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Magpies target goals despite De Goey loss

3 minute read

Collingwood coach Nathan Buckley is keen for his team to increase their scoring potency, starting with Sunday's clash against West Coast at Optus Stadium.

Magpies head coach NATHAN BUCKLEY.
Magpies head coach NATHAN BUCKLEY. Picture: Michael Dodge/Getty Images

Collingwood coach Nathan Buckley is confident his team can up the scoring ante during the upcoming fixture squeeze despite the loss of their most dangerous forward.

The Magpies will be without Jordan De Goey for at least eight weeks after the star forward underwent finger surgery.

Fourth-placed Collingwood boast the stingiest defence in the league, but they are ranked a lowly 11th for scoring, at an average of 61.6 points per game.

De Goey displayed his importance to the side with a five-goal haul in the wet in last week's win over Geelong.

His lengthy injury absence is a huge blow, and Collingwood will also enter Sunday's clash with West Coast minus key forward Mason Cox, who has been overlooked following a worrying dip in form.

Darcy Cameron, Josh Thomas, and Matthew Scharenberg have been recalled to replace De Goey, Travis Varcoe (rib) and the axed Atu Bosenavulagi.

Collingwood face one of the toughest fixture squeezes over the coming weeks.

After taking on the Eagles, the Magpies face a period of four games in 14 days in Perth, Brisbane, Adelaide, and back in Brisbane.

Buckley is not looking to just break even during that period - he wants his team to thrive.

Upping their scoring potency is top of his list - and he wants all the forwards to have a "lick of the ice cream".

"We've always rated our depth," Buckley said.

"It's actually the sum of the parts that's more important than the parts themselves, and we do pride ourselves on that.

"We've shown signs in the last couple of weeks that our offence is starting to get up and about.

"Depending how the games are played over the next month, I'd expect us to score a lot more heavily in that next three or four weeks and establish more scoreboard pressure with the way we're going to go about it.

"I don't know necessarily where the goals are going to come from, but I'm pretty sure we can spread the load and start hitting the scoreboard more heavily."

West Coast will welcome back skipper Luke Shuey from a hamstring injury, but goalsneak Liam Ryan is in doubt following the tragic death of his eight-year-old nephew on Wednesday.

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