Howe to swing forward with Elliott out

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“His experience will be something we really want to lean into and he’s got a lot of class as a forward, he’s got a history there, he’s a good mover, and we’re hoping he can play a really good role for us.

“[We’ll] let Howie do his thing, play to his strengths, as we want all our forwards to express themselves in different ways.

“It’ll be a different forward-line mix – you take out three or four of your starting forward line from last week, it’s a different mix, but we’ll move the ball the same. It’s just a matter of playing a role within that.”

De Goey remains sidelined as the Magpies attempt to get to the bottom of his groin issue, with concerns over a potential case of the debilitating condition osteitis pubis.

Asked if Collingwood had learned more about De Goey’s situation, McRae said: “Yeah, somewhat. That’s a scary word, OP, but it’s leading towards something if we don’t manage it, it could get as bad as that.

“It’s not that now, but [we] grab things certainly here and deload a little bit and then see where we go, and early signs are that’s progressed towards that.”

McRae also confirmed fringe midfielder Finlay Macrae would return and start the game.

AAP

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