COLLINGWOOD swingman Darcy Moore will be sidelined for up to a month following a hamstring injury in Saturday's loss to Greater Western Sydney.
Moore failed to return to the field after half-time and scans post-game revealed a strain.
Pies football boss Geoff Walsh suggested Moore's limited pre-season, where he carried Achilles soreness, may have been a factor in Saturday's incident.
"A traditional hamstring, 21-28 days I would've thought. It's not a super bad one but bad enough," Walsh said on Monday.
"It's quite likely that the pressure that a game produces, guys who have had limited pre-seasons are a little bit more susceptible I suppose."
Moore's setback worsens the Pies' injury crisis after Tim Broomhead fractured his leg in two places chasing a ball towards goal and wrapping his leg around the goalpost.
He had surgery on Sunday at the Epworth Hospital.
"It was a clean break to both his tibia and fibula so it's pretty nasty," Walsh said.
"The operation … everything that needed to be done was done and there's no complications.
Meanwhile, youngster Kayle Kirby has been discharged from hospital after a heart scare in a VFL practice match on Saturday.
The 19-year-old collapsed and was rushed to hospital with an irregular heartbeat, the match stopped for 40 minutes as an ambulance attended.
"There was no contact or incident, he just hit the deck so that's always a worry," Walsh said.
"Pleasingly that (irregular heartbeat) went back into rhythm of its own accord yesterday so that's part of the good news.
"Obviously we'll now have to investigate I suppose is it something that's been there for a while, how do we treat it going forward.
Veteran Daniel Wells missed the VFL hit-out after playing eight days earlier before complaining of tightness in his calves.
He is set to be joined by Jordan De Goey, who is returning from a hamstring injury, in the club's VFL round match on Saturday against Northern Blues.
With Collingwood to play the next two Friday night matches in the AFL, a six-day break for Wells and De Goey would see them unlikely to return until at least round five.
Walsh said forward Jamie Elliott was another week behind Wells and De Goey's preparation after off-season ankle surgery.