NBA ROYALTY Dirk Nowitzki was essentially a sideshow at Collingwood's first training session of 2023, with the sight of Jordan De Goey back on the track for the first time since shoulder surgery the main attraction.
Under the guidance of former Dallas Mavericks teammate and Australian basketball great Chris Anstey, Nowitzki worked on his drop punt at the AIA Centre while Craig McRae's side went back to work for the first time this year.
De Goey was forced to undergo arthroscopic surgery on his right shoulder at the start of December after the injury he suffered in the qualifying final loss to Geelong didn't settle over the off-season.
The 26-year-old, who signed a five-year contract extension in October that ties him to the Magpies until the end of 2027, completed most of Thursday afternoon's session, standing out early with his polish and pace before finishing with a running set alongside Beau McCreery during match simulation.
While De Goey transitioned back into main training after missing most of the first block of the summer, Darcy Moore was confined to light rehab work on the AAMI Park side of the ground.
The All-Australian defender was hospitalised last month with osteomyelitis and is gradually building up his workload after suffering the bone infection, which could have been far more serious if it wasn't detected so early by club medical staff.
Moore is expected to be fit for round one, but a timeline around his return will become clearer in the coming weeks.
The 26-year-old is considered one of the leading candidates to replace Scott Pendlebury after the veteran announced before Christmas that he had stepped down as skipper after nine years in the role, finishing as the longest serving captain in Collingwood's history and the seventh longest serving in VFL/AFL history.
Taylor Adams was co-vice-captain in 2022 alongside veteran defender Jeremy Howe and Moore is considered another contender to replace Pendlebury following seven seasons in the leadership group.
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Adams started 2023 by banking a full training session after his 2022 campaign ended when he tore his adductor off the bone in the first week of September.
While almost the entire list completed parts of the session on Thursday, Jamie Elliott, Darcy Cameron, Nathan Kreuger and Trey Ruscoe were the most notable absentees.
Former Gold Coast and Richmond defender Oleg Markov watched on from the fence while he waits to start his trial with the Pies ahead of the pre-season supplemental selection period deadline on February 15.
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The 26-year-old isn't permitted to start training until Monday and will have four weeks to prove to McRae – who coached him when they crossed paths at Richmond – that he is worth another shot at AFL level, after being delisted by the Suns in October.
The Magpies are also auditioning young South Australian ruckman Oscar Steene during the pre-season after the West Adelaide product was overlooked in November's NAB AFL Draft and Rookie Draft.
Steene trained with the Pies before Christmas and showed some promise in match simulation contests against Mason Cox and Aiden Begg. Collingwood traded dual All-Australian Brodie Grundy to Melbourne in October and are light on for ruck depth.
Collingwood signed four players – Tom Mitchell, Dan McStay, Bobby Hill and Billy Frampton – during a busy Continental Tyres Trade Period. All four recruits have made strong early impressions at the club, especially Mitchell who appears to have improved his aerobic capacity since crossing from Hawthorn and could prove to be one of the best value recruits given he instantly improves Collingwood's work around stoppages – the Magpies were rated 16th for clearances differential in 2022.
The Brownlow Medallist stood out during match simulation on Thursday along with McStay, who took a handful of strong contested marks in the front half of the ground, while Frampton is gunning for a spot in defence.
The 26-year-old played 24 games across eight seasons at Port Adelaide and Adelaide, but after transitioning into a key defender at SANFL level last season, Collingwood acquired him in exchange for a future third-round pick.
Frampton won some key contests on Thursday and will fight with Nathan Murphy and untried mobile defender Charlie Dean for a spot in Collingwood's back six.
With Jordan Roughead limited to one game before retiring mid-season and Mark Keane remaining in Ireland last year, the Magpies lacked key position depth in defence in 2022, but now they have depth.
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After producing one of the best debut seasons since John Coleman, Nick Daicos spent time in the midfield and across half-back on Thursday, ending the session with a sublime piece of individual brilliance where he sliced through the midfield, burnt past two opponents before snapping a goal on the run.
Daicos was a unanimous winner of the Rising Star in 2022 after playing all 25 games in a blistering first year, where he averaged 25.8 disposals playing predominantly across half-back.
And while Nowitzki may have had the best athletic resume at Olympic Park on Thursday, onlookers were far more interested in the progress of Daicos and the return of De Goey on the Magpies' first day back for 2023.
