Collingwood veteran Scott Pendlebury is all but certain to face Port Adelaide, overcoming a recent rib injury during the bye to be in the selection window for Round 6.
Pendlebury was subbed out of the Magpies' Gather Round win over Hawthorn due to a knock to the ribs, with the club's bye last week likely to mean the club's games record holder won't miss any matches due to the ailment.
The 36-year-old was required to get through Thursday's main session at training and underwent further assessment following the session, with Pendlebury looking at ease throughout the course of the club's game simulation planning.
Barring any last-second setbacks, the former Magpies captain should be available to play the Power at the MCG on Saturday, with coach Craig McRae
"Pendles got through training, so we'll assess how he pulls up," the premiership coach said.
"He's a marvel with his ability to recover and get ready to play. It might be hard to leave him out.
"We're pretty healthy at the moment which is pleasing at this time of year to have most available. [The bye] would've supported a lot of guys in the team at both levels."
Also in the mix for their first game of 2024 is fringe half-forward Harvey Harrison, who has been among the standouts in Collingwood's VFL following a promising pre-season in the black and white.
While a host of senior names are ahead of Harrison in the pecking order, McRae is confident the 20-year-old will be "ready to go" at the top level if a chance to flex his running and pressure game arises.
"Harvey hasn't been seen at AFL level, but what we've seen in the last four months - pre-season included - is a guy that looks really fit," McRae added.
"He's strong, he's a great runner with the ball, he's got enormous speed. He's tackling really well, I think he's averaging eight tackles at VFL level.
"There's a few guys ahead of him in terms of Beau (McCreery), Bobby (Hill) and Shoota (Lachie Schultz), who have been playing those roles, but Harvey's ready to go when he gets a chance.
"There's quite a few playing well at VFL level. Harvey and Joe Richards are playing great footy. Ed Allan played well, Fin Macrae was another great player in the VFL. They're playing some really good footy."
One man who has aided the Magpies' return to form over the past month is premiership forward Billy Frampton, who has returned to the backline to start this season in Nathan Murphy's absence.
McRae has been left pleased with Frampton's form alongside Darcy Moore and Jeremy Howe in defence, with the club's reliance on the former Crow and Power tall growing in the wake of Murphy's retirement this week.
"Yeah really pleasing. Billy is playing the best football I've seen him play," McRae said of the club's 2022 recruit.
"Three games in a row he's played against good opposition and really held his own. It's important to us."
Murphy's retirement due to concussion didn't come as a big surprise to McRae and the club, with Collingwood having braced for the unfortunate announcement for some time.
The club has looked to 'evolve' its list and structure proactively ahead of Murphy's departure, with McRae noting there's room for his squad to grow given the defender's exit and forward Dan McStay's long-term battle with a knee injury.
The Magpies will look to the Mid-Season Draft to potentially bolster their list as part of the club's "next move", with Murphy's retirement opening up a list spot for the reigning premiers.
"This is something that's been sort of stewing in the background for a while. So this is not a sudden moment of shock for the decision," McRae said of Murphy's decision.
"But anytime one of your valued players and cultural guys decides to walk away from the game and you know, it's difficult. You want to support the player and his family. He's not lost to us as a club.
"We've been working through [our structure] right from the moment Murph wasn't available for Round 0. We've got some areas in our list that we're constantly sort of evolving.
"We've had to do some different things, we're not finished. There's a lot of sleepless nights working out what the next move is."
Collingwood will host Port Adelaide at the MCG on Saturday at 1:45pm (AEST).
