Collingwood star Jordan De Goey will make his first AFL appearance of the season after overcoming knee bruising.

The premiership ace sat out the Magpies’ first two games of their campaign to build fitness and conditioning following his pre-season setback.

But coach Craig McRae has declared De Goey a certain starter for the Magpies’ Friday night clash with the Western Bulldogs at the MCG.

“We’re rapt to have Jordy back,” McRae said on Tuesday.

“It’s been exciting to see his magnet getting closer and closer and it’s nice to say that he’s available and will be fit to play and and fit to perform.”

McRae admitted the 29-year-old could have played as far back as their Opening Round defeat to GWS, but the Magpies opted to hold back their star playmaker.

“We played the long game with him, putting a lot of load into him and making sure that he’s ready to take on the season.

“It’s a long season.

“He could have played last week. He probably could have played the week before that, but (not) at a level that we want him to be able to play consistently throughout the year.”

Storied Magpies pair Scott Pendlebury and Steele Sidebottom will set a new VFL/AFL record for most games played together when they run out against the Bulldogs.

It will be their 308th game in the same team, breaking the record held by Adelaide’s Andrew McLeod and Tyson Edwards, who infamously had a falling out in their friendship late in their careers.

But there is no such risk with Pendlebury and Sidebottom, who first played together in 2009 and won two premierships with Collingwood.

McRae called their partnership “remarkable”.

“To Steele do his stuff last week, running on top of the ground,” McRae said of Sidebottom’s impressive 31-possession, one goal performance.

“Then you just don’t see the work that ‘Pendles’ does for us.

“Guys within our four walls just appreciate the other little things he does, and the role models and the incredible statesmen for the game and for our footy club, and we will definitely celebrate that.”

Pendlebury is coming off being used as a sub for the first time in his legendary 405-game career in Collingwood’s 91-point destruction of Port Adelaide last Saturday night.

McRae didn’t rule out having the 37-year-old start outside the 22 again this season.

“We got to realise that ideally we get ourselves in a position where we play beyond August, and that’s a long time away,” he said.

“So we stay in the moment.

“We stay process driven, and we look for opportunities for our players to be ready for whatever is in front of them.”