COLLINGWOOD ruckman Jarrod Witts appears certain to be available for the Magpies' round one clash against the Brisbane Lions after a best-on-ground performance in Thursday night's VFL practice match against Richmond.
Witts, who is returning from a shoulder reconstruction, controlled the ruck and pushed forward effectively across four quarters to finish with two goals and 34 hit-outs for the Magpies' reserves team.
The 22-year-old did not feature through the NAB Challenge but he has now played two VFL practice matches after returning alongside teammate Ben Reid against Geelong a fortnight ago.
It wasn't a fruitful evening for Witts's opponent Shaun Hampson, with the Richmond ruckman limping from the ground in the third quarter and not returning.
The extent of any injury is not yet known as young Tiger Ivan Soldo finished the match in the ruck.
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Witts provided a highlight in the second quarter at Punt Road Oval when he ran with the flight of the ball to take a courageous contested mark in the forward line, converting his set shot from 40m.
The Magpies had 12 AFL-listed players in the clash, with forward Patrick Karnezis also pushing strong claims for senior selection with three goals in the first half.
First-year player Jordan De Goey (17 possessions and six clearances) stood out in the midfield, combining brilliantly with Witts early in the third quarter to kick a clever goal out of a forward line stoppage.
Young tall Darcy Moore played in the backline for the Magpies, while midfielder Tim Broomhead was the leading possession-winner with 31 touches.
With just four AFL-listed players involved, the Tigers' VFL team struggled to keep pace and eventually lost by 118 points.
Prized midfield recruit Corey Ellis played his first match in yellow and black after recovering from a foot injury and completed limited minutes unscathed.
The No.12 pick in last year's NAB AFL Draft was the Tigers' leading possession-winner in the first half with eight touches and two clearances.
