| Collingwood v Melbourne Monday, June 10 3.15pm MCG 7mate / Fox Footy 3.00pm Weather: Min 7 Max 17 Chance of rain 30%: <1mm Wind: NNW 18kph Betting: Collingwood $1.01 Melbourne $19.00 |
HB: Heath Shaw, Nick Maxwell, Marley Williams
C: Steele Sidebottom, Brent Macaffer, Luke Ball
HF: Jamie Elliott, Quinten Lynch, Dane Swan
F: Ben Kennedy, Travis Cloke, Alan Didak
Foll: Darren Jolly, Scott Pendlebury, Jarryd Blair
Int (from): Marty Clarke, Josh Thomas, Ben Sinclair, Jackson Paine, Kyle Martin, Paul Seedsman, Adam Oxley
IN: Travis Cloke, Adam Oxley, Jackson Paine, Ben Sinclair
OUT: Andrew Krakouer (omitted)
NEW: Adam Oxley (20, Redland QLD)
| Collingwood News |
| Returning Collingwood power forward Travis Cloke headlines an extended 25-man squad named to face Melbourne at the MCG in the annual Queen's Birthday clash on Monday. Cloke, 26, was a late withdrawal from the team to face Brisbane last week after he was grounded by illness on match day. His unavailability prompted a late tactical switch from coach Nathan Buckley, with 2011 All-Australian defender Ben Reid thrust forward as a leading option to fill the void. While the change yielded fruit as Reid nabbed three goals to nearly double his career tally to eight, Cloke's absence was still keenly felt, with his sheer presence and secure hands near impossible to replace. Having booted 26 goals in nine games thus far in 2013, Cloke is one of the most lethal forwards in the game, making his immediate return for the Melbourne match-up a boon for the Black and White. Cloke is joined on the inclusion list by the versatile Ben Sinclair, who returns to the scene of his breakout rising star nominated performance of last season. The 21-year old booted three goals and took five marks in the corresponding fixture in 2012 to firmly confirm his arrival on the AFL scene after narrowly missing out on selection for the 2011 Grand Final, where he was named an emergency. Noted for his ferocious attack at the ball and tackling strength, Sinclair is in many respects, the archetypal Collingwood player, providing valuable pressure around the contest. With Andrew Krakouer omitted, Sinclair is likely to find himself in contention for a berth in the forward half, although he certainly will face competition for a place in the match day 22 from VFL sharpshooter Jackson Paine. Having been publically urged by Buckley to improve his performances at VFL level, Paine has duly obliged with a string of impressive displays in recent weeks, culminating in a four-goal outing against the Northern Blues last round. Another VFL young gun in contention to make the leap to AFL level this weekend is 20-year old Adam Oxley, who has been named in the extended side after being elevated from the rookie list this week. Selected with pick 35 in the 2013 AFL Rookie Draft, Oxley's performances across half back at VFL level have seen him heralded as one of the side's leading performers this season. One of six Queensland-born members of the Collingwood squad, Oxley incidentally is also the sixth Magpie to be elevated to the senior list in 2013, an AFL record emphasising the club's impressive depth, and the recruiting prowess of Derek Hine. Should either of Paine or Oxley feature at AFL level this weekend, they would become the 36th Collingwood player to feature this season, a remarkable fact testament to the overall quality of Collingwood's list this season. Collingwood and Melbourne will finalise their 22-man teams on Saturday evening. |
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