Speed is likely to be a key feature of Collingwood's AFLX side, with the Magpies to showcase a mix of youth and experience when they take on the League's newest model next month.

The Pies have a short injury list and most players nearing full fitness, but the belief is they'll field a predominantly young side on 15 February in their first official taste of the fast-paced new game.

Captain Scott Pendlebury isn't expected to play, despite being intrigued by the concept during the Pies' recent Gold Coast training camp where they trialled the seven a side format.

General Manager of Football Geoff Walsh said the Pies would aim for a mix of players with strong runners at the top of the list.

"We will finalise our squad in the week of the matches but we have conducted a number of trials to understand the format and the types of players best suited to it," Walsh told AFL Media.

"Selection will be based on pre-season form, the suitability of the athletes to the AFLX format, the management of individual pre-season programs and availability.

"With that, we expect a mixture of youth and experience and a bias towards running players given the aerobic nature of the format."

Jamie Elliott (ankle), Levi Greenwood (knee) and Alex Fasolo (shoulder) won't be among them, with all three aiming towards potentially appearing in the Pies' second JLT game against the Western Bulldogs on 10 March.

Elliott recently commenced running after November surgery on his left ankle and is aiming for game time before the Pies' season opener on 24 March.

Greenwood and Fasolo had operations in December and are also on track in their recoveries, but all three are expected to sit out the first JLT game on 1 March against Greater Western Sydney.


Pendlebury has resumed full ball training after sustaining a left middle finger injury in last year's Virgin Australia International Rules Series, and undergoing planned surgery to remove pins from his right middle finger a few weeks later.

But he's unlikely to play in the AFLX tournament where the Pies will face Adelaide and West Coast in pool B of the games scheduled for Adelaide's Hindmarsh Stadium, despite being a fan of the concept.

"All the guys love it because you're touching the footy all the time, it's very high paced and there's a lot of scoring, so I'm sure it's going to be a good product," Pendlebury recently told Collingwood Media.

"There's some really quick guys like Jaidyn Stephenson, it suits him really well and 'Coxy' (Mason Cox) and Brodie Grundy, they've shown glimpses and have been taking good grabs.

"I'm not too sure who it's going to suit, and every side is going to have different tactics.

"We've tried a few different ways to play the game and whichever way we try to play it, it just seems high scoring.

"I'm looking forward to either playing or watching the product."



Jaidyn Stephenson was Collingwood's first selection in the 2017 National Draft.