Collingwood will have to manage without key forward Brody Mihocek, who sustained a hamstring injury during Friday night’s victory over Carlton. Pies coach Craig McRae disclosed on SEN that Mihocek tore his hamstring in the third quarter but continued playing through the pain.
“We have Checkers who’s done a hamstring and he’ll miss probably two to three weeks,” McRae said on Monday.
“Apparently, he did it in the third quarter and didn’t come off.
“We said, ‘Why didn’t you come off?’. He goes, ‘Oh, I don’t know, I just didn’t come off’.
“He’s a crazy dude. He knew he’d done it and we found out straight after the game, I had no understanding that he actually had done it (during).
“But obviously it’s enough to keep him out for a couple of weeks.
“He’s going to be a big loss. We’ll have to work our way through that, other guys will get some opportunities.”
Mihocek joins Beau McCreery (concussion), Lachie Schultz (suspension), and Tom Mitchell (appendicitis) as confirmed outs for Round 9, while Jordan De Goey (osteitis pubis) is unlikely to recover in time.
Collingwood accepted Schultz’s one-match suspension for his strike on Blues wingman Blake Acres, while McCreery was sidelined due to a concussion resulting from a knee to the head during the game.
Mitchell’s persistent foot issue, which led to his management in Round 1 against Sydney and his subsequent withdrawal from Friday’s game, has been exacerbated by the recent bout of appendicitis.
The 2018 Brownlow medallist shared the news of his hospitalization on social media, and McRae has confirmed that he will be sidelined for at least another week.
With Mihocek, Schultz, and McCreery out of the senior side, there will be three openings for players from the VFL, especially considering Mitchell and De Goey are unlikely to make a return.
Reef McInnes is expected to fill in for Mihocek, while Ash Johnson and Nathan Krueger are also being considered, despite Krueger’s recent return from injury.
Small forward Joe Richards has been performing well in the reserves, consistently contributing to the scoreboard.
Former Saint and pre-season selection Jack Bytel showcased an impressive performance in the VFL on Saturday, while Finlay Macrae continues to show promise.
The club will provide updates on the latest injury news on Tuesday.
Collingwood has until Friday, 5 pm, to finalize their starting 23 as they gear up for their match against West Coast at Marvel Stadium on Sunday.
