>Click here to watch Alan Toovey speak to CTV in the rooms after the draw

COLLINGWOOD coach Mick Malthouse wasn’t sure how to react to Saturday’s drawn grand final, but he said his side could so far claim a clean bill of health for next week’s replay.

Malthouse was as stunned as anyone after four quarters failed to separate the Magpies and Saints, and the coach was still getting his head around the logistics of returning to the MCG in seven days.

“I can’t even answer it,” Malthouse said when asked how the draw felt.

“I guess that you’re still alive means you haven’t lost. But you’ve got to play again, so that means you haven’t won.”

Malthouse said he hadn’t considered whether changes would be required after a draining grand final, but claimed the Pies had depth to call on.

“The first thing I asked the players straight after the match was, ‘How is everyone?’ And every player said they’re OK,” he said.

“They’ve obviously still got the adrenaline pumping through their bodies, so you’d suspect that there might be a few bumps and bruises, in fact there will be bumps and bruises.

“But I would say by the look of them they’re pretty much available for selection.

“We’ve had 30 training with us, and that’s been very fortunate.”

Malthouse also hailed late withdrawal Simon Prestigiacomo as an “unsung hero” for admitting to a groin injury on grand final eve.

The 32-year-old, who has not played since round 20, was selected on Thursday afternoon but suffered a minor adductor injury during Wednesday’s training session.

“I didn’t know this until Friday, but he got through training on Wednesday and got home and felt tight in his groin,” Malthouse said.  

“I spoke to him about being ready … I said ‘I’ll see you Friday, you don’t need to answer on Thursday’, unbeknown to me that he’d been a bit tight.

“He no doubt would have had a sleepless Wednesday night and probably Thursday night.

“So he really is one of those unsung heroes that you read about, you hear about, that put the team first.

“He just said, ‘I’m not ready to play and give 100 per cent in a game of football which will demand 100 per cent’. I just thought it was outstanding.”

As well as Prestigiacomo, Malthouse said Tarkyn Lockyer and Tyson Goldsack would come into the selection mix for next week’s replay.

However, the coach was full of praise for Prestigiacomo’s late replacement, Nathan Brown, who performed well on St Kilda star Nick Riewoldt.   

Collingwood, which has been consistently troubled by goal-kicking yips this season, finished Saturday’s game with 9.14, failing to capitalise on a massive 62-35 advantage in forward entries.

St Kilda had an enormous 51 rebound 50s and Malthouse said the Pies needed to be smarter when delivering the ball forward.

“I wouldn’t have thought kicking for goal lost it, I would have thought option-taking into our forward line did,” he said.

“We’ve got to be better at using the ball into our forward line.”