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COLLINGWOOD'S injury toll might well have reached a critical mass ahead of its must-win encounter with Hawthorn at the MCG on Friday night.

Adding injury to the insult of their shock 44-point drubbing from North Melbourne at Marvel Stadium on Saturday night, the second-placed Magpies lost three more players – defender James Aish (hamstring), key forward Ben Reid (calf) and midfielder Brayden Sier (concussion).

With their season at a crucial juncture as they face a challenging run home, the Magpies could be forced to dig deep for reinforcements given their unavailable list has ballooned to 15 players, including at least seven who would make their best 22.

Magpie Ben Reid ended the night on the pine after pinging his calf. Picture: AFL Photos

The Pies could regain small forward Jamie Elliott for the clash with the Hawks, but he could be a risky proposition given he has been sidelined for seven weeks with his latest hamstring problem. Midfield star Taylor Adams is still another week away.

The drama started for the stumbling Pies before the first bounce against the Kangaroos when Aish withdrew with hamstring soreness. He was replaced by returning backman Matt Scharenberg, who played his first game of the season after his third knee reconstruction.

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Worse was to follow in the opening minutes when Reid damaged his right calf and immediately walked to the bench, taking no further part. Another lingering soft-tissue problem could prove costly for the injury-plagued Reid, who is set to fall out of contract at season's end.

Sier received a couple of knocks in a torrid first half, shaking off a bone-crunching collision with North's wrecking ball skipper Jack Ziebell in the opening minute before coming off second-best after a marking contest late in the second quarter. The inside ball winner suffered concussion symptoms and was ruled out of the game at half time.

Fellow premiership contender Greater Western Sydney is optimistic about regaining brilliant playmaker Lachie Whitfield for its big twilight clash with Brisbane at Giants Stadium on Sunday.

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Whitfield has been sidelined for four weeks after undergoing surgery on a broken collarbone.

"I'm pretty confident he'll be back next week," Giants co-captain Phil Davis told Channel Seven on Sunday.

"Obviously with some of those (injuries) you don't find out all the information, but I thought he would have been close for Thursday night (against Essendon), so I'm pretty confident he'll be back (against Brisbane). He's a pretty important player for us."

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The Lions will assess big man Oscar McInerney after he suffered a bout of concussion following a heavy knock in a collision with Melbourne runner Christian Salem in his team's win at the Gabba on Sunday.

McInerney was left dazed and bloodied late in the second quarter and was soon ruled out for the rest of the match.

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Earlier, star Demons ruckman Max Gawn appeared to have come to grief when he tweaked his left ankle in a marking contest in the second quarter. He went down into the rooms for treatment before returning to the action 20 minutes later and played out the game.

Carlton's stunning last-minute win over Fremantle at Optus Stadium was soured by concerns over star forward Charlie Curnow's right knee injury. 

Curnow went down clutching his knee after a nasty-looking collision with Ethan Hughes during the first quarter of the clash.

Coach David Teague said after the game that doctors believed it was a 'mild' medial ligament strain but scans on Monday will reveal the full extent of any damage. 

Essendon has its own tall-timber issues with ruckman Tom Bellchambers to miss around six weeks with a right calf injury after a mishap in the stirring win over the Giants at Marvel Stadium on Thursday night.

Bombers key defender Patrick Ambrose will be sidelined for up to four weeks after sustaining a strained quad in the warm-up.

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Sydney, the Dons' opponent at the MCG this Saturday, was also a victim of the big-man scourge with Callum Sinclair likely to sit out multiple games after twice dislocating his right shoulder early in the win over Gold Coast at the SCG on Saturday.

Swans backman Colin O'Riordan was left sore after receiving an accidental forearm to the head from Suns co-skipper David Swallow late in the game. The Irishman left the field but soon returned.

Geelong superstar Patrick Dangerfield is in doubt for the stoush with a resurgent Western Bulldogs at Marvel Stadium on Saturday night after copping a knock to the hip in a marking contest during his team's home win over Adelaide on Friday night.

The Bulldogs, meanwhile, will monitor defensive architects Caleb Daniel (hamstring soreness) and Jason Johannisen (lower leg).

In other developments:

  • West Coast stopper Mark Hutchings is likely to miss a few games, including the Derby against Fremantle at Optus Stadium on Saturday night after hurting his left hamstring in the win over Hawthorn at the MCG.
  • North Melbourne debutant Kyron Hayden suffered a potentially season-ending Achilles tendon injury in the win over Collingwood.
  • Adelaide co-captain Taylor Walker is expected to be fit for the Showdown against Port Adelaide at Adelaide Oval on Saturday despite being hampered by an elbow problem for the bulk of the clash with Geelong.
  • Gold Coast youngster Ben King was groggy after a head clash in the first term and spent some time off the field before returning to the fray.