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Dale Thomas and Scott Pendlebury will represent the Collingwood Football Club and Australia in next month’s International Rules Series.

Thomas and Pendlebury are part of the 25-man squad that will play the first Test at Subiaco Oval, Perth on Friday October 24 and the second Test at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on Friday October 31.

Collingwood coach Michael Malthouse will coach the squad and will be defending the Cormac McAnallen trophy, which was won in Ireland in 2006.

“The side has been picked on form," Malthouse said on Wednesday.

“On the knowledge of what type of player that is required general via the two coaches next to me (Nathan Buckley and Matthew Lappin) plus Glen Jakovich.

“We have picked the side to celebrate AFL’s or football’s involvement in Australia for over 150 years.”

23 of the 25 players in the squad finished in the top 10 this year in their respective club best and fairest awards.

“We have two best and fairest winners, two players that were runners-up, five that were third, Shaun Burgoyne finished fourth, (and) we have four that finished fifth in the best and fairest.

Malthouse spoke of his approach to coaching his players (Thomas and Pendlebury) in the series.

“I had a line up of Collingwood players wanting to play.

“Even the young blokes Scott Pendlebury and Dale Thomas, even though I have coached them for two or three seasons, I was just as excited to coach them for this series because it’s something unique and something different.

“They are out there to display their wares and represent the Australian colours.”

The full team is:

Nathan Bock (Adelaide), Matthew Boyd (Western Bulldogs), Jared Brennan (Brisbane Lions), Campbell Brown (Hawthorn), Shaun Burgoyne (Port Adelaide), Matt Campbell (North Melbourne), Ryan Crowley (Fremantle), Michael Firrito (North Melbourne), Nathan Foley (Richmond), Brent Harvey (North Melbourne), Roger Hayden (Fremantle), Leigh Montagna (St Kilda), Daniel Motlop (Port Adelaide), Marc Murphy (Carlton), Michael Osbourne (Hawthorn), Scott Pendlebury (Collingwood), Drew Petrie (North Melbourne), David Rodan (Port Adelaide), Max Rooke (Geelong), Brad Sewell (Hawthorn), Kade Simpson (Carlton), Adam Selwood (West Coast), Dale Thomas (Collingwood), Scott Thompson (Adelaide), Daniel Wells (North Melbourne).