Collingwood will enter Saturday’s clash with Essendon 264-games stronger than it did against Hawthorn last weekend.

Veteran pair Ben Reid and Travis Varcoe are joined by 2016’s Best First Year Player Josh Smith in Saturday’s team.

They replace youngsters Darcy Moore (hamstring), Tom Phillips (illness) and Jackson Ramsay (omitted).

Jarryd Blair, Lachlan Keeffe and Matthew Scharenberg have been named as the three emergencies.



The inclusions
Travis Varcoe is a most welcome return after an eight-game absence from the senior line up.

Varcoe injured his hamstring against Geelong in round six and remained sidelined until last Sunday’s VFL win over Footscray. Varcoe had 11 disposals at 90.9% against the Dogs, working the ball between the arcs (three inside 50s and two rebound 50s).

Ben Reid, meanwhile, slots straight back in after a week in the VFL. Omitted for the match against the Hawks, Reid had 20 disposals at 90% and took nine marks across half back.

The final inclusion, Josh Smith, has not played senior football since the Queen’s Birthday when he collected 12 disposals against Melbourne.

Sitting out last week's VFL clash with Footscray, Smith won 14 disposals and took six marks in his previous state league outing against Port Melbourne.

VFL hits the road
Collingwood’s VFL team will travel down the highway to Simonds Stadium to take on Geelong in a match beginning only an hour before the senior side meets Essendon.

The selected side includes fifteen AFL-listed players, including Callum Brown, who was last week’s carryover player for the senior match against Hawthorn.

Collingwood v Essendon
AFL Round 16
Saturday 8 July
MCG, 2.10pm

Collingwood
B: Jeremy Howe, Lynden Dunn, Tom Langdon
HB: Jack Crisp, Tyson Goldsack, Brayden Maynard
C: Steele Sidebottom, Scott Pendlebury, Travis Varcoe
HF: Jordan De Goey, Ben Reid, Will Hoskin-Elliott
F: Jamie Elliott, Mason Cox, Alex Fasolo
Foll: Brodie Grundy, Taylor Adams, Adam Treloar
Int: Levi Greenwood, Josh Thomas, Tim Broomhead, Josh Smith
Emg: Jarryd Blair, Matthew Scharenberg, Lachlan Keeffe

IN: Ben Reid, Josh Smith, Travis Varcoe
OUT: Darcy Moore (hamstring), Tom Phillip (illness), Jackson Ramsay (omitted)