Squad Pre-Season Game 1

Collingwood News

Pre-Season Game 1 Collingwood v Hawthorn Thursday Feb. 26, 7.10pm Aurora Launceston Fox Footy 7.00pm Weather: Min 13 Max 25 Chance of rain 90%: < 1mm Wind: WNW 15kph Betting: Collingwood $2.90 Hawthorn $1.40

Collingwood will unveil as many as six new players when it meets Hawthorn in the NAB Challenge opener at Tasmania’s Aurora Stadium.
Experienced recruits Travis Varcoe (Geelong), Levi Greenwood (North Melbourne) and Jack Crisp (Brisbane) will officially pull on the Black and White stripes for the first time.
They will be joined by prized draft selection Jordan De Goey (Oakleigh U18) who has earned his first opportunity after an impressive pre-season on the training track.
Wingman Matthew Goodyear, the 48th overall selection in last November’s National Draft, is also in line to feature at senior level for the first time.
Patrick Karnezis, the 22-year-old former Lion who joined the Magpies during the 2013 trade period, is another potential first-timer.
A wretched run of injuries denied Karnezis the opportunity to represent the club at senior level for the entirety of the 2014 campaign.
He kicked 31 goals in 13 VFL games last year and was named as an emergency for the meeting with Greater Western Sydney in the penultimate round.
Another feature of the 29-man squad is the presence of Nathan Freeman, who is poised to play his first official match of any description since the corresponding fixture twelve months ago.
Freeman, the tenth overall selection in the 2013 National Draft, injured his hamstring during the second quarter of last year’s NAB Challenge clash against Geelong and did not reappear for the remainder of the year.
The former Sandringham Dragon, who performed well in Thursday’s intra-club match, will be primed to make an early impact, given his impressive performances in the team’s various time trials over the duration of the pre-season.
Collingwood will use 26 players against Hawthorn, with six players on the bench plus two substitutes.
Captain Scott Pendlebury and established stars Dane Swan and Travis Cloke will not feature against the Hawks.
In Pendlebury’s absence, Steele Sidebottom will lead the side for the first time.
Sidebottom, 24, is one of the four vice-captains in the club’s five-man leadership group.
The oldest player in the squad is 28-year-old Sam Dwyer, while Varcoe is the most experienced with 138 senior games to his name.

Collingwood’s Squad

1. Alex Fasolo 2. Sam Dwyer 4. Brodie Grundy 5. Jamie Elliott 6. Tyson Goldsack 7. Ben Kennedy 8. Tom Langdon 9. Jesse White 13. Taylor Adams 16. Nathan Brown 18. Travis Varcoe 19. Levi Greenwood 21. Nathan Freeman 22. Steele Sidebottom (captain) 23. Lachlan Keeffe

24. Josh Thomas 25. Jack Crisp 26. Marley Williams 27. Tony Armstrong 28. Ben Sinclair 29. Tim Broomhead 31. Jackson Ramsay 33. Patrick Karnezis 34. Alan Toovey 35. Jordan De Goey 38. Matthew Goodyear 43. Adam Oxley 44. Corey Gault* 45. Jack Frost* *Denotes rookie

About the new faces

18. Travis Varcoe
Recruited from: Geelong
Age: 26
Position: Half back/ half forward
A dual premiership player during his days at Kardinia Park, Varcoe has impressed his new teammates and coaches with his approach to training. Fellow newcomer Levi Greenwood ranks his forward pressure among the best in the team. Expect to see him encouraged to use his line-breaking pace across half back and on the wings, too.

19. Levi Greenwood
Recruited from: North Melbourne
Age: 26
Position: Midfield
A mature bodied onballer who burrows in hard, Greenwood ran third in North’s best-and-fairest last season. A leg injury hampered his progress pre-Christmas but it has been smooth sailing ever since. Greenwood won 27 disposals, laid seven tackles and kicked two goals in the Roos’ only meeting with the Hawks last season.

25. Jack Crisp
Recruited from: Brisbane
Age: 21
Position: Midfield/ half back
At 190cm, Crisp is taller than the average midfielder and his endurance and long left foot kick help give him a point of difference. He joined Brisbane via the 2011 Rookie Draft but made an impact late in the piece last season when he averaged a career-high 18.83 disposals in the final six games of the year (including a career-high 22 against Collingwood).

33. Patrick Karnezis
Recruited from: Brisbane
Age: 22
Position: Half forward
A rangy half forward who has the capacity to play in the midfield. Injuries denied Karnezis the opportunity to play senior football last year, though he made the best of his VFL appearances, kicking 31 goals in 13 games. His pre-season track form has been good and he has been rewarded with his first AFL appearance of any description since he played for Brisbane in round 10, 2013 – ironically, against Collingwood.

35. Jordan De Goey
Recruited from: Oakleigh U18
Age: 18
Position: Midfield
A tenacious competitor who thrives on winning the contested ball. De Goey enjoyed a stellar junior career, kicking three goals in Oakleigh’s TAC Cup triumph last season. His form in the team’s intra-club match was noteworthy and he is sure to represent the famous No. 35 jumper in fine fashion.

38. Matthew Goodyear
Recruited from: Calder U18
Age: 18
Position: Wing
An athletic midfielder with elite speed and endurance. Goodyear was a prolific ball winner in the TAC Cup and represented Vic Metro in the National Under-18 Championships. He also has the capacity to play at half back, and provide some solid run through the midfield during Thursday’s intra-club match.