
Despite recent success, Collingwood has made four changes ahead of the round 13 match against Fremantle on Saturday afternoon at the MCG.
Defender Nathan Brown comes back into the side after successfully recovering from a knee injury sustained in round 11 against Melbourne. Brown will join Tyson Goldsack, Dayne Beams and Chris Dawes all named in the starting 22.
Earlier this week football manager Geoff Walsh confirmed star midfielder Scott Pendlebury will miss Saturday’s match with a knee injury sustained in the opening minutes of last week’s win. He is projected to miss one to three weeks of football.
Martin Clarke, Steele Sidebottom and Cameron Wood have all been omitted.
Brown will be a welcome inclusion into the side considering his previous success against Fremantle’s forwards. In Brown’s debut match last year, the defender performed admirably on the AFL stage holding Docker star Matthew Pavlich to one goal in the Magpie’s round one win.
Forward Chris Dawes is set to play his first AFL match this year after playing in the final six games last season. Dawes has kicked 14 goals in nine VFL matches this season and has averaged seven marks and three tackles a game.
Emerging Magpie Beams has been in scintillating form in the VFL over the last three weeks and will play his seventh senior game in his debut season at the club. The 29th overall pick in last year’s draft has averaged 15 disposals and four marks in six appearances and will look to fill the midfield void left by Pendlebury.
22-year-old Goldsack has played four AFL games this year and has been included to bolster the Magpies’ defensive stocks on Saturday afternoon. Since arriving at the club via the 2006 draft (pick 63), Goldsack played 33 games across his first two seasons including five finals matches.
Paul Medhurst, who will need another week in the VFL to regain match fitness, is named on the emergency bench and joins Sidebottom and Wood.
Collingwood will look to win its fifth straight against a side it has split the last four matches with at two wins apiece.
Fremantle have made three changes to its side with Hayden Ballantyne (Peel Thunder), Zachary Clarke (Oakleigh Chargers) and Brett Peake included.
Ballantyne and Clarke are set to make their debut on Saturday afternoon after showing strong form in the WAFL. 25-year-old Peake has returned to the side after missing last week and will play his 69th game for the club in his fifth season.
2009 AFL Round 13
Collingwood v Fremantle
Saturday 27 June
MCG, 2:10 pm
Collingwood
B: Harry O’Brien, Simon Prestigiacomo, Shannon Cox
HB: Nick Maxwell (c), Leigh Brown, Tyson Goldsack
C: Brad Dick, Tarkyn Lockyer, Dale Thomas
HF: Dayne Beams, Travis Cloke, Leon Davis
F: Alan Didak, John Anthony, Heath Shaw
Foll: Josh Fraser, Dane Swan, Shane O’Bree
Int: Nathan Brown, Sharrod Wellingham, Chris Dawes, Alan Toovey
Em: Steele Sidebottom, Paul Medhurst, Cameron Wood
In: Nathan Brown, Tyson Goldsack, Dayne Beams, Chris Dawes
Out: Scott Pendlebury (knee), Martin Clarke, Steele Sidebottom, Cameron Wood (all omitted)
Fremantle
B: Greg Broughton, Antoni Grover, Scott Thornton
HB: Steven Dodd, Luke McPharlin, Paul Duffield
C: Nic Suban, Paul Hasleby, Garrick Ibbotson
HF: Stephen Hill, Matthew Pavlich, Andrew Foster
F: Hayden Ballantyne, Chris Tarrant, Dean Solomon
Foll: Aaron Sandilands, Byron Schammer, David Mundy
I/C: Brett Peake, Matt de Boer, Clancee Pearce, Zachary Clarke
Emg: Clayton Hinkley, Des Headland, Kepler Bradley
In: Ballantyne, Clarke, Peake
Out: Adam Campbell, Kepler Bradley, Michael Walters
New: Hayden Ballantyne (Peel Thunder), Zachary Clarke (Oakleigh Chargers)