Lockyer is preparing for his 200th AFL match while his team, with a 3-5 win-loss record, must earn the four points to keep pace with the top eight.
The Magpies are likely to regain some key personnel that were missing from the team that was crushed by Carlton at the weekend.
Collingwood made seven changes last week as injury threatens to unravel its season.
The Pies trained at Gosch’s Paddock on Wednesday morning, however of those on the injured list Dale Thomas (knee) and Anthony Rocca (knee) were both absent.
Travis Cloke (hamstring) will again miss but Josh Fraser (knee), Alan Didak (hamstring) and Paul Medhurst (ankle) were all on the track and look set to be considered for the trip to Subiaco.
Some critics have taken aim at Malthouse and the Pies’ game plan but Lockyer – who will return to his home state for his 200th match – defended both.
“Mick’s coaching probably as well as I’ve ever seen him coach,” he said on Wednesday morning.
“These are very difficult times … but you know Mick’s one of those people that gets the best out of what he’s got available.”
Lockyer said while injuries were one thing, the players needed to take responsibility for their recent poor performances.
“The way that we’ve gone about our footy, we’ve not only let the coaching staff down but we’ve let the supporters down and we’ve let our teammates down,” he said.
“So it’s one of those things; you need to get back and play the type of footy that wins you games of footy and for the Collingwood footy club over the last few years that’s been playing hard, aggressive football that’s demanded from 22 contributors.”
Recently-retired Magpie Shane Wakelin said on radio at the weekend that he had noticed a change in the coach’s body language in recent weeks.
However Lockyer said he hadn’t witnessed a change in the coach’s demeanour.
“He’s still coaching very well and the players have got their full support behind him,” he said.
With Malthouse out of contact at season’s end – and former skipper Nathan Buckley signalling his interest in coaching – speculation has been rife that the Magpies’ favourite son will come back to the club.
Asked if that talk made the players uncomfortable, Lockyer said he had tried to avoid media in recent weeks after his club’s disappointing results.
“That’s speculation, that’s outside the footy club and we’ve got no control whatsoever over that,” he said.
“So whatever happens at the end of the year happens but like I said, we have total faith in the coaching staff and Mick at the moment and if we play to the game plan and play to our potential, we should be quite confident we should beat any team in the comp.”
