After recording a comfortable 38-point triumph over Richmond last weekend, faith has been retained in the side which powered the Magpies to its second win of the season despite half forward Sam Dwyer overcoming a knee injury to be available for selection.
Dwyer was sidelined for a week after suffering a minor knee strain during Collingwood’s round three loss to Geelong.
However, alongside off-season recruit Taylor Adams, who served a one-match sanction issued by the AFL Match Review Panel, Dwyer have been unable to force their way back into the side, and instead are named alongside Marty Clarke as emergencies for the match.
Given the esteem with which Adams, Dwyer and Clarke are regarded, their non-selection is testament to the burgeoning depth underpinning the Magpies charge in 2014, which boasts a definitively new look.
Indeed, the surprising emergence of Jack Frost and Tom Langdon as defensive lynchpins, Alex Fasolo’s re-imagining as a half-back, Clinton Young’s triumph over injury and the versatility offered by the arrival of Jesse White provide but an insight into the changing face of the Collingwood side.
This proves further evident when reflecting on the Magpies last encounter with North Melbourne during round 23 last season, with only 13 of the players selected for that clash poised to feature again this weekend.
However, while that particular clash was merely a dead rubber, Saturday’s match looms as a pivotal early season litmus test, with the Kangaroos surging following a three-match winning streak which has seen the side further embellish its top four credentials.
Touted pre-season as a potential dark horse, North Melbourne has appeared intent on justifying the prognostications of pundits, spurred by performances from the likes of off-season recruit Nick Dal Santo, eternal star Brent Harvey and midfielder Ben Cunnington.
Collingwood v North Melbourne
Round Five
Saturday 19 April
MCG, 1.40pm
Collingwood
B: Alan Toovey, Jack Frost, Tom Langdon
HB: Nick Maxwell, Lachlan Keeffe, Alex Fasolo
C: Steele Sidebottom, Brent Macaffer, Heritier Lumumba
HF: Dayne Beams, Jesse White, Luke Ball
F: Jamie Elliott, Travis Cloke, Jarrod Witts
Foll: Brodie Grundy, Dane Swan, Scott Pendlebury
Int: Tyson Goldsack, Jarryd Blair, Clinton Young, Josh Thomas
Emg: Sam Dwyer, Marty Clarke, Taylor Adams
No Change
