James Hird says he's wary of Dane Swan's form against Essendon.
Collingwood ruckman Darren Jolly leaves the ground in pain during the Magpies' clash against Carlton. Source: Getty Images
COLLINGWOOD'S first choice ruckman Darren Jolly will miss tomorrow's Anzac Day match to be eased back through the VFL after a rib injury.
Jolly will join comeback midfielder Luke Ball in the VFL team in Bendigo on Friday night.
"If you look at his last seven weeks he has missed a lot of footy and training. He had his kidney issue about six weeks ago and he has missed a large chunk of training. So we're just giving him the opportunity to get up to speed and trust the incumbents at the moment,'' coach Nathan Buckley said after training today.
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"If you take a step away and look at the reality of the situation, it's clear that Darren needs the solid training and the football. It won't take long for him to get back to speed, but it's pretty important for him to get that.''
While Buckley said experienced ruckman Ben Hudson has recovered well, the Magpies do have the option of bringing in young big man Jarrod Witts for what would be a dream debut on one of football's biggest days at the MCG.
"We'll have a discussion to decide whether we go with Ben or Jarrod. I'm pretty confident they both bring something to the table,'' Buckley said.
"Obviously, Jarrod hasn't played a (senior AFL) game yet and that comes into consideration. It's all about balancing up whether Huddo has recovered well enough, we feel that he's thereabouts, or whether we go with youth.
"We pick players to play their roles within the side regardless of what round it is. We're pretty confident we prepare our young players with that ability, so we wouldn't be considering the occasion.''
On the prospect of playing both Hudson and Witts to combat Essendon's talls, Buckley said: "It's probably unlikely. It's not the policy we've continued through the NAB Cup and into the early home-and-away (rounds).
"We believe Quinten Lynch is giving us really good cover in that regard. His minutes in the ruck have been damaging, he has been able to contest really strongly in the ruck contests.
"And around the ground, he has been able to get into dangerous positions and defended particularly well. So, we're pretty confident he provides a bit of structure for us in that regard.''
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Defender Nathan Brown (groin) and versatile Ben Johnson (calf) are ready to play as the Magpies staff eased the players through an ultra-short preparation.
"Players have recovered really well and we're all set to go. It's just another opportunity for us to play our type of footy for four quarters and test ourselves against pretty good opposition,'' Buckley said.
"It's something I've been fortunate enough to be a part of for a number of years. But you can't forget why we're playing on this day and that's the thing you try to get across to new people in your club.
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"We're blessed to represent Collingwood, the AFL and the wider community and we educate our new players and staff around the reality of Anzac Day and why it exists. And that's an important part of bringing people into our culture.''
On Essendon's unbeaten start to the season, Buckley said: "They're four and zip, they're playing irresistible footy both in offense and defence. Their contested ball is up very high and we expect a team full of confidence and with a bit of an us-against-the-world mentality at the moment and playing accordingly.''
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