bailey smith headlines a Collingwood selection change that brought Scott Pendlebury, Jeremy Howe and Beau McCreery back into the senior side for Saturday night’s Round 9 clash with Geelong at the MCG. The Magpies also lost Harry Perryman to a moderate-grade hamstring injury, shifting the balance of the team just as the fixture arrives.
Collingwood’s three inclusions
Pendlebury and Howe return after being managed for last week’s draw with Hawthorn, while McCreery is back after recovering from general soreness. Pendlebury is set for his 432nd AFL match and would equal Brent Harvey’s record for the most VFL/AFL games played.
Those changes give Collingwood a more experienced spine for one of its biggest regular-season tests. Patrick Lipinski also reaches his 150th AFL game, with 56 of those coming at the Western Bulldogs between 2017 and 2021 before his move to Collingwood, where he had already played 93 games in black and white.
Harry Perryman’s setback
Perryman’s absence is the clear trade-off. He sustained the hamstring injury in Round 8 against the Hawks and began a rehabilitation program this week with the aim of returning in four to five weeks, leaving Collingwood to adjust its defensive mix for the Geelong meeting.
Wil Parker and Will Hayes were omitted from the team that played last week, while Ed Allan and Charlie West were named as emergencies for Saturday night. West’s inclusion among the emergencies also links the senior side to a wider Collingwood selection picture that includes 14 AFL-listed Pies for the club’s Round 7 VFL clash with Geelong.
MCG selection pressure
The immediate call for Collingwood is simple: replace Perryman’s role without losing the experience Pendlebury and Howe bring back to the lineup. Saturday night at the MCG now carries a sharper selection edge, with three inclusions, one major omission and a milestone game all landing in the same round.
