UPDATE: Tall utility Lachlan Keeffe is unlikely to take on Hawthorn in Thursday's NAB Challenge match at Aurora Stadium after sustaining a minor back tightness/ hamstring complaint during Tuesday's training session.

ORIGINAL STORY: 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 48^th overall selection in last November’s National Draft, is also in line to feature at senior level for the first time.

Collingwood in Tasmania: Events schedule.

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.

Weird jumpers, memorable haircuts: The story of Collingwood's pre-seasons.

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

Hawthorn's Squad
2. Jarryd Roughead
3. Jordan Lewis
5. Sam Mitchell
6. Josh Gibson
7. Ben McEvoy
8. Taylor Duryea
10. Bradley Hill
12. James Frawley
18. Jonathon Ceglar
19. Jack Gunston
21. James Sicily
22. Luke Breust
24. Ben Stratton
26. Liam Shiels
28. Paul Puopolo
29. Will Langford
30. Kaiden Brand
31. Angus Litherland
32. Jonathan Simpkin
35. Sam Grimley*
37. Jed Anderson
38. Dallas Willsmore
39. Alex Woodward
40. Billy Hartung
41. Daniel Howe
42. Teia Miles
43. Marc Pittonet
44. Jared Hardisty*
45. Jermaine Miller-Lewis*
*Denotes rookie

About the new faces



Levi Greenwood, Travis Varcoe and Jack Crisp smile for the cameras on their first day at the Westpac Centre last October.

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.