Collingwood Vs Adelaide will meet in Round 1 at the Melbourne Cricket Ground after Collingwood named an unchanged side for its first home game of 2026, with a raft of individual milestones and a reshaped Adelaide list adding extra narrative to the clash.
Collingwood team named, veterans hit milestones
Collingwood has selected the same 22 that opened the season with a 12-point win over St Kilda. Captain Darcy Moore remains unavailable as he recovers from a calf injury, and defender Brayden Maynard will assume the match captaincy.
Forward Dan McStay will play his 200th AFL game, having joined Collingwood as an unrestricted free agent. Veteran Scott Pendlebury is selected for his 427th appearance, moving him past Michael Tuck into second on the VFL/AFL games played list. Pendlebury will need five more games after Saturday night to draw level with the record-holder on 432.
Pendlebury will also share the ground with Jamie Elliott for the 200th time as teammates. Steele Sidebottom will run out for his 356th game, moving into the top 20 of the VFL/AFL games played list by equalling two historic players on that tally.
The three emergencies named for the match are Lachie Sullivan, Oscar Steene and Charlie West.
Collingwood Vs Adelaide: MCG hoodoo and Crows’ off-season changes
The Adelaide side arrives under pressure from a near-decade-long struggle at the MCG. The Crows have not beaten Collingwood at the ground since 2014 and have won only one of their last 13 encounters with the Victorian side, while losing 11 of their past 13 fixtures at the MCG.
Adelaide has added utility Cal Ah Chee and forward Finnbar Maley, along with draftees Mitch Marsh and Archie Ludowyke to its list. The club will also be without Dan Curtin for the early stages of the season.
A three-time premiership star highlighted the mounting external and internal pressure on Adelaide, questioning whether last season’s straight-sets exit in the finals exposed structural issues and whether the list changes were sufficient. The senior figure said the Crows face significant questions about midfield depth and finals temperament as they begin their campaign.
Match logistics and off-field changes
The match is set for Saturday 14 March at 7: 35pm (AEDT) at the MCG, Wurundjeri. Collingwood senior coach Craig McRae addressed the media ahead of the club’s first home game of 2026. The club has also confirmed a new commercial partner and named a former player as the match-day host for home games, set to make his debut on the microphone at the ground.
This fixture brings together the immediate team news and long-running matchup storylines: Collingwood enters with continuity and several landmark games on the horizon, while Adelaide must confront mounting expectations and a historical run of results at the MCG. The outcome will set the tone for both clubs as the season opens.
What to watch in Round 1
Key items to monitor are Pendlebury’s continued climb on the all-time games list and McStay’s 200th appearance, alongside how Adelaide’s new and returning personnel handle the pressure of the MCG and questions about midfield reinforcement. Collingwood and Adelaide will meet on Saturday night with form, fitness and milestone narratives all in play for the season’s opening home spectacle.
