DEPLETED PIES CAN HANDLE BUDDY

NATHAN Buckley says Collingwood has the defensive aerial power to stop Lance Franklin and his in-form teammates despite injuries to two reliable Pies defenders.

Saturday’s SCG contest will pit Darcy Moore against Franklin, pictured, after the Pies defender feasted on 19 marks last week.

Buckley said that Jordan Roughead had passed his concussion test against North Melbourne and had no symptoms but on balance had been put in the 12-day concussion protocol. And he said Jeremy Howe, who is in for more hamstring surgery that could end his season, had felt his muscle pulling most times he had attempted to fly for high marks this year.

It means Moore and Irish four-gamer Mark Keane will be among the Pies attempting to stop a Sydney forward line including Franklin, Tom Papley, emerging tall Hayden McLean, Errol Gulden and possibly Isaac Heeney (ankle).

Collingwood will blood its sixth debutant in nine rounds after former Australian basketballer Tom Wilson was named in the side.

Wilson is a wingman and half-back with impressive VFL form, averaging 21 possessions and 106 ranking points in four VFL clashes this year.

Franklin looked sore firstup after missing a fortnight with bone bruising, and Buckley will spend plenty of time scheming about the entire Swans front six.

“We will miss Roughy. He has been a really strong key defender for us so we might be a bit smaller than in previous weeks,” he said. “We believe we will have enough aerial cover to get the ball to ground. And then that will be one part of how we plan to defend Sydney.

“We won’t be Buddycentric. There are a lot of other avenues they have to score we need to be conscious of.”