Collingwood will blood two debutants in their AFL season- opener against Hawthorn on Saturday night with Jaidyn Stephenson and Sam Murray getting the nod for the big MCG match.
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Magpies coach Nathan Buckley confirmed on Tuesday that the pair, who joined the club in the off-season, would play however small forward Jamie Elliott continues to be sidelined following his November ankle surgery.
Veteran Daniel Wells and forward Alex Fasolo will line up in Friday's VFL practice match with Box Hill, but Jordan De Goey (hamstring) and Levi Greenwood (knee) still aren't in full training.
Young defender Murray joined Collingwood this season from Sydney while the Magpies recruited midfielder Stephenson in last November's national draft, despite a heart condition that he's managed for a couple of years.
Stephenson, 19, impressed the Magpies with his pace through the pre-season, with teammates describing him as the quickest player at the club.
"Jaidyn's had a strong pre-season and has shown a lot of his strengths within our program," Buckley said on Tuesday.
Murray, 20, spent two seasons with the Swans' NEAFL team but saw more opportunities with the Magpies.
"Sam has been on an AFL list for the past couple of years. He hit the ground running against the Dogs last week with some strong dash off half back," the coach said.
"He will add something to us when he plays on Saturday."
Elliott is set to miss the opening few rounds although Buckley said there was no setback with his troublesome injury.
"He's been building back," Buckley said of the 25-year-old.
"It was a significant surgery that needed to take place.
"He's missed a fair bit of load so we just need to make sure we build him back gradually to take away the risk of soft tissue problems."
Buckley said Wells could have faced the Hawks but will work on his match conditioning among 17 AFL-listed Magpies players in Friday's practice match.
Likewise for Fasolo.
"He's got to work on getting that intensity up in match practice to put his hand up for a role in the senior side," Buckley said of the forward.
Meanwhile, De Goey returned to the club on Monday following his month-long internal suspension for drink driving.
"He's back in the fold and suitably chastened and the leaders were satisfied with the way he attacked that month," Buckley said.
"With his hammy he's still another one or two away from playing matches."
Australian Associated Press
