COLLINGWOOD will be without premiership forward Beau McCreery for up to the next six weeks due to a calf injury, while All-Australian pair Josh Daicos and Brayden Maynard are in doubt for Friday night’s blockbuster against Essendon.

McCreery was substituted out of the 11-point loss to Gold Coast on Saturday at People First Stadium, with subsequent scans revealing a soleus calf strain.

The South Australian has been ruled out for at least the next month and might not be available until round 23.

Daicos sustained a corked quad against the Suns and finished the game, but has struggled with soreness since the weekend.

Maynard copped a decent corked quad in the final quarter and is facing a race against the clock to be fit in time to face the Bombers.

With a six-day turnaround between games, both players will aim to prove their fitness at Wednesday’s main training at the AIA Centre, but are in doubt.

John Noble entered the League’s concussion protocols on Saturday and won’t be available until the round 18 fixture against Geelong at the earliest.

After missing the trip to Queensland due to gastro, Lachie Schultz will return this weekend after recovering over the weekend and training this week.

Second-year defender Jakob Ryan will be sidelined for the next 2-4 weeks after suffering a low-grade calf strain in VFL game against Essendon on Saturday.