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AFL: Ankle injury forces Mason Cox out as Collingwood coach Craig McRae praises free agent Jordan De Goey

Marc McGowanNCA NewsWire
Former Cat Nathan Kreuger is one of the options to replace Mason Cox. Michael Klein
Camera IconFormer Cat Nathan Kreuger is one of the options to replace Mason Cox. Michael Klein Credit: News Corp Australia

Collingwood will make at least one change from its season-opening victory, with rookie coach Craig McRae confirming Mason Cox won’t face Adelaide on Saturday.

Cox suffered a sprained ankle in the final minutes of last Friday night’s 17-point win over St Kilda and has failed to adequately recover.

The American Pie’s absence paves the way for ex-Cat Nathan Kreuger to make his black and white debut, although McRae said Darcy Cameron was another contender to replace him.

Will Hoskin-Elliott could also be in the mix for selection.

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Collingwood copped criticism for the players’ on-field celebrations after beating the Saints but McRae not only defended them but said the Magpies had discussed rewarding the fans pre-match.

1st quarter
Camera IconFormer Cat Nathan Kreuger is one of the options to replace Mason Cox. Michael Klein Credit: News Corp Australia

Six-gamer Jack Ginnivan was front and centre in a video package where he spoke to a series of his teammates in the immediate aftermath.

“We made a really conscious effort to celebrate with our fans,” McRae said.

“We spoke about it a couple of days before we even knew what the result could be.

“The fans have gone through a fair bit the last couple of years – not just our club – but they pay for a membership and never came to a game, so we’re really conscious of what that could look like.

“We spoke about staying out on the field a little bit longer than maybe you would during previous times, to give back to our fans.”

Jordan De Goey’s 27-disposals, two-goal round 1 outing further heightened the intrigue in his contract status.

McRae declined to comment on where the De Goey negotiations were at – or say whether he wanted to see him re-signed soon – but said the Pies star had made a strong impression on him.

“I just love what Jordy’s bringing to our group,” he said.

“I’m new to this role and haven’t seen Jordy this close and personal, if you like, until now and I just love what he brings within our four walls – but, also, he just makes us a better team.

“So, if he can continue to improve as a player and then do what he’s doing, he’s certainly someone we’d love to have on board long term.”

The Crows clash looms as an interesting early gauge of Collingwood’s form, given it will be favoured to move to 2-0 at the MCG.

“It’s a hard competition. I think the bottom line is that we’ve got to be able to embrace every contest that comes, wherever we play and whoever we play,” McRae said.

“We had a good performance (against St Kilda), but we‘ve got to back it up and repeat those behaviours.

“At the moment it’s not a pattern of behaviour … it’s just a performance we’re pretty happy with.”

Originally published as AFL: Ankle injury forces Mason Cox out as Collingwood coach Craig McRae praises free agent Jordan De Goey

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