Jordan De Goey ruled out of Collingwood’s opening round clash with GWS who will be without Jesse Hogan

There will only be two matches in the AFL”s opening round and both will be devoid of a host of stars after Collingwood’s Jordan de Goey and GWS gun and reigning Coleman medallist Jesse Hogan were both ruled out of their clash. With both games in Queensland postponed due to the cyclone approaching the Queensland coast, Sydney’s clash with Hawthorn on Friday night will start the 2025 season before the Magpies meet the Giants on Sunday. But that match will be down some star power with new recruit Jake Stringer and now star goalkicker Hogan set to miss for the Giants and De Goey unable to recover from knee bruising in time to take his place. The clubs said he had experienced a “setback in pre-season” which required a de-load period. He has completed a three-week period of full team and contact training and the 28-year-old is expected to be available in rounds one or two. Hogan meanwhile suffered a fractured thumb after getting it stuck in a door following his team’s final pre-season match against Carlton in Canberra and could miss two to three weeks but will be “assessed on a week-to-week basis” He joins Stringer, who has suffered a mild hamstring strain, on the sidelines with a potential Giants debut for the former Bomber pushed back to as late as round 3. At the AFL season launch in Sydney on Monday Hogan, without mentioning his own injury, lauded Stringer for his early impact in Sydney. “The publicity around Jake’s all been pretty positive, but it’s for a reason,” he said. “Since he got to the club, his attitude and mindset has been second to none. “He’s just put his head-down, bum-up, type setup, and everything he’s been asked to do, he’s done. “He’s been super impressive to me. And everyone knows at his best how good he actually is. And I actually truly believe his best footy’s actually in front of him. “So yeah, we’re through that pre-season area, and hopefully we get to see him sooner rather than later. But he’s been super impressive.” The Giants will also be without midfielder Tom Green for the game against Collingwood due to a calf strain. Sydney won’t have dual All-Australian Errol Gulden who had surgery on the ankle injury he suffered against the Gold Coast last weekend with no timeline on his return while captain Callum Mills will also be watching from the sidelines as he continues to manage his plantar fascia tear.