FOOTY'S fabulous Opening Round continues on Friday night with Geelong unfurling the 2022 premiership flag before taking on Collingwood in front of another sold-out MCG crowd.
Thursday's thrilling draw between Richmond and Carlton will only make it clearer to both the Cats and Magpies how important it is to start a campaign with four premiership points in the bank, so don't expect either side to take a sideways step once the ball is bounced at 7.40pm AEDT.
FOLLOW IT LIVE Full match coverage and stats
Chris Scott showed he's not leaving anything in reserve, naming spearhead Tom Hawkins to line up despite limited preparation.
While neither side is blooding a League-level debutant, there will be plenty of players running around in new colours, most notably Ollie Henry who faces his old side after heading down the highway to join brother Jack who will miss the match through injury.
Former Greater Western Sydney midfielder Tanner Bruhn is also in the hoops for the first time and will be hoping to build on the promise he showed at the Giants.
>> Get all your LIVE scores and stats on the go with the AFL Live Official App
Bobby Hill will be running out in opposition to Bruhn, his former GWS teammate, as Collingwood searches for more scoring options, with Dan McStay also in front of goals in a refreshed Magpies attack.
And there should be a bit more ball headed their way with Tom Mitchell named for his first game at his third club.
Both clubs also go in with new captains: Patrick Dangerfield for the Cats and Darcy Moore for the Pies, each determined to start their time in charge with a win.
Brandan Parfitt has been named the substitute for the Cats, while Reef McInnes will be the Pies' sub.
Friday, March 17
Geelong v Collingwood at the MCG, 7.40pm AEDT
GEELONG
B: M.O'Connor 42 S.De Koning 16 E.Ratugolea 17
HB: I.Smith 7 T.Stewart 44 Z.Guthrie 39
C: M.Blicavs 46 M.Holmes 9 Z.Tuohy 2
HF: T.Stengle 18 J.Cameron 5 G.Miers 32
F: O.Henry 36 T.Hawkins 26 G.Rohan 23
Foll: R.Stanley 1 C.Guthrie 29 P.Dangerfield - C 35
I/C: J.Bews 24 T.Atkins 30 T.Bruhn 4 B.Close 45
Emerg: J.Ceglar 15 S.Simpson 37 B.Parfitt 3 C.Whyte 11
New faces: Tanner Bruhn, Ollie Henry
Notable absentees: Mitch Duncan, Jack Henry, Sam Menegola, Jack Bowes
COLLINGWOOD
B: I.Quaynor 3 J.Howe 38 B.Maynard 4
HB: W.Hoskin-Elliott 32 D.Moore - C 30 N.Daicos 35
C: J.Noble 9 J.Crisp 25 S.Sidebottom 22
HF: T.Mitchell 6 J.De Goey 2 B.Hill 23
F: B.Mihocek 41 J.Elliott 5 D.McStay 11
Foll: D.Cameron 14 J.Daicos 7 T.Adams 13
I/C: S.Pendlebury 10 B.McCreery 31 N.Murphy 28 M.Cox 46
Emerg: B.Frampton 17 R.McInnes 26 J.Carmichael 45 O.Markov 37
New faces: Tom Mitchell, Dan McStay, Bobby Hill
Notable absentees: Pat Lipinski, Jack Ginnivan
