Collingwood will welcome back a burst of speed and energy this weekend, with senior coach Craig McRae confirming forward Beau McCreery’s return for Saturday night’s blockbuster against Adelaide.
McCreery, who has been sidelined with a hamstring injury, completed a full week of training and is ready to slot back into the Magpies’ forward line. His inclusion comes at a vital time for Collingwood, whose attacking spark has been missing in recent weeks.
“Beau will definitely play—he’s been raring to go,” McRae told reporters. “Going back to Adelaide, we’re looking forward to having him back in the team.”
While McCreery is locked in, the availability of fellow speedster Bobby Hill is still uncertain. Despite training strongly on Thursday, Hill’s workload and fitness will be assessed further before the match committee makes a final decision.
In defence, key backman Jeremy Howe is making strong progress through concussion protocols after a frightening head clash with Hawthorn’s Jai Newcombe that left him unconscious. McRae is hopeful Howe will return for the final-round clash with Melbourne, but confirmed he will miss this week’s game.
Without Howe in the line-up, Collingwood has conceded an average of 84.5 points per game. McRae emphasised that the side cannot rely on one player to hold the backline together.
“The reality of what Jeremy’s been for us is a glue for our defence, but we can’t rely on one person,” McRae said. “Our system has let other parts of it down; we’ve all got to play our role.”
The coach also addressed scrutiny surrounding captain Darcy Moore’s recent form, particularly after a tough outing against Hawthorn. McRae revealed he has had ongoing discussions with Moore about leadership, execution, and returning to his best ahead of finals.
“His marking, at its best, is as good as anyone in the competition,” McRae said. “We don’t want to make it a one-person thing, but you have to do your job in the system to make others better. We’re not going to stand still in our desire to grow—whether it’s the captain, me, or anyone in our environment.”
With finals fast approaching, the Magpies will be aiming to use McCreery’s return as a spark to reignite their push for September success.
