Collingwood will enter Friday night’s Preliminary Final against Sydney minus Alan Didak, with nippy forward Ben Sinclair named as his replacement.

Didak has been sidelined by a calf injury that saw him substituted out of last Saturday’s Semi-Final victory at three quarter time.

Chris Dawes, the other Magpie to spend the week under a fitness cloud, has overcome his knee injury and is named to line up at centre half forward.

Watch our highlights video of last week's emotional win over West Coast on CTV in the video above.

One man’s loss is another’s gain, and so it proves for Sinclair who has spent the past month shifting in and out of the senior side.

The 20-year-old was omitted for the club’s round 23 match against Essendon but received an eleventh hour call up for the Qualifying Final clash with Hawthorn when he was a late inclusion for Jackson Paine.

Read our Ultimate Match Preview.

Against Hawthorn, Sinclair gathered only seven disposals but slotted a crucial first quarter goal from the boundary line and applied the tenacious forward pressure that he has become renowned for.

He was omitted again last week but remained in contention as an emergency.

Sinclair will have good memories of ANZ Stadium, having laid four tackles and contributed two score assists to Collingwood’s eight-point win over the Swans in round 20.

For Didak, his calf injury continues a topsy-turvy year that has seen him play only 11 senior games, his lowest total since his debut season of 2001. His absence means that Collingwood will be without of one of its most experienced finals performers, as Didak has missed only two of Collingwood’s 24 finals since 2002.

Watch the Preliminary Final with other supporters at the Westpac Centre.

Collingwood supporters will be pleased to know that Dane Swan, Ben Johnson, Tyson Goldsack and Andrew Krakouer are additions to the side that defeated Sydney by eight-points in round 20.

Didak, Nick Maxwell, Marty Clarke and Paul Seedsman are the four to have played in the round 20 victory who will miss this week.

Clarke and Seedsman remain in contention for a late reprieve as they are named alongside Jackson Paine as the three emergencies.

Collingwood enters the match on an 11-game winning streak against the Swans. The run began back in round 12, 2006, and includes seven games at ANZ Stadium. The Magpies have lost only two games at the Olympic venue, both of which were by less than two goals.

Sydney v Collingwood
Friday 21 September
ANZ Stadium, 7:50pm

Collingwood
B: Chris Tarrant, Harry O’Brien, Nathan Brown
HB: Ben Johnson, Ben Reid, Tyson Goldsack
C: Sharrod Wellingham, Dane Swan, Alan Toovey
HF: Scott Pendlebury, Chris Dawes, Heath Shaw
F: Dale Thomas, Travis Cloke, Jamie Elliott
Foll: Darren Jolly, Steele Sidebottom, Dayne Beams
Int: Alex Fasolo, Andrew Krakouer, Jarryd Blair, Ben Sinclair
Emg: Marty Clarke, Jackson Paine, Paul Seedsman

IN: Ben Sinclair
OUT: Alan Didak (calf)

Sydney
B: Nick Smith, Ted Richards, Martin Mattner
HB: Alex Johnson, Heath Grundy, Jarrad McVeigh
C: Rhyce Shaw, Kieren Jack, Daniel Hannebery
HF: Craig Bird, Sam Reid, Ryan O'Keefe
F: Mitch Morton, Adam Goodes, Lewis Roberts-Thomson
Foll: Shane Mumford, Josh Kennedy, Jude Bolton
Int: Lewis Jetta, Nick Malceski, Luke Parker, Mike Pyke
Emg: Tony Armstrong, Trent Dennis-Lane, Tommy Walsh

IN: Heath Grundy
OUT: Ben McGlynn (hamstring)