THE RETURN of Collingwood midfielder Taylor Adams has been delayed until after the club's round 13 bye.

Adams, who has missed the past three games after damaging the adductor in his left thigh in the round seven win over Port Adelaide, had made a valiant bid to be passed fit for the Magpies' clash with Sydney at the SCG last Friday night, later tweeting that he "just fell short".

However, the club has revealed the gun onballer will sit out at least another two games.

FULL INJURY LIST Who's ruled out and who's a test?

"Taylor still is a little tender, particularly on the stretch, with that adductor so we'd expect to see Taylor post the bye now. We'll see how that next 10-15 days goes," Pies football manager Geoff Walsh told the club website on Tuesday.

In more welcome news for the second-placed Woods, star trio Jordan De Goey, Darcy Moore and Mason Cox could return to face Fremantle at the MCG on Saturday. They face fitness tests and will need to get through the club's main training session on Thursday.

Big man Cox has increased his straight-line running but must show he can move laterally before he is given the all clear.

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The Pies are also relieved defender Tom Langdon doesn't require surgery for a knee cartilage issue that has troubled him over the past year. Walsh said Langdon's rehabilitation would be managed conservatively and the club would have a clearer indication of a return-to-play date in three to four weeks.

Small forward Jamie Elliott is also expected to be available after the bye as he recovers from his latest hamstring blow. Walsh said the livewire was "progressing well".

Defender Flynn Appleby has enjoyed "a breakthrough" with his running and could be just a week away from returning from an ankle injury, but fellow defensive prospect Nathan Murphy is taking longer than expected with his ankle problem and his timeframe has been listed as "indefinite".

Father-son draftee Will Kelly suffered a significant rupture to a hamstring tendon in the VFL and could be sidelined for six to 10 weeks.

This comes a day after it was announced veteran Daniel Wells would miss up to three months with a potentially career-ending knee injury.