Collingwood hopes forward Jaidyn Stephenson will feature in pre-season series after recovery from glandular fever

Collingwood hopes forward Jaidyn Stephenson will play some part in the pre-season series as he ramps up his recovery from glandular fever.

Collingwood forward Jaidyn Stephenson continues to build on his recovery from glandular fever as he moves towards a return to full training in the coming weeks.

Stephenson was struck down by the debilitating illness two months ago and has been on light duties since his return to training with the club in the New Year.

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The 21-year-old joined in some small group drills and a light hearted soccer game with his Magpies’ teammates during training at the Holden Centre on Wednesday.

The Magpies said they were taking Stephenson’s recovery from the energy-sapping illness slowly, but hoped he could make a return to full training in the new few weeks.

“(We’re) building him slowly so he can join in gradually to full training in a couple of weeks,” Magpies’ general manager of football Geoff Walsh said.

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The Magpies expect Stephenson to play a part in the pre-season competition at some stage.

Collingwood plays Marsh Community Series games against Richmond (March 1) and St Kilda (March 8).

Stephenson, the 2018 Rising Star, endured a challenging year in 2019 after missing half of the season because of a betting ban.

Jaidyn Stephenson trains with his Collingwood teammates on Wednesday.

The Magpies mixed up their training on Wednesday, opening their session with a short soccer kick-around with new development coach Scott Selwood on the whistle as referee.

Veteran defender Lynden Dunn continues to push his case for a recall to the Magpies’ list after being delisted at the end of last season.

Training with the Magpies during the pre-season supplemental selection period, Dunn, who underwent a second knee reconstruction in March last year, was working on his change of direction at training and was one of the last to leave the track.

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Originally published as Collingwood hopes forward Jaidyn Stephenson will feature in pre-season series after recovery from glandular fever