COLLINGWOOD has received a boost this week, with star recruit Adam Treloar joining in parts of main training after working his way back from groin problems.
Treloar has been eased into his first pre-season at the Magpies after having groin surgery just prior to being traded from Greater Western Sydney.
Collingwood's director of football Neil Balme told the club's website Treloar had begun some training with the main group and was now ready to increase his workload.
"Adam Treloar is tracking very well, we're very happy with his progress," Balme said on Wednesday.
"Our main objective with him to make sure the whole OP (osteitis pubis) issue doesn't reoccur.
"He had chronic OP last year so he is going pretty well. He's joined in the warm-up part of training for the first time this week.
"So that was a big progression for him. He's doing a lot of work and we're really pleased with the position he's in. It's really just a matter of progression and more work and more running that he needs."
Fellow recruit Jeremy Howe is also on the mend after he experienced some foot soreness towards the end of the Magpies' pre-season camp in Queensland in the first week of January.
"He was very sore in the foot," Balme said.
"It's a little bit of a stress reaction. But we're really pleased with how quickly he's responded to it. He's now starting to do the work.
"We're very happy with the way he is and I think he might be back a bit quicker than we expect."
Jamie Elliott is battling a minor back problem and Balme said his training loads had been eased this week in order to get the issue under control.
"It's more of a niggle really than anything else and we're trying to take the intensity out of training in the short-term to allow it to settle down," Balme said.
"He's been training very well. His running has been good. His work in the gym has been very good.
"But he is, in our terminology, a short-term problem."
Tyson Goldsack's knee injury is taking a little longer to solve. Goldsack had surgery during the off-season after battling through much of last year with knee tendinitis.
The utility pulled up sore following the Sunshine Coast camp and Balme said the he was still trying to manage his workload.
Tim Broomhead (hamstring), Ben Sinclair (hamstring) and Tom Langdon (meniscus) are all back in full training after careful management during the summer.
Balme said luckless youngster Matt Scharenberg was also in good shape after undergoing a second knee reconstruction in December.
"We're very pleased with the way he's coped with the tragedy that he's had," Balme said.
"He's now running. He's still a long way off but we're very pleased with all the signs. He should be fine."
Collingwood's first game of the NAB Challenge is against Geelong at Simonds Stadium on February 26.