Jordan De Goey has done his AFL penance and when Ben Reid returns, it will be in defence.
But coach Nathan Buckley would not confirm if two of Collingwood's best 22 players will return this Saturday for their massive game against fierce rivals Carlton.
The MCG blockbuster will mark Collingwood's 125th anniversary.
While Buckley will not commit publicly before Thursday's main training session, De Goey and Reid are obviously front and centre in their selection frame.
De Goey has not played at all this season after lying to the club about a pre-season hand fracture, while Reid was rested for Sunday's big win over Geelong.
Their one definite change is the loss of Travis Varcoe, who suffered a hamstring injury against the Cats and is out for two or three weeks.
De Goey helped his chances with a strong VFL performance last weekend.
"Jordy has attacked what's been asked of him from the football club with everything in his power," Buckley said.
"He's ticked every box we've asked him to look at ... we're not going to hold him in the shackles for any longer than he needs to be.
"He's suitably chastened with the penalties he received and the reasons for him - we don't need to whip him any further.
"He couldn't have done any more in that six or seven weeks."
Still, Buckley is keeping his options open, noting teammates such as Ben Crocker and Rupert Wills are also pressing for senior spots.
"I suppose I don't want to be on the hook either way," Buckley said.
Reid's recall is obvious, but it's more a question of whether he plays as a key defender or key forward.
His replacement Lynden Dunn was excellent on Geelong's Tom Hawkins.
But Buckley's preference, despite their misfiring attack, it to keep the swingman down back.
"For mine, Reidy's an All-Australian defender and if he's not our best tall defender, he's very close to it," Buckley said.
"As I've said continually, we won't be undoing a part of the ground that's been pretty strong for us, to fix another, if we believe there are other alternatives we want to look at first.
"If we bring him back in, we'll play him down back."
Buckley's focus is to build on the Geelong win, but he is well aware of the potent symbolism around Saturday's blockbuster.
Carlton would love nothing more than to spoil the party with an upset win over their biggest rivals.
"In my time I've been very aware of how much a Carlton victory means to the Magpie army," Buckley said.
Share
