Collingwood have suffered a double blow ahead of Friday night’s blockbuster against Carlton with Jordan De Goey and Tom Mitchell ruled out.
De Goey has been unable to train since the Magpies’ draw with Essendon on Anzac Day because of groin soreness, while Mitchell has an ongoing foot issue.
Explosive midfielder De Goey has played every game this season after his important contribution to last year’s premiership, but didn’t cope well with a short five-day break leading into the Bombers contest.
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“He’s had some groin pain just with that short turnaround and hasn’t pulled up all that well from the Anzac Day game,” Collingwood high-performance manager Jarrod Wade said earlier this week.
“(He’s been) unable to train early on in the week, so he’s been really limited for four or five days post that game.
“We’ll give him every opportunity, so we’re going to wait and see how he progresses. Hopefully we can see him into some training on Wednesday.”
But coach Craig McRae ruled both players out in his media conference on Wednesday.
It’s unclear who will come into the side at this stage, but 7NEWS reporter Theo Dooropoulos said it “opens the door” for Lachie Sullivan to make his AFL debut.
The 26-year-old joined the Magpies as a rookie during the pre-season supplemental period.
Young midfielder Fin McRae will be another option after continuing to put up big numbers in the VFL.
Friday night’s blockbuster is expected to be played in front of over 90,000 fans at the MCG.
The Magpies are coming off a draw with Essendon on Anzac Day, while the Blues suffered a narrow loss to unbeaten Geelong.
It sets the scene for a must-watch match between the two fierce rivals.
More to come …