And Western Bulldogs management has confirmed the retrun from star defender Dale Morris after the tough veteran missed the entire 2012 season recovering from a severly broken leg.
Morris, 30, managed a brief return into VFL reserves ranks last year before suffering further complications and his return this season is expected to make or break the closing stages of the 2008 All-Australian backman's career.
Macaffer, 25 later this month, was named in the Pies squad for NAB openers against staunch rivals Essendon and Western Bulldogs in Melbourne.
It's almost a year to the day that the 2010 premiership utility went down with a serious knee injury on the eve of NAB Cup action last summer.
Macaffer tore an anterior cruciate ligaments last February and resumes alongside another brave Pies comeback hero with the return of Andrew Krakouer for the lightning carnival series and potentially a full NAB campaign ahead of resumption in AFL action next month.
Macaffer made it back into playing at VFL level a month before last year's Magpies finals series.
Krakouer also suffered a ruptured acl in his knee and completed a remarkable return with an outing in Round 23 just six months later and then all three engagements in the play-offs before the Pies were bundled out in the preliminary final to eventual premiers Sydney.
The Pies also named veteran recrtuits Quinten Lynch, Ben Hudson, Jordan Russell and Clinton Young to make early appearances in the summer competition.
The Pies have included a formidable on-ball brigade with superstars Dane Swan, Scott Pendlebury, Dayne Beams and Steele Sidebottom all named.
Influential midfielder Dale Thomas wasn't considered as he recovers slowly from ankle surgery and tough experienced follower Luke Ball is also still sidelined in final stages of his recovery from a full knee reconstruction in mid-April last year.
Ace Essendon recruit Brendon Goddard will make his first official apeparance in the famous red and black after switching from St Kilda in an historic free trade move.
The Bombers named a strong squad despite champion on-baller Jobe Watson sitting out.
The reigning Brownlow medallist is nursing medial ligamnent problems in his left knee after a training collision a fortnight ago.
NAB Cup Squads for Friday:
COLLINGWOOD: Jordan Russell, Brent Macaffer, Nick Maxwell, Andrew Krakouer, Harry O'Brien, Martin Clarke, Scott Pendlebury, Jarryd Blair, Clinton Young, Jarrod Witts, Nathan Brown, Dayne Beams, Darren Jolly, Jamie Elliott, Ben Reid, Quinten Lynch, Steele Sidebottom, Ben Hudson, Ben Johnson, Ben Sinclair, Travis Cloke, Dane Swan, Kyle Martin, Peter Yagmoor, Heath Shaw, Paul Seedsman, Sam Dwyer, Jack Frost, Marley Williams, Caolan Mooney.
WESTERN BULLDOGS: Jarrad Grant, Robert Murphy, Mitch Wallis, Daniel Cross, Matthew Boyd, Luke Dahlhaus, Shaun Higgins, Easton Wood, Jackson Macrae, Daniel Giansiracusa, Clay Smith, Jason Tutt, Ryan Griffen, Adam Cooney, Liam Jones, Daniel Pearce, Tom Liberatore, Dylan Addison, Will Minson, Tory Dickson, Christian Howard, Tom Young, Michael Talia, Nick Lower, Lukas Markovic, Dale Morris, Jason Johannisen, Liam Picken, Jack Redpath, Brett Goodes, Tom Campbell, Lin Jong, Mark Austin, Ayce Cordy.
ESSENDON: Michael Hibberd, Tom Bellchambers, Brent Stanton, Leroy Jetta, Brendon Goddard, Nick O'Brien, Stewart Crameri, Jason Ashby, Courtney Dempsey, Tayte Pears, Michael Hurley, David Hille, Jackson Merrett, Dyson Heppell, Jake Carlisle, David Myers, Alex Browne, Ariel Steinberg, Cale Hooker, Luke Davis, Elliott Kavanagh, Alwyn Davey, Paddy Ryder, Dustin Fletcher, Dylan Van Unen, Kyle Hardingham, Martin Gleeson, Lachlan Dalgleish, Nick Kommer, Heath Hocking, Nathan Lovett-Murray, Hal Hunter, Mark Baguley, Cory Dell'Olio.