Gregor Mactaggart
There’s mixed news for Collingwood’s Gippsland faithful heading into Sunday’s Marsh Community Series clash with St Kilda at Morwell Recreation Reserve.
Star midfielder Adam Treloar won’t be playing in the Latrobe Valley, but could still be fit for Round 1.
Scans confirmed the ball magnet suffered a minor strain of his left hamstring in the final quarter of the match against Richmond in Wangaratta.
The assessment also cleared Treloar of any injury to the region of his left hamstring that was operated on in 2018.
“Adam will work through the regulation 21 day rehab period and then we will re-assess,” Collingwood’s general manager of football Geoff Walsh said.
“The strain is mild or low level and the previous major surgery is intact. Adam was confident that the nick was minor and so it is.”
Magpies coach Nathan Buckley flagged the inclusion of stars Scott Pendlebury, Steele Sidebottom, Brodie Grundy, Darcy Moore and Jeremy Howe after the quintet featured in the Victoria/All Stars game last Friday night.
“Those boys will have a good hitout against St Kilda,” Buckley said.
“The pre-season is significant, they’re thorough.
“We’ll be preparing well, we want to prepare for the first part of the season.”
Other Pies on the injury list include Travis Varcoe (shoulder), Levi Greenwood (knee), Tim Broomhead (leg) and Isaac Quaynor (hip).
St Kilda players will take to the field sporting special socks to show their support for Australia’s dairy industry.
The Saints have partnered with Dairy Australia in 2020 and will kick off their support this weekend in Gippsland, one of Victoria’s biggest dairy farming regions.
St Kilda’s cow patterned socks designed to celebrate the importance of the dairy industry to the local community, and local communities all over Australia.
Saints ruckman Rowan Marshall, who spent time growing up on a dairy farm in southwest Victoria, said he was proud to support the industry.
“Dairy is a massive part of the community where I grew up in Portland, and it’s great that we are showing our support as a club,” Marshall told the Saints website.
“Dairy farmers are part of our rural communities and so important to the local economy in these country towns, just as local football clubs are.”
It is the second trip to the Latrobe Valley in as many weeks for St Kilda, who are expected to bring a much-stronger line-up than the team which lost to Hawthorn by 26 points in the Emergency Services game on February 28.
The Saints are likely to be boosted by the inclusion of Brad Hill and Jade Gresham, who played in the Victoria/All Stars game on Friday night.
Hill, in his first year at the club after coming across from Fremantle, said he was looking to have a big 2020.
“I want to be consistent and take my football to another level,” he said.
“So far the pre-season has been pretty good and we’ve got another run against Collingwood on Sunday,” he said.
“I think I’m starting to mature now and you see the game a bit better.”
Traralgon export Tim Membrey missed last week’s match against Hawthorn, but is another poised to return in a match that serves as the final hitout ahead of Round 1 for both clubs.
“Collingwood has been a very successful team for the past couple of years, so if they put a strong side on the park it will be game on,” he said.
“It is important we start to nail our game structure (ahead of Round 1).”
Unlike last week, the Saints will pack some tall timber with Membrey and Max King looming as the twin towers.
Dan Hannebery missed last week’s match with soreness and is available for selection, but Jimmy Webster (shoulder) may be rested.
The Magpies and Saints will name their teams for the Morwell clash today.
