Key Pies to miss Utah
A handful of Collingwood's established stars will be absent from next month's high altitude camp in Utah.
Captain Nick Maxwell will stay behind with his wife Erin, who recently gave birth to their second child, while veteran Alan Didak will miss the trip having also recently became a father.
Watch the unveiling of Quinten Lynch, Clinton Young and Jordan Russell at Wednesday morning's press conference on CTV in the video above.
Tyson Goldsack and Dale Thomas will stay behind after having ankle surgery last week.
It had been thought the two Pies would recover from their injuries sustained late in the season with time but it has since been revealed they required operations.
"There are some guys who have had late surgeries, which is unfortunate but it seems to be happening more and more through the industry," coach Nathan Buckley said.
"The rest wasn't enough for them."
Buckley said on Wednesday the Pies were still waiting to hear if Andrew Krakouer could attend (Krakouer’s criminal record - he spent 16 months in a Western Australia jail in 2008 for an assault conviction - precludes him from entry into the United States) but it looked as through he would remain behind with a "handful" of other players.
"It's more unlikely but we're always hopeful," Buckley said.
"When it comes to border patrol, I'm not an expert on it but I do watch the show every now and then.
"I'm not an expert but if he's on the plane I'll be happy."
The trip will be a step away from their usual altitude boost in Flagstaff, Arizona, with Park City, Utah the selected destination in order to keep the program fresh and to travel closer to the end of the year.
Thomas and Goldsack are poised to return to full training in the New Year, along with former Hawthorn player and free agency recruit Clinton Young.
Young, who arrived at the Westpac Centre in a moon boot last month after post-season surgery on his foot, will go to Utah but won't be in full training until January.
The Pies' latest recruits - Brodie Grundy, Ben Kennedy, Tim Broomhead and Jackson Ramsay, who were drafted on Thursday night in the NAB AFL Draft - will travel, as will veteran ruckman Ben Hudson.
Hudson joined the Pies as their ruck coach on Monday and is considering nominating for the December 11 NAB AFL Rookie Draft to continue his 161-game career in the black and white.
Defender Alan Toovey will also miss the Utah trip.
"We've got half a dozen guys here with a program around them to really dive in and make sure they're ready for January training," Buckley said.
"The majority of our list will go away, including our draftees, and we'll look forward to inducting the new members of the group into the wider group and in an environment that tests resilience where you really do need to lean on each other."