NATHAN Buckley backed his backmen on Saturday night in a timely move that paid dividends as the Magpies get used to the idea the defensive cavalry might not be coming.

With Matt Scharenberg and Lynden Dunn out for the year and Darcy Moore battling on-going hamstring issues, the Pies' key position stocks were dealt another blow in the VFL earlier on Saturday with Ben Reid tearing a calf.

Against Brisbane at Etihad Stadium hours later, Buckley resisted temptation to throw Brody Mihocek back to bolster the backline against the tall young Lions, led in attack by Eric Hipwood (three goals).

PIES BACK ON SONG Full match coverage and stats

It was an important showing of faith for the undersized back half, which looks likely to be the structure that takes the Pies into the finals with Jeremy Howe only rated a chance to return next week from a corked thigh and Tyson Goldsack's recovery from a knee injury slowed up by a back issue.

"It was something we were able to get done," Buckley said, of the Pies' small defence.

"I thought [Tom] Langdon stood up, Jack [Madgen] in his second game was able to win enough contests, we were able to slow the ball up a little more after quarter-time, which gave our defenders the chance to support each other.

"I think it was pretty clear they were using [Oscar] McInerney and Hipwood as release targets at times and they force you to defend uncontested marks in their back half, and they had that long down-the-line option as well and I thought that we were able to balance up defending both of those pretty well and our backs stood up."

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Buckley admitted Goldsack's chances of returning a remarkable five months after a knee reconstruction had been dealt a blow.

"For an ACL return you want everything going your way, but he's had the impingement in his back the last couple of weeks, so he actually hasn't done a lot in the last 10, 12 days," Buckley said.

"It is a question, will it set him back, but a week is a long time so we'll see how he pans out this week."

Howe is struggling with a badly corked thigh and "still has a bit of work to do" to return for the clash with Port Adelaide next Saturday.

But Reid is no chance after ripping his bad calf in his VFL return match after two knee surgeries last month.

"I think he's torn the same calf he tore 10 weeks ago, so not a good situation for Reidy to be in," Buckley said.

Even so, the Pies are knocking on the door of the top four with Saturday night's 31-point win over the Lions snapping a two-game losing streak.

They overcame some sloppy back-half ball movement and regained composure after quarter-time to kick 13 goals to eight, with Levi Greenwood's shutdown job on Dayne Zorko significant.

WATCH Nathan Buckley's full post-match press conference 

They were also buoyed by the successful return of dangerous midfielder/forward Jordan De Goey, who played predominantly in attack in a "striking role" where he finished with four goals.

"There might have been a little bit of blowing the cobwebs out early in the game, he didn't have a lot of supply early in the first quarter," Buckley said.

"He's a dangerous match up, I thought [Nick] Robertson actually played him pretty well in his one-on-ones, he got him on the lead a few times and took his chances, but I thought the match-up was pretty even for the number of contests they found themselves in one-on-one.

"Seven shots on goal is a pretty good effort."

De Goey, playing in his return match after two weeks off to allow leg bone stress to heal, finished the game on the bench in a planned, precautionary move.