Thomas, a 2011 All Australian, has missed four matches with a hamstring injury and returns alongside veteran ruckman Darren Jolly, key forward Chris Dawes and emerging youngster Alex Fasolo.
Jolly, who replaces the omitted Cameron Wood, has missed the past two matches with a calf injury, while Dawes was a late withdrawal from the team that beat Brisbane last week with a virus, and Fasolo missed last week with an injury to his knee.
View the injury list HERE.
Luckless Nathan Brown is set to be sidelined for 2-4 weeks after suffering a strained medial ligament last week, while youngsters Peter Yagmoor and Paul Seedsman have been omitted along with Wood.
Tom Young, Kirk Ugle and Seedsman are the emergencies.
Collingwood’s side features six players who weren’t in the 2011 Grand Final 22, while Geelong has five players who didn’t play in the game.
Jimmy Bartel, Matthew Scarlett and Matthew Stokes headline the four changes for Geelong with ruckman Orren Stephenson also set to play. Scarlett and Bartel return after missing last week through injury while Stokes has recovered from an ankle injury which had sidelined him for the last two rounds.
The Magpies, who have won four games in a row, sit seventh on the ladder with five wins from seven outings and a percentage of 107.05.
The Cats, who lost to Adelaide by 50 points last week, are 10th with four wins and three losses, and a percentage of 103.49.
Collingwood has not beaten Geelong since the 2010 preliminary final, with the Cats triumphing on three occasions in 2011.
The match kicks off the AFL’s Indigenous round, which recognises the role Indigenous players have made to the game as well as a celebration of the players’ strong ties to Land and Country.
AFL ROUND 8 (INDIGENOUS ROUND)
COLLINGWOOD v GEELONG
Friday 18 May 2012
MCG, 7:50pm
Collingwood
B: Harry O'Brien, Ben Reid, Alan Toovey
HB: Simon Buckley, Nick Maxwell, Tyson Goldsack
C: Dane Swan, Sharrod wellingham, Jarryd Blair
HF: Heath Shaw, Chris Dawes, Ben Sinclair
F: Dayne Beams, Travis Cloke, Alan Didak
Foll: Darren Jolly, Scott Pendlebury, Steele Sidebottom
Int: Martin Clarke, Lachlan Keeffe, Dale Thomas, Alex Fasolo
Emg: Tom Young, Kirk Ugle, Paul Seedsman
In: Chris Dawes, Dale Thomas, Alex Fasolo, Darren Jolly
Out: Cameron Wood (omitted), Peter Yagmoor (omitted), Paul Seedsman (omitted), Nathan Brown (injured - knee)
Geelong Cats
B: Matthew Scarlett, Tom Lonergan, Josh Hunt
HB: Corey Enright, Harry Taylor, Andrew Mackie
C: James Kelly, Joel Selwood, Jimmy Bartel
HF: Steve Johnson, James Podsiadly, Steven Motlop
F: Paul Chapman, Tom Hawkins, Matthew Stokes
Foll: Orren Stephenson, Joel Corey, Taylor Hunt
Int: Trent West, Mitch Duncan, Jesse Stringer, Cameron Guthrie
Emg: Shannon Byrnes, Billie Smedts, George Horlin-Smith
In: Jimmy Bartel, Matthew Scarlett, Matthew Stokes, Orren Stephenson
Out: Shannon Byrnes (omitted), Billie Smedts (omitted), Tom Gillies (ankle), Allen Christensen (calf)
Milestones: James Kelly (200 games), James Podsiadly (50 games)
