COLLINGWOOD forwards Jack Ginnivan and Ash Johnson are in doubt for Sunday's blockbuster against Carlton after missing training on Friday due to the flu, while Darcy Cameron's return is yet to be locked in.
The Magpies have a strict policy to try to prevent illness infecting the wider group, after flu swept through the Magpies at times last year, just like many clubs across the competition.
Collingwood coach Craig McRae said the club will make a decision on the availability of Ginnivan and Johnson after the captain's run on Saturday.
"They've both got the man flu – different arrays of it – so we'll have to wait and see. I'm not sure exactly where that fits. We'll be better placed to make a decision tomorrow," McRae told reporters on Friday.
"We've got a principle right now – this time last year everyone got sick, including myself – if you're sick, you're not coming in. We meet them at the door and send them home if they've got something. Those two got sent home."
Cameron trained on Friday morning but is yet to be given the green light to return for the first time since injuring his medial collateral ligament against Richmond in round three.
With Mason Cox producing one of the best performances of his career against Greater Western Sydney last Sunday, McRae indicated that the Magpies might give Cameron more time to prepare for his return or look to ease him back in as the sub.
"We’ll name him in our 23 (tonight). What that looks like, we're not sure yet," McRae said.
"We'll work through that in match committee and weigh up if he has done enough work, whether we start with him on the ground or we may potentially sub him.
"We'll weigh up what numbers Darcy has done in terms of load and whether we start him or we may sub him."
Collingwood and Carlton meet for the first time since the Magpies sunk its arch-rivals in one of the most dramatic final days of the home and away season in AFL/VFL history, recovering from 24 points down at three-quarter time to win by a single point to prevent the Blues playing finals for the first time since 2013.
Michael Voss' side had spent the entire 2022 season inside the top-eight before being declined entry to September on percentage, after dropping the final four games of the year to waste an 8-2 start to the season.
McRae played alongside Voss in Brisbane's famous three-peat at the start of this century and has remained great mates with the Carlton coach, but will park that friendship this week to plot a way to beat the Blues again on Sunday.
"We're going to step into that [rivalry with Carlton]. Tomorrow I will show some footage of the last time we played last year that last minute or so. I just want to make sure that we know what's coming, the emotion and the excitement of what we had in round 23," he said.
"I've watched it [the last quarter in round 23] a few times; it was a lot of fun; the crowd noise was incredible. If you watch it as a pure spectator, it was remarkable noise and the affirmation after the game was incredible. I'm going to pay attention to more Carlton in that last 30 seconds because I know what's coming."
The MCC is forecasting a crowd of 85,000 people and might come close to eclipsing the 88,287 that attended last time – the biggest home and away crowd of 2022 – given the numbers the Magpies have pulled in 2023.
Since McRae became coach at the start of last season, Collingwood has played in front of 80,000 or more people on eight occasions and at least 70,000 12 times.
