COLLINGWOOD key defender Charlie Dean may not play again this season after suffering another foot injury in the VFL on Sunday, but Darcy Moore could be available for Saturday's game against North Melbourne.

Dean landed awkwardly on his ankle early in the third quarter against Richmond at Punt Road Oval and underwent scans on Sunday afternoon. 

The 21-year-old is expected to miss between six to eight weeks after cracking a bone in his toe and damaging ligaments in his foot. 

The Forthergill-Round-Mitchell Medallist was closing in on an AFL debut after overcoming the stress fracture in the same foot that wiped out the first few months of the season, just when Dean was putting himself in the frame to play in round one. 

When Jeremy Howe was ruled out of the trip to Queensland to face Gold Coast last weekend due to a stomach virus, Dean was considered for his debut before the match committee opted against picking a player who had only one game under his belt. 

Dean will meet with a surgeon this week to determine a timeline around his return.

Moore was cleared of an anterior cruciate ligament tear on Monday morning and any other structural damage, after the All-Australian was made to sweat after hyperextending his knee in the dying minutes of Saturday’s five-point win.

After undergoing further testing on Monday, the 26-year-old remains a chance to face the Kangaroos in a stunning turn of events.

Moore completed a recovery session and gym work on Monday but won't train with the main group on Tuesday.

The Magpies will put him through a fitness test at the AIA Centre on Thursday before making a decision on his availability ahead of the weekend.

Howe returned to the club on Monday after passing further tests and is expected to be return at the MCG this weekend.