Collingwood has selected one of its most experienced line-ups for Saturday night’s clash with ladder leaders Sydney at ANZ Stadium.
 
Veterans Alan Didak and Chris Tarrant return to the Magpies’ line up along with 24-year-old Marty Clarke, all of them players with experience of the sort of big occasion Saturday night promises to be.
 
The trio replace the injured Tyson Goldsack (ankle) and suspended Dane Swan, with Tom Young omitted. Young nonetheless remains in contention for a late reprieve as he has been named as an emergency alongside Luke Rounds and Peter Yagmoor.

Read the Ultimate Match Preview.

The return of Didak has been eight weeks in the making. The crafty forward tore his adductor muscle in the opening minutes of Collingwood’s 42-point defeat of Melbourne on the Queen’s Birthday. He then spent the next five weeks on the sidelines before returning via the VFL three weeks ago.
 
In his two VFL matches, Didak has managed 23 and 30 possessions, respectively. Glimpses of his trademark sparkle were seen when he helped Collingwood’s VFL team over the line against Bendigo with the sealing goal in the final quarter.
 
It was against Sydney in round 14 last year that Didak met with the calf injury that plagued his season. He has only played 13 of a possible 31 matches since.
 
Tarrant moves straight back into the senior team after he was a late withdrawal against St Kilda owing to groin soreness. He has been forced to deal with several niggling injuries all season but had strung three games together prior to the St Kilda fixture, a period in which he looked dangerous as a key forward.
 
The inclusion of Tarrant gives coach Nathan Buckley added flexibility at both ends of the ground. Should he play in defence, Tarrant is likely to team with Clarke who responded to his omission by gathering 32 possessions in the VFL last Saturday.

Clarke has been in and out of the senior side in recent weeks but has averaged 30 disposals in his three VFL outings since round 14, ensuring that he has not been far from the match committee’s thoughts.
 
Although Sydney sits a game clear atop the AFL ladder, Collingwood will enter the match with a 10-game winning streak over the Swans that began in round 12, 2006. Travis Cloke and Scott Pendlebury are the only players to have appeared in all 10 victories.

Find out how Collingwood has recorded its 10 successive victories over the Sydney Swans.

Collingwood will draw further confidence from its impressive record at ANZ Stadium. Since playing its first match at the Olympic venue in 2003, the Magpies have emerged victorious from seven of their nine visits.

In further good news for the club, premiership defender Ben Johnson will make his return from a shoulder reconstruction in the VFL on Sunday. The 31-year-old has not appeared since round six but will take to the field against Sandringham in what will only add to Collingwood’s depth at the pointy end of the season.

Sydney v Collingwood
Saturday 11 August
ANZ Stadium, 7:40pm

Collingwood
B: Chris Tarrant, Harry O'Brien, Nathan Brown
HB: Nick Maxwell, Ben Reid, Alan Toovey
C: Sharrod Wellingham, Alex Fasolo, Jarryd Blair
HF: Scott Pendlebury, Chris Dawes, Heath Shaw
F: Dale Thomas, Travis Cloke, Steele Sidebottom
Foll: Darren Jolly, Ben Sinclair, Dayne Beams
Int: Marty Clarke, Alan Didak, Jamie Elliott, Paul Seedsman
Emg: Luke Rounds, Tom Young, Peter Yagmoor

IN: Marty Clarke, Chris Tarrant, Alan Didak
OUT: Dane Swan (suspended), Tyson Goldsack (ankle), Tom Young (omitted)

Sydney
B: Rhyce Shaw, Heath Grundy, Alex Johnson
HB: Nick Malceski, Ted Richards, Martin Mattner
C: Nick Smith, Adam Goodes, Lewis Jetta
HF: Daniel Hannebery, Lewis Roberts-Thomson, Jarrad McVeigh
F: Ben McGlynn, Ryan O'Keefe, Shane Mumford
Foll: Mike Pyke, Josh Kennedy, Kieren Jack
Int: Craig Bird, Trent Dennis-Lane, Andrejs Everitt, Luke Parker
Emg: Nathan Gordon, Matt Spangher, Tony Armstrong

IN: Andrejs Everitt
OUT: Jude Bolton (knee)

Milestone: Ben McGlynn (100 games)