Collingwood welcomes back Lynden Dunn and Tim Broomhead for the round eleven clash against Adelaide on Tuesday night. The pair haven’t played senior football for a combined 1,637 days.
Dunn fought hard to earn a contract for the 2020 season as he recovered from a second anterior cruciate ligament injury, with the Pies re-signing the 33-year-old to a one-year rookie deal via the pre-season supplemental selection period (SSP).
The veteran defender will play his first AFL game in 773 days as senior coach Nathan Buckley told him the news on Monday morning.
“When I told Dunny this morning, he teared up straight away. I know how much it means to you, mate,” Buckley said in the team meeting on Monday.
“You’ve done a load of work and we need your experience.”
With the in-form Darcy Moore being managed through the compressed fixture, he is a welcome addition to the Collingwood defence.
Broomhead has been on the cusp of selection after a number of eye-catching performances as a small forward in the club’s scratch matches.
Buckley credit the 26-year-old’s professionalism to put himself in a position to get back after not playing AFL in 864 days.
“It’s been an amazing journey over a long period of time and to have been out of the caper for a while,” Buckley said.
“Broomy, welcome back.
“You’ve been knocking on the door for the last three or four weeks. I’ve seen a very professional and driven individual working towards setting yourself up for this opportunity.”
He replaces star forward Jamie Elliott after he received a knock to the ear during the round ten match.
Darcy Cameron returns to the Pies forward line, while Ben Reid has been managed off a short turnaround.
Midfielder Rupert Wills gets another opportunity at the top level, coming in for Adam Treloar who sustained a hamstring injury in the win over Sydney.
Chris Mayne and Travis Varcoe return to the Magpies line-up after missing round ten through management and personal reasons respectively.
Captain Scott Pendlebury was unavailable for selection.
The first bounce at Adelaide Oval is set for 6.35pm (AEST). Tune in live on Fox Footy, Kayo and on AFL Live Pass.
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Adelaide v Collingwood
AFL Round Eleven
Tuesday 11 August
Adelaide Oval, 6.35pm
B: Jack Crisp, Jordan Roughead, Lynden Dunn
HB: Brayden Maynard, Jack Madgen, John Noble
C: Tom Phillips, Steele Sidebottom, Josh Daicos
HF: Jaidyn Stephenson, Brody Mihocek, Josh Thomas
F: Callum Brown, Darcy Cameron, Trey Ruscoe
Foll: Brodie Grundy, Taylor Adams, Brayden Sier
Int: Travis Varcoe, Rupert Wills, Tim Broomhead, Chris Mayne
Emerg: Matt Scharenberg, Tyler Brown, Nathan Murphy, Max Lynch
In: Tim Broomhead, Darcy Cameron, Lynden Dunn, Chris Mayne, Travis Varcoe, Rupert Wills
Out: Jamie Elliott (ear), Will Hoskin-Elliott (knee), Darcy Moore (managed), Isaac Quaynor (shin), Ben Reid (managed), Adam Treloar (hamstring)
