Collingwood has lost four key players to injury from the team that was soundly beaten by Hawthorn on Saturday.

Premiership quartet Darren Jolly (general soreness), Harry O’Brien (groin), Steele Sidebottom (thigh) and Dale Thomas (ankle) won’t make the trip to Sydney’s Olympic Park for the Magpies’ inaugural clash with Greater Western Sydney.

The four stars are replaced in the selected side by Simon Buckley, Marty Clarke, Ben Sinclair and Cameron Wood, who are likely to view the match as an ideal opportunity to cement a place in the senior team ahead of September.

Click here to read the match preview.

Buckley and Clarke return after a one-week spell in the VFL, while Wood has not appeared at AFL level since the round 10 win against Gold Coast.

Sinclair, the fourth inclusion, was named to play against Hawthorn but was a late withdrawal due to general soreness.

Despite their team losing by 116-points, Buckley (27 possessions) and Clarke (30 possessions) both performed well against the Box Hill Hawks and earned a quick reprieve after being omitted seven days ago.

With Darren Jolly to miss his first match in nearly two months, Wood is scheduled to play his fifth game of the season. The pair has only played alongside each other once this year, meaning Wood will relish the opportunity to take his turn in the driver’s seat.

Look back at Collingwood's clashes with its interstate adversaries.

The 25-year-old won 17 hitouts and nine possessions against Hawthorn-listed duo Max Bailey and Luke Lowden in the VFL and provides a readymade ruck option in Jolly’s absence.

Collingwood’s three emergencies hint at the consistency of three Magpie youngsters who have been performing well under Tarkyn Lockyer in the VFL.

Jackson Paine, Luke Rounds and Jarrod Witts all performed well against Box Hill last week and provide coverage in several different positions should Nathan Buckley call upon them at the last minute.

The 209cm Witts represents a unique option, for he stands to become the tallest player in Collingwood’s history should he make his debut. He was signed to Collingwood under the NSW-ACT Scholarship scheme as a 15-year-old in 2008 and has been making solid progress in the VFL over the past 12 months.

Collingwood’s clash with the Giants is its first with four points on the line against the league’s 18th club, and its 56th against a Kevin Sheedy-coached opposition. The Pies defeated the Giants in the first round of the NAB Cup earlier this year.

Greater Western Sydney v Collingwood
Saturday 28 July
Skoda Stadium

Collingwood
B: Tom Young, Nathan Brown, Chris Tarrant
HB: Nick Maxwell, Ben Reid, Alan Toovey
C: Caolan Mooney, Alex Fasolo, Jarryd Blair
HF: Scott Pendlebury, Chris Dawes, Heath Shaw
F: Ben Sinclair, Travis Cloke, Tyson Goldsack
Foll: Cameron Wood, Dane Swan, Dayne Beams
Int: Marty Clarke, Simon Buckley, Jamie Elliott, Paul Seedsman
Emg: Jackson Paine, Luke Rounds, Jarrod Witts

IN: Simon Buckley, Marty Clarke, Ben Sinclair, Cameron Wood
OUT: Darren Jolly, Harry O’Brien, Steele Sidebottom, Dale Thomas

Greater Western Sydney
B: Luke Power, Chad Cornes, Tomas Bugg
HB: Curtly Hampton, Phil Davis, Sam Frost
C: Adam Treloar, Callan Ward, William Hoskin-Elliott
HF: Rhys Palmer, Jeremy Cameron, Jacob Townsend
F: Devon Smith, Jonathon Patton, Nick Haynes
Foll: Jonathan Giles, Tom Scully, Toby Greene
Int: Shaun Edwards, Israel Folau, Anthony Miles, Taylor Adams
Emg: Josh Bruce, Dean Brogan, Adam Kennedy

IN: Taylor Adams, Jeremy Cameron, Chad Cornes, Shaun Edwards, Jonathon Patton
OUT: Kurt Aylett, Josh Bruce, Steve Clifton, Mark Whiley,  Gerald Ugle, Nathan Wilson