COLLINGWOOD ruckman Darcy Cameron will miss up to a couple of weeks of training after suffering a minor hamstring strain at training on Wednesday.
On the same day Collingwood announced Darcy Moore as the man to replace Scott Pendlebury as the club's 48th captain, Cameron experienced some issues with his right hamstring and departed the track early.
Scans revealed a minor hamstring strain, but Cameron was back running at Olympic Park on Friday morning before heading inside the AIA Centre while Craig McRae's squad trained in the rain.
The 27-year-old could return to training as soon as next week but the Magpies' high performance department will be cautious with the former Swan.
Collingwood has organised a practice match against Carlton at Ikon Park on February 24 ahead of a trip to Launceston to face Hawthorn in the final scratch match of the pre-season on March 2.
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Cameron is expected to be available for both games ahead of Collingwood's round one clash against Geelong on March 17.
With dual All-Australian ruckman Brodie Grundy moving to Melbourne during the trade period, Cameron has now become an important part of Collingwood's premiership push in 2023.
The Magpies currently have two other ruckmen on the list – Mason Cox and Aiden Begg – but have also been trialling West Adelaide teenager Oscar Steene across the pre-season supplemental selection period, after he was overlooked in last year's NAB AFL Draft and Rookie Draft.
With Grundy sidelined for most of 2022, Cox played 18 games to reignite his career, partnering Cameron in the ruck across the second half of the season, while Begg played the first three games after Grundy injured his PCL but didn't feature again.
Collingwood has also been looking at former Gold Coast and Richmond defender Oleg Markov during the pre-season supplemental selection period.
The Magpies have one spot available and need to make a decision by the deadline on February 15.
Moore spent most of Friday training away from the main group alongside Fin Macrae and Charlie Dean, while Nathan Kreuger walked laps as he slowly recovers from a second shoulder reconstruction in less than 12 months.
The Magpies' new skipper is still building his workload after being hospitalised in December with a bone infection.
Moore has made inroads in his recovery in the past fortnight, building his involvement in skills and running load, and could return to full training in time to play against the Blues or Hawks ahead of the season.
Collingwood starts its 2023 campaign against Geelong on the first Friday night of the season.
