In holding off a spirited West Coast Eagles outfit on Sunday afternoon, Collingwood qualified for a fourth finals series in Craig McRae's five seasons as its head coach.
The club will now jostle for position in the final fortnight, with a top six berth not outside the realms of possibility if McRae's side can stun the competition in beating a pair of modern rivals - the Hawthorn Hawks and Brisbane Lions.
Ahead of a telling two weeks of fixtures, the competition's biggest club provided an update on a few of their most influential magnets, after victory over the Eagles was left to the youngest side the club has fielded in over two years.
Jordan De Goey - a mercurial player enjoying one of his most consistent campaigns to date - missed the victory in Perth following glute soreness sustained in the Magpies' loss to Geelong a week earlier. Mentor Scott Pendlebury also failed to make the journey west, after a corked calf threw a spanner in the works of his 21st season.
Both men will be assessed following main training on Thursday.
Also to be assessed is fringe commodity Joel Cochran.
Cochran is wading his way through the league's concussion protocols, and his suitability for selection hinges on testing, come Thursday. He has been in the frame for a debut for some time, and may have come into the side instead of debutant Noah Howes on the weekend, if both were fit.
A return to play timeline for crucial defender Jeremy Howe will be communicated after a review with the surgeon responsible for the reparation of his fractured arm, next week.
Patrick Lipinski (calf), Brayden Maynard (knee/hamstring) and Harry Perryman (hamstring) have all commenced running and skills programs.
