Collingwood will be hoping for the best news possible this week after three key players went down with injury during their Friday night thriller against Melbourne.
Jeremy Howe was medically substituted out of the match during the second quarter after sustaining what the club labelled as a groin concern, though it has since been revealed to potentially be an adductor strain.
Collingwood senior coach Craig McRae spoke about the latest cruel twist in Howe's 2025 season post-game but remained hopeful that Collingwood could regain his talents for the first week of finals.
I just had a brief chat to him [Howe],” McRae said.
"The adductor injury can be somewhat on the minor end at times. They tend to heal quickly, I think, but we won't know until we get a scan.
"It may be a sneaky chance for the first final. I'm not sure. We'll find out. If it's a bit more than that, I don't know."
Brody Mihocek and Beau McCreery also suffered knocks during the match, with McCreery notably taken to the rooms to be assessed after his foot was "stomped on", though he ultimately returned to the field and played out the match.
Despite the injured foot, McCreery was quietly one of Collingwood's more influential players, registering 18 disposals, two goal assists and a team-high eight score involvements in just 66% time on ground.
McRae played down the severity of the injuries for both key players but admitted the pair will need further assessment to determine the extent of their concerns.
"[Mihocek] has got a hand [injury]. Something with his hand, I'm not sure," McRae said post-game.
"Beau got stomped on his foot, so that was pretty sore for a while. Again, we won't really know until maybe early next week or as early as the weekend, but I don't think that's of concern at the moment."
The Magpies six-point win has all but assured the club will secure a top four spot in this year's Finals Series, helped by Port Adelaide's upset win over Gold Coast on Friday night.
