Collingwood premiership defender Billy Frampton looks set to replace injured defender Reef McInnes for the blockbuster Thursday-night match at the MCG against the winless Carlton, while key Blue Harry McKay remains a wait-and-see proposition to play.
When the Magpies trained on Sunday morning, Frampton was part of the main defensive group alongside skipper Darcy Moore and high-flier Jeremy Howe, while McKay played in an internal scratch match with the Blues VFL squad on Saturday morning.
Carlton star Harry McKay remains a wait-and-see proposition to play against Collingwood.Credit: Getty Images
The Coleman medallist has missed the past two matches for personal reasons and a decision is not expected to be made on his availability until selection on Wednesday.
Elijah Hollands also played in the scratch match, but he is not yet in a position to play after also taking time away from the club on the eve of the season for personal reasons.
Carlton are desperate to break through for a win after losing their first three matches. They gave up a 41-point deficit in a shock loss to Richmond in round one before competitive losses to Hawthorn and the Western Bulldogs. Ten of their 11 goals against the Bulldogs came from talls, Brodie Kemp (five goals), Charlie Curnow (three goals) and Lewis Young (two goals) as their small forwards continued their struggles hitting the scoreboard.
Frampton is yet to play for the Magpies this season. He is competing with Charlie Dean for the spot to replace McInnes, who will miss the season after having a knee reconstruction. Ed Allan is also in line for selection after being best on ground in the VFL a week ago.
Unlike the Blues, the Magpies have all their key players available for the round-four match. Only McInnes, Ash Johnson, Harvey Harrison and Tom Mitchell did not train. Dan Houston left the track early, but there were no concerns about the boom recruit’s availability.
Collingwood have won five of their past six against Carlton, but four of those wins were by a goal or less.
