Collingwood star Adam Treloar looks set to return for the club during Saturday night's qualifying final against West Coast at Optus Stadium.
Treloar has been burning up the track as he attempts to prove he is ready to play, 11 weeks after hamstring surgery.
But the risk of him re-tearing his hamstring must be factored in by the club before he is selected to return.
Respected sports medico Dr Peter Larkins told the Herald Sun yesterday that an 11-week recovery from hamstring tendon surgery was sill quick by conventional methods.
“We are still learning a lot about the timing of a return after hamstring tendon repairs,” Larkins told the Herald Sun.
“So in terms of his chances of breaking down it is still a roll of the dice. But in September there is still a different set of rules for these kind of decisions."
“His training would give them as much comfort as they can have but I have never seen a training session that produced the fatigue and effort of match day."
Collingwood must also take into account the amount of games they have played this season where they have had a player injured on the bench.
The Magpies have had an injured player on the bench in 14 of their 22 games, which is the second most, behind Adelaide (16) this season.
Collingwood coach Nathan Buckley told SEN's Whateley yesterday, the Magpies had yet to make a decision on Treloar.
“If Adam Treloar is available to play, and he is right to go after training tomorrow, we will select him and he will play,” Buckley said.
“If he is not, he won’t. Regardless, we are not going to fall into that agenda."
“He is a chance, he has got to get through training tomorrow and we will have the side selected on Thursday night.”