Defender Alan Toovey headlines the introductions after a barnstorming pre-season campaign confirmed the West Australian is ready for competitive football having successfully recovering from a knee reconstruction.
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Widely lauded by his coaches and teammates, Toovey’s return represents a major boost to a Collingwood outfit, with his versatility and reliability making him a likely candidate to tackle one of Fremantle’s dangerous small forwards.
The defensive line will also feature a fresh face in 2013 draftee Tom Langdon, with the former Sandringham Dragon enjoying a remarkable rise only 18 months after a draft day snub saw him return for an additional year of TAC Cup football as an overage player last year.
Langdon’s standout performances in the elite development competition, combined with experience gleaned through forays with Sandringham in the VFL saw the 19-year old reassert himself as a potential draft prospect.
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His tenacity and patience would ultimately be rewarded when Collingwood selected Langdon with its 65th pick in last year’s national draft, placing him at the forefront of the club’s youth-inspired on-field evolution.
Perhaps the most high profile of Collingwood’s off-season recruits will join Langdon as another new addition to the side, with Taylor Adams poised to make his Magpie bow and strengthen a midfield already regarded as one of the best in the competition.
Averaging over 23 possessions a game in two pre-season outings for the black and white, Adams’ hard-nosed approach and strength in the contest provides added defensive steel to Collingwood’s on-ball brigade, complementing the trademark attacking instincts of Dane Swan and Dayne Beams.
Of Collingwood’s off-season arrivals, Jesse White represents the most notable absentee, with a calf complaint sidelining the former Sydney Swan after a stellar pre-season campaign highlighted by a five-goal performance against Geelong.
Slated to feature alongside Travis Cloke in a reconfigured forward line, White’s absence is compounded by the unavailability of Ben Reid, who has been ruled out after failing to overcome a similar calf concern.
A revelation as a key forward last year, booting 25 goals, Reid’s ultimate landing place has been subject to conjecture over the off-season, with his defensive All-Australian credentials proving a considerable counter weight to claims he is best utilised in Collingwood’s attacking half.
That debate will be archived for a least a fortnight however, with Reid and White’s respective injuries paving the way for Jarrod Witts to feature alongside Brodie Grundy in a two-pronged rearguard action against Fremantle’s Aaron Sandilands.
Collingwood v Fremantle
Round 1 2014
Friday 14 March
Etihad Stadium, 7.50pm
Collingwood
B: Alan Toovey, Nathan Brown, Nick Maxwell
HB: Tyson Goldsack, Jack Frost, Tom Langdon
C: Steele Sidebottom, Brent Macaffer, Taylor Adams
HF: Dayne Beams, Travis Cloke, Jamie Elliott
F: Ben Kennedy, Jarrod Witts, Dane Swan
Foll: Brodie Grundy, Scott Pendlebury, Heritier Lumumba
Int: Marty Clarke, Luke Ball, Clinton Young, Ben Sinclair
Emg: Quinten Lynch, Lachlan Keeffe, Tony Armstrong
NEW: Taylor Adams (20, Greater Western Sydney), Tom Langdon (19, Sandringham U18)
Fremantle
B: Zac Dawson, Luke McPharlin, Lee Spurr
HB: Danyle Pearce, Michael Johnson, Tendai Mzungu
C: Cameron Sutcliffe, Ryan Crowley, David Mundy
HF: Matt de Boer, Chris Mayne, Nat Fyfe
F: Hayden Ballantyne, Matthew Pavlich, Michael Walters
Foll: Aaron Sandilands, Michael Barlow, Lachie Neale
Int: Paul Duffield, Stephen Hill, Tom Sheridan, Jack Hannath
Emg: Colin Sylvia, Zac Clarke, Clancee Pearce
