Collingwood can’t afford to put too much focus on star West Coast spearheads Josh Kennedy and Jack Darling in Saturday night’s qualifying final in Perth, according to Magpies assistant coach Justin Longmuir.
West Coast have won all 10 of their matches when Darling and Kennedy have played together this year, and the pair loom as crucial figures against the Magpies at a sold out Optus Stadium.
But Longmuir said small forwards Jamie Cripps, Mark LeCras, Willie Rioli, and Liam Ryan also posed a big risk to Collingwood’s victory chances.
“(We are) really conscious of how good they (Kennedy and Darling) are as players, and how good they work together,” Longmuir said.
“But we’ve got to be really careful as a backline group and a team that we don’t solely put our effort into stopping them.
“They’ve got four or five other forwards who have been really dangerous.”
“Ryan, Rioli … (Daniel) Venables is bobbing up and playing his role.
“And LeCras and Cripps have been in career-best form almost.
“We are looking to stop a front six that’s up there with the best in the comp.”
Kennedy will be playing his first match in almost seven weeks after recovering from a second hairline fracture in his right leg.
The Magpies have rolled the dice on the selection front, recalling Jeremy Howe (thigh), Adam Treloar (hamstrings), and Tyson Goldsack (knee) from injury.
Treloar and Goldsack are the biggest risks.
Goldsack tore his ACL in March, but has made it through two recent VFL matches.
Star midfielder Treloar hasn’t played since tearing both of his hamstrings in the round 14 win over Carlton.
Longmuir is confident Magpies players won’t be intimidated by a capacity crowd of 60,000.
“We’ve played in front of some hostile, big crowds this year. It’s something you get a lot of playing for Collingwood,” Longmuir said.