COLLINGWOOD key forward Travis Cloke is back into the senior team to face Fremantle at the MCG on Friday night.

Defender Nathan Brown and James Aish have also earned recalls.

Cloke, 29, was dropped after returning for one match against Port Adelaide, in round 11.

He collected 12 disposals, 10 tackles and two goals in the VFL against the Casey Scorpions a fortnight ago. The Magpies' VFL side had a bye last week.

"You should expect to see Cloke, Brown and Aish come back into the side. All three of those guys played particularly well two weeks ago in their last VFL appearance," Pies coach Nathan Buckley said after training on Thursday.

There is no guarantee Cloke will receive an extended amount of time to prove his worth, with Buckley saying the dual All Australian needs to deliver.

"Depends on different variables. Clokey's performance will be the main one, and how we perform as a team and the role he plays within that," Buckley said.

"As I've said all along, it's not about AFL or VFL as such, it was about Clokey getting back to elite preparation first and foremost to give himself a chance to maximise his talent.

"He's made a couple of those shifts over the last four to six weeks in particular, and his performance at Casey a couple of weeks ago was an absolute standout in regards to attitude and effort and contest."

That game in the VFL took place in what Buckley described as "three inches of mud", but Cloke's GPS numbers were nevertheless on par with what he had produced earlier this season.

Mason Cox will be selected to play but may come out of the side, depending on the weather conditions, while Jack Frost will miss.

Cox has lined up in eight consecutive matches since making his debut on Anzac Day.

"I think we're expecting a one in one hundred year storm. He'll be selected to play, and we expect that unless things get totally out of hand, he'll play," Buckley said.

All car parking at the ground will be closed in anticipation of the inclement weather.

Skipper Scott Pendlebury will be available to face the Dockers despite having his ankle iced following the Queen's Birthday clash versus Melbourne, with the coach paying tribute to Pendlebury's resilience.

"He copped basically the studs down the back of the leg, but he's a resilient type. If he's not carrying around a cracked rib or a corkie of some description, well then he's having a rare week," Buckley said.

Exciting forward Darcy Moore is nearing his return from a fractured collarbone sustained in the loss to the Western Bulldogs in round 10.

"He was touch and go. He trained on Sunday and Tuesday with the intent of proving his fitness for tomorrow, but he didn't quite get there. He won't be far away next week," Buckley said.

The Dockers have won three consecutive games and Buckley acknowledged their strong form, but pointed to a potential weakness.

"They have still got quite a deal of young players in their side, most of whom wouldn't have found themselves on the MCG too often," he said.

"There's still an opportunity there for us to make this environment as uncomfortable as we can."