RETURNING Collingwood veteran Daniel Wells has suffered a left knee injury in the third quarter of the Magpies' clash with Sydney at the SCG on Friday night.

It was a cruel blow for the 34-year-old, who booted three goals in the first half and looked his usual classy self up forward.

Wells was tackled by Swans defender Jackson Thurlow and his knee hit the turf on a wing.

SWANS v MAGPIES Full match coverage and stats

Pies coach Nathan Buckley was unsure about the severity of the injury in the immediate aftermath of his side's seven-point win.

"There's some damage to the knee. We don't know exactly what it is. He was unable to complete the game so we'll need to let that settle and give the docs a chance to make a final assessment," Buckley said.

The coach had been impressed by Wells' impact until he went off.

"He had a real impact in that first half and was significant, kicking three and giving a couple off. His pressure was good, he looked up and about, so that was encouraging," Buckley said.

The Magpie has endured a brutal run with injuries in his time at the Pies, with damage to the Lisfranc ligament in his left foot last season requiring surgery, while Achilles and calf issues have also plagued him in recent years.

The Sydney clash was just his 15th match in his third season at the club since crossing over from North Melbourne as an unrestricted free agent.

It was a hard-fought clash and Collingwood's backline stood up, with former Western Bulldog Jordan Roughead again delivering after being given the thankless task on superstar Lance Franklin. 

Roughead will continue to win plaudits, even if his coach slipped up when speaking about the defender during his press conference.

"Jarryd Roughead was…Jordan Roughead. It was only a matter of time (before making that mistake)," Buckley said.

"I thought 'Roughy' was really good. His job was on 'Buddy' initially, and then we had to flick him across on to Sam Reid.

"He's just been first class. The jobs that he keeps doing and keeps standing up, so defensively, he's been huge."

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