Collingwood will look to kick-start its premiership campaign when it takes on West Coast in round one of the 2009 NAB Cup.  On Saturday 7 February the Magpies will face the Eagles at Subiaco Oval, a match that will mark the beginning of the AFL preseason competition.

On recent form against West Coast

The last time these two sides played against each other in a pre-season competition occurred in 2004 when West Coast had the better of Collingwood to the tune of 105 points at their home ground.

Since 2004 the Magpies have lost their first match of the preseason on three occasions by an average margin of 79 points.  Their only win came against St Kilda in 2006 by one point.

Recent form suggests the Magpies will go into the match as favourites, winning two out of three contests during the regular season and finals; including a memorable semi-final extra time victory in 2007.

On Collingwood form

Collingwood returned to Flagstaff, Arizona in late November of last year to take advantage of the high-altitude conditions.  The camp aided the players in building up endurance and strength to ready themselves for the upcoming season.

The team has now put in over 50 preseason training sessions at Gosch's Paddock and will be eagerly looking forward to their first match.

Injuries are few and far between with only Paul Medhurst, Anthony Rocca, and Kevin Dyas ruled out for the match.

On recruits

Collingwood coaches, players and supporters will be keeping a close eye on how the new recruits will fair in their first game for the club.

Ex-Roo Leigh Brown could start down in defence, a player acquired to fill the vacancy of recently retired back man Shane Wakelin.

The former Brisbane midfielder/forward, Anthony Corrie, will bring much needed pace to the Magpie centre and could get a guernsey on Saturday night.  The 24 year old has never posted big numbers against the Perth side but playing as a Magpie could change all of that

It will bring a smile to Collingwood supporters' faces when Heath Shaw and Alan Didak register their first possession of the night.  These two players have had a longer preseason than their teammates and will be looking to prove something in every contest they encounter.

On West Coast form

It is easy to write off a West Coast side that only managed four wins last season.  However the club did win a premiership in 2006 and narrowly missed one in 2005, two achievements that are worthy of respect.

West Coast's side will feature the dominant offensive duo of ruckman Dean Cox and midfielder Daniel Kerr.  Both players reportedly played well during their intra-club match last week and will be a constant challenge for the Collingwood defenders.

On recruits

The club will be without their number one pick in the draft, Nicholas Naitanui (overall pick two), who is undergoing knee surgery and will miss the entire NAB Cup.  
Tom Swift selected with overall pick 20 is a chance to see some action against the Magpies.  The Claremont recruit is a possession-winning midfielder who was prominent during the club’s intra-club match.

On match-ups

Josh Fraser v Dean Cox
Collingwood's number one ruckman succumbed to a foot injury during the AFL Hall of Fame match in the early part of the season and never fully recovered.  Josh Fraser showed good form in the final part of the season and was invaluable in the finals match against Adelaide.  His form against the Eagles is noteworthy.  In his last three games against the club he has averaged 17 hitouts, 15 possessions, eight marks, and one goal.

Four time All-Australian, Dean Cox (2005-08) was the only standout in his side's loss against the Magpies in round 10 last season.  He finished the match with 30 possessions, 36 hit outs and two goals.  His form during 2008 was outstanding and only hit a poor patch in the tail end of the season when he was carrying a foot injury.

Travis Cloke v Darren Glass
Travis Cloke has had a strong 2009 preseason and should be a main target up forward for the Magpies on Saturday night.  He has only kicked four goals in his last three encounters with the Eagles but is damaging in the air averaging nine marks a game.   The 2007 Copeland Trophy winner is now in his fifth season with the club and will be a considerable factor in Magpie premiership hopes this season.

All-Australian (2006, 2007) fullback Darren Glass is now in his ninth season at the club and second as captain.  He has played a holding role on Cloke in their past encounters, forcing the centre forward to play up the ground, out of scoring position.
 
Simon Prestigiacomo v Quinten Lynch
Simon Prestigiacomo had a difficult 2008 managing only two games due to injury.  He played in round 22 and the elimination final before injuring his shoulder during the game.  The quiet achieving defender has enjoyed a big preseason and will look to add on to his 195 game career.  At 31 years of age, Presti holds fond memories of Subiaco Oval after debuting there in round 11, 1996.  

West Coast's full forward, Quinten Lynch, has averaged two goals a game in his eight career games against Collingwood.  His best return was in round seven in 2006 when he kicked five majors in a 14 point win.  When Lynch kicks four goals or more in a match the Eagles win 94% of the time (17 out of 18).  A statistic which did not occur last season.

Broadcast schedule

Television - Channel 7
Melb: 20:30 (LIVE)
Adel: 20:30 (30 min delay)
Perth: 20:30 (2 hr delay)
Sydney: 20:30 (LIVE on Fox Sports plus on Main Event Channel 518); 01:00 Sun morning (4.5 hr delay on Ch 7); 20:30 (LIVE on Seven HD)
Brisbane: 19:30 (LIVE Fox Sports Plus on Main Event Channel 518); 01:00 Sun morning (5.5 hr delay on Ch 7); 20:30 (1.5 hr delay on Seven HD)

Radio
Melb: SEN 2030-2330
Perth: ABC720 1830–2130; 6PR 1800-2115
•    All LIVE radio streams available on afl.com.au

Stay tuned to collingwoodfc.com.au for continual in-depth coverage of the round one NAB Cup match against West Coast at Subiaco Oval on Saturday 7 February.