Collingwood defender Brayden Maynard has been ruled out of the Magpies' clash with Geelong on Thursday night.
He is also in a race against time to feature again in the home and away season, set to miss three to four weeks as he undergoes minor surgery on his left leg, which he injured in the victory over Adelaide.
"It's quite a unique one that the medical team haven't seen too many of these things, so the plan is three to four weeks post-procedure, he'll be right. If he doesn't have the procedure, it's probably going to be three to four weeks as well, so we're going down the route of managing things we can control," coach Craig McRae said on Tuesday.
Maynard's leg injury follows a shoulder dislocation against Melbourne, though he missed just two games and has been playing with his shoulder heavily strapped since.
The defender has been co-captaining the Magpies alongside Nick Daicos for most of this season in the absence of injured skipper Darcy Moore.
There is also a watch on Jordan De Goey and Darcy Cameron.
"He'll be named, and we anticipate he'll play," McRae said of De Goey, who was absent from training with illness.
"Darcy has been managing his body for a couple of weeks now. He did what he needed today. We're hopeful he plays."
If Cameron misses, it would present an interesting proposition for the Magpies in the ruck, with fellow big man Oscar Steene out for the year with an ACL injury.
Dan McStay has been performing the second ruck duties in recent weeks but has been one of the competition's most consistent forwards in the last two months, so utilising him as a primary ruck would be a case of robbing Peter to pay Paul just as the forward line found synergy.
"This is Dan's best form I've seen him play for us. Consecutive games of marking the ball and competing," McRae said.
The Pies acquired experienced state leaguer Harrison Coe at the Mid-Season Draft and were very deliberate in targeting AFL-ready players, so he could be in line for a shock debut if Cameron misses on the run home.
He has played five VFL games for the Pies since being selected and is averaging 15 disposals and 24 hitouts at VFL level in 2026.
Small forward Lachie Schultz, meanwhile, is a chance to return from an ankle injury which has sidelined him in the last two games.
"Lachie is going to be assessed. He got through training. There's a chance he plays. We'll have to wait and see how he pulls up," McRae said.
"Again, we'll have to weigh up all his loads and how much he's done. He's done a great job to get himself in this position."
The undersized Wil Parker and untried Joel Cochran may come into selection consideration if the Pies opt for a like-for-like Maynard replacement.
Teenager Sam Swadling could also return after performing in the VFL after his surprise omission, while Will Hayes may come into selection consideration, having played three games since a six-week shoulder injury interrupted strong form off half-forward.
Collingwood's clash with Geelong is crucial for both sides in their aspirations of qualifying for the top six and avoiding playing Wildcard Round.
