In-form Collingwood forward Jordan de Goey will be given until the morning of Saturday's AFL clash with St Kilda to prove his fitness after leaving Magpies training early on Thursday.
Buckley said James Aish, Dayne Beams and Chris Mayne were on track to play, but De Goey loomed as a touch-and-go prospect.
The 23-year-old left the club's main training session early on Thursday, disappointing his coach Nathan Buckley.
Buckley said the complaint was related to the bone stress issue that caused him to miss two matches last season on the run-in to the grand final.
"He's been battling with that lower leg soreness for the majority of the year ... we definitely thought that he was going to do the session today and he didn't complete it," Buckley said,
"Without giving you his full medical records he's battling through something at the moment.
"It's definitely been tracking in the right direction until this week, he's a bit sorer this week,
"At this stage, we're likely to select him and give him a little bit more time."
Perhaps that's because of the form of De Goey, who is on track for a career-high goals tally after kicking 19 in eight games.
"How's his form looked? He's moving alright," Buckley said.
"Players don't (always) play at 100 per cent fit and he hasn't been 100 per cent fit but he still gets out and does his job.
"Whether he plays or not, we make that decision on a week to week basis."
Steele Sidebottom was also an onlooker for a component of training but Buckley said his midfielder wasn't a concern to miss the round nine clash with St Kilda.
While Taylor Adams remains on the injury list with a groin issue, it appears the 25-year-old has been locked down by the club on a long-term deal.
Buckley answered "yep" when asked whether Adams had agreed a contract extension, then asking the club's media manager whether that had been made public and receiving a negative response.
"Nothing to report," Buckley said, changing his tune while trying not to laugh.
"All scuttlebutt and innuendo as far as I'm concerned."
Buckley said he was progressing well from the injury and remained a chance to play before the club's bye in round 13.
"He has the mentality of a guy who will listen to the medicos, smile and go 'yep, yep, yep' but in his mind the little man is saying 'you can beat that by two weeks or three weeks'," he said.
"Tay himself is pushing really hard."
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