Collingwood to juggle midfield stars during NAB Challenge campaign

Herald Sun

Pre Season Game 1 Collingwood v Geelong Friday Feb. 26, 7.10pm Simonds Stadium Geelong Fox Footy 7.00pm Weather: Min 13 Max 23 Chance of rain 20%: < 1mm Wind: WSW 24kph Betting: Collingwood $2.55 Geelong $1.48

COLLINGWOOD will resist the urge to release its much-vaunted midfield for Friday night's NAB Challenge clash against Geelong at Simonds Stadium.
Through a concerted recruiting campaign in the past two years, the Pies have added Taylor Adams, James Aish, Jack Crisp, Jordan de Goey, Levi Greenwood, Adam Treloar and Travis Varcoe to ensure they will bat deep this season.
That group will combine with Tim Broomhead, Brent Macaffer, Scott Pendlebury, Steele Sidebottom and Dane Swan, and while all bar Treloar will be available for Wednesday night's selection meeting, Collingwood will stagger their NAB Challenge appearances.
Aish and de Goey were particularly impressive in last week's intra-club practice match, the former suggesting he will quickly emerge as a better player than he showed in two seasons at the Brisbane Lions and the latter returning as a strong-bodied individual.
Treloar will be seen later in the pre-season, as will Jamie Elliott, Jeremy Howe and Tyson Goldsack.
Up forward, the Magpies are penning in Travis Cloke and youngster Darcy Moore, 20.
The players in line to join them include 200cm rookie forward Corey Gault, who started a make or break season well with five goals in the intraclub.

Jordan de Goey starred in last week's Collingwood intra-club. Picture: Nigel Hallett

Another rookie, 211cm US college basketballer Mason Cox, has shown enough as a ruckman/forward to suggest he has a genuine chance of making an impact within two years of first handling a football.
Collingwood rounds out its NAB Challenge campaign against North Melbourne in Wagga and Western Bulldogs at Etihad Stadium before travelling to ANZ Stadium to play Sydney in Round 1 on March 26.