HAMSTRUNG Magpies Darcy Moore, Taylor Adams and Jamie Elliott remain in doubt for Collingwood's clash with Richmond on Sunday as the club prepares for two games in five days.
The Pies maintain their focus is first and foremost on Wednesday's Anzac Day meeting with Essendon at the MCG as they try to continue the impressive form they showed on the road against Adelaide in round four.
But the important trio trained away from the main group on Monday at the Holden Centre and are still uncertain to return against the Tigers.
MATCH PREVIEW: Collingwood v Essendon
Adams and Elliott, who suffered minor strains at training ahead of the Crows clash, worked together closely while Moore stayed on the track longer than his teammates doing repeat runs.
Coach Nathan Buckley ruled out any chance of Moore, who injured his hamstring against Greater Western Sydney in round two, returning to take on the Bombers and said he was no certainty to face Richmond. The same applied for Adams and Elliott.
"I'd be lying if I said [Moore] was [a chance]. He won't play on Wednesday and we'll have a look at him for the Sunday game. He's had a graduated return to full fitness and we still see him a week or more away," Buckley said.
"Tay's pushing a little bit and that will come to light in the next couple of days, but Jamie will be a week or two as well."
Buckley said having nearly a two-week gap between games had meant for an "interesting" build up ahead of the Bombers contest, but that the Adelaide game could set a new standard for the Pies after a challenging start to the year.
"It's a long time ago now. We reviewed it and we liked a lot of what we saw. We think it was a reinforcement of some things that had been growing and improving gradually since we started playing opposition in [the] JLT [Community Series]," he said.
"It was definitely a long way from the first time we rolled out against the Giants in [the first week of] JLT, so it's been a slow improvement for us. It's a matter of making it a habit. If it's a new level then we'd like to set the bar high. Clearly every game presents its own challenges."
Buckley was reluctant to discuss the club's plans for recovering from Wednesday's clash with the Bombers ahead of the fixture against the reigning premiers on Sunday.
The last time Anzac Day fell on a Wednesday was in 2012, Buckley's first season at the helm, and the former Magpies skipper said the importance of the day resonated with the club.
"It is an occasion for all Australians and it is an opportunity lost if we don't reinforce the reason the day exists [and] the good fortune we have to chase our dreams in this country. It's generational and something we acknowledge each year and try to educate our players and staff around," he said.
