Collingwood will be cautious with how they prepare Jordan De Goey and the Daicos brothers for the early elimination final with Hawthorn on Saturday at the MCG.
The Pies' premiership defence is hanging by a thread, with a loss in Round 19 almost certain to put a line through their hopes of going back-to-back.
And what has made matters worse is that De Goey and the Daicos brothers are all carrying injury niggles, which can be described as "debilitating".
Despite his mouth-watering 2023 Grand Final performance, De Goey has struggled to find the same form in the current campaign, with groin and abdomen issues hindering the cause.
Speaking on Channel 7's Talkin Footy, the 28-year-old revealed what it was like dealing with the injury that has kept him to 11 games in 2024.
“It's a bit of an uphill battle,” De Goey said.
“But unfortunately that's footy, we will keep pushing forward and make sure I do the best for the team and we will see how we go.”
“It is just groin soreness … groin awareness, and it is just debilitating in terms of power and stuff, but over time it does get better. It is just a process that we have to push through in this first phase (of recovery).
"It's just debilitating in terms of power...over time it does get better, it's just a process".
Jordan De Goey takes us through "a bit of an uphill battle" with his groin issue 🤕 pic.twitter.com/QP6U6MrNp8
— 7AFL (@7AFL) July 17, 2024
“At the moment it is up and down. It is (a) week-to-week (thing). We have changed the structure of my weekly program in order to try and fix the pain I am going through. But come the weekend, you get all the adrenaline stuff, which makes it easier.
“But it is tough to get continuity.”
The same can be said for Josh Daicos.
The older brother copped a bad cork to the calf in the loss to Gold Coast in Round 16 but has battled wilfully through the pain.
As for Nick, he copped an errant knee from Geelong midfielder Tom Atkins in his hamstring during last Friday's defeat which appeared to have caused him discomfort.
"Nick and Josh Daicos both received extra medical treatment offsite at MSCA," Channel 7's Mitch Cleary said.
"Nick has been dealing with that corked hamstring last week while Josh recently, a tight calf."
It is expected that the trio will get up for the do-or-die clash with the Hawks.
In more positive news, Collingwood is hopeful that swingman Jeremy Howe will play on Saturday while ruckman Mason Cox and forward Dan McStay could be considered.
Howe missed Round 18 with a neural issue originating from his back and wasn't seen on the track along with Nathan Kreuger due to illness while Cox will need to complete Thursday's main training session.
McStay completed his return game in the VFL last week on limited minutes and looked strong in the contest, overcoming an ACL injury he sustained late last year.
"There is still a little bit to play out. We'll discuss that further internally in match committee. He has pulled up really well from the VFL game. We just needed to discuss a few other things before we make a decision around that," Pies coach Craig McRae said on Thursday.
"There is obviously a want and a need for the team and Dan fits that well. There are just a few minor discussions to ensure we are ticking all that off.
"Mason is a bit different, he has missed six weeks. We are in a position right now where we have players that are fit to play, but are they fit to perform?
"That is something we will continue to ask ourselves, particularly this week more than most weeks. Are we putting a team out there that's able to perform at a high level? We will continue to ask those questions."
