KEY FORWARD Darcy Moore appears in doubt for Collingwood's blockbuster clash against Essendon at the MCG on Saturday after only training for a short period on Thursday.

Moore finished the round 15 clash against Hawthorn on the bench with hamstring tightness, but the Magpies were heartened when scans were relatively positive.

On Thursday he did run-throughs and goalkicking under the watchful eye of club medical staff before leaving the track after about 45 minutes.

Collingwood coach Nathan Buckley said on Tuesday Moore would need to join in full training to be available for selection.

Magpies speedster Travis Varcoe trained well and appears available for selection, while there is a chance Ben Reid will earn an immediate recall after playing in the VFL last week when Collingwood preferred Tyson Goldsack and Lynden Dunn.

The Magpies could also consider Lachlan Keeffe, who has performed well in the VFL in the past three games as a ruck-forward, while Rupert Wills was also a strong performer in the midfield for the VFL last week and may be considered to bolster strength around the stoppages.

Goldsack trained with a broken nose, although he would need to pass a concussion test to be available to play against the Bombers.

Essendon tall Joe Daniher was best on ground when the last two teams met playing on Henry Schade for most of the game.

The Magpies sit 15th on the ladder with just five wins for the season, and look unlikely to play finals.