Round 1 line up
B: Sam Murray, Lynden Dunn, Brayden Maynard
HB: Tom Langdon, Darcy Moore, Jeremy Howe
C: Steele Sidebottom, Scott Pendlebury, Josh Smith
HF: Josh Thomas, Ben Reid, Will Hoskin-Elliott
F: Jaidyn Stephenson, Mason Cox, Ben Crocker
Foll: Brodie Grundy, Adam Treloar, Taylor Adams
Int: Jack Crisp, Travis Varcoe, Tom Phillips, James Aish
Emg: Chris Mayne, Tim Broomhead, Callum Brown, Brody Mihocek
NEW: Sam Murray (20, Sydney), Jaidyn Stephenson (19, Eastern U18)
Read: The last time Hawthorn met Collingwood
What to expect
Believe it or not, despite missing finals for a fourth consecutive season, Collingwood were very strong in areas of 2017.
Last year, the Pies ranked first in the league in marks and uncontested possession, and second for disposals and kicks per game.
It reflected a game style that looked to own the ball by foot and keep the footy out of the hands of the opposition.
Nathan Buckley’s side also ranked fifth in the league for inside 50s over the season, proving they had little trouble creating opportunities for themselves to score.
Where the Magpies fell down was their ability to convert these forward entries into scores, finishing 11th in the competition for points scored and 15th for scoring accuracy at 55.3%.
Over the course of their two games in this year’s JLT Series, it was unclear whether the Pies had rectified this issue that plagued a 2017 season that saw them finish 11th on the ladder.
In their first hit-out against GWS, the Pies were confronted with these familiar problems, managing to kick just five goals for the game despite having only 37 fewer disposals than the Giants who ran away ten-goal victors.
Yet the following week against the Western Bulldogs, the Pies looked incredibly potent as they generated a monstrous 33 scoring shots.
Had it not been for inaccuracy in front of goal (they finished 16.17), they could have really deepened their 33-point winning margin.
So, the question of what to expect from the Pies this weekend is a tricky one to answer.
There seems to be two versions of Collingwood, one a much scarier proposition than the other, but there doesn’t seem to be any pattern to help determine which one you’re going to get.
So, we may just have to wait and see!
Players to watch
Darcy Moore and his position in the Magpies’ line-up this year has been the source of much speculation over the summer.
The 22-year old has shown promise as a forward throughout his 47 games as a Pie, but his coach Nathan Buckley has proven experimental with Moore’s position over the pre-season.
In Collingwood’s JLT hit-out against the Western Bulldogs, Moore looked comfortable at the defensive end, with his athleticism and strong hands a stand-out of his debut outing as a defender.
Adam Treloar has played 43 games for Collingwood since arriving at the club ahead of the 2016 season.
In that time, the 25-year old has averaged 30.3 possessions, 6.4 tackles, 5.4 clearances and 4.3 inside 50s and has been arguably the Pies’ most consistent player over that period.
