPharlin, Nick Suban
HB: Tendai Mzungu, Michael Johnson, Alex Silvagni
C: David Mundy, Ryan Crowley, Michael Barlow
HF: Chris Mayne, Zac Clarke, Garrick Ibbotson
F: Lachie Neale, Matthew Pavlich, Hayden Ballantyne
Foll: Jonathon Griffin, Matthew de Boer, Clancee Pearce
Int: Greg Broughton, Dylan Roberton, Jayden Pitt, Nick Lower
Emg: Michael Walters, Thomas Sheridan, Lee Spurr
IN: Hayden Ballantyne, Dylan Roberton
OUT: Hayden Crozier (illness), Jesse Crichton (omitted)
