Collingwood will try and extend its lead of the top of the ladder with a third-straight win when it faces North Melbourne on Saturday night.
But it will do so without stalwart Scott Pendlebury and star goalsneak Bobby Hill, who were each late withdrawals.
Hill was excluded due to personal reasons, with AFL House approving a change to the Pies’ matchday squad “due to exceptional circumstances”.
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Oleg Markov, who wasn’t initially named as an emergency, replaces the livewire forward in Craig McRae’s side.
Then, Pendlebury was pulled due to illness, with Wil Parker coming into the 22 and Markov handed the sub duties. Zac Fisher is North’s starting sub.
The Roos (2-1-7, 80.2%) are coming off their best two-week block of the season with a draw with reigning premier Brisbane followed by a win over Richmond.
Paul Curtis and Zac Fisher return for Alastair Clarkson’s side as 17th-placed North looks to snap a five-game losing streak against the top-of-the-table Pies.
Collingwood (8-2, 129.4%) has brought in first-gamer Will Hayes after opting to manage veteran Steele Sidebottom.
The match gets underway at 7:35pm AEST from Marvel Stadium, with the final teams and starting subs for each side to be announced an hour beforehand.
Watch it live on Fox Footy (channel 504) and streaming on Kayo from 7:15pm AEST.
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