Gym. Conditioning. Stretching. Football.

Sounds like a normal training day at Collingwood, right?

Well, not quite.

The Magpies spent Thursday morning on the Holden Centre oval taking on Malvern Primary School and St Therese Catholic Primary School in the Optus Schools Football Cup.

The grade five and six students took on their football heroes in the Melbourne sunshine, putting their early pre-season training to a fierce test.



Photo: Luke Henry.

Draftees such as Nathan Murphy, Tyler Brown and Brody Mihocek made their first appearance in Collingwood colours, and later signed autographs with the students.

The schools qualified for the event after winning the School Sport Victoria Primary School Football Championship. Collingwood has been a supporter of School Sport Victoria for many years, and this match is a big highlight for the lucky primary school teams each year.

Optus, too, plays a pivotal role in supporting the competition, which fosters grassroots sport within the community. It enables funds to be provided at all levels of the competition to assist with venues, umpiring, first aid and travel for country schools.



Photo: Luke Henry.