Collingwood's Alex Fasolo is set to miss at least another two or three weeks after having a screw removed from his troublesome foot.
The 22-year-old utility has played seven AFL games in 2014, despite suffering a toe injury during the Magpies' Anzac Day clash with Essendon.
Fasolo, who was restricted to three games in 2013 because of foot concerns, has been battling ongoing foot issues.
"Alex has been getting a bit of foot soreness for the past four to five weeks and it has been generated by one of the screws in his foot from his navicular operation, so that will be removed today," Collingwood's director of football Rodney Eade told the club's website on Tuesday.
"He has got three screws in there, so the surgeon is really confident that it won't impact on his foot."
"Hopefully he will be back in two to three weeks."
Key defender Jack Frost has recovered well from a hyperextended knee in last weekend's loss to the Western Bulldogs and is expected to be fit for Saturday's round-14 game at the MCG against premiership contenders Hawthorn.
However Frost won't be joined in defence by Ben Reid, after the 2011 All-Australian hurt his quad muscle at training last week.
Reid has not played a senior game in 2014 after hurting his calf in March.
"It's enormously frustrating for him, to have the calf issues a couple of days before round one and then to injure himself again after getting back into footy (at VFL level)," Collingwood coach Nathan Buckley told a news conference on Tuesday.
"We hope to get Reidy back in four weeks."
Midfielder Dayne Beams is expected to return after narrowly failing a fitness test last week due to a calf complaint.
Second-placed Hawthorn are on a five-game winning streak against sixth-placed Collingwood and Buckley says his focus this week is on the midfield contests.
"If there's one thing it will go on, it will be who's tougher in tight," he said.
"We haven't been tough enough in tight against Hawthorn."
Buckley says the Magpies have enough midfield depth to hold their own, but they were out-hunted by the Western Bulldogs who scored an eight-point upset win last weekend.
"Clearances have been a big issue," he said.
"When you're losing the clearances you're invariably giving inside-50s away. "
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