JAMIE Elliott will learn if he will be sanctioned by Collingwood next week when he meets with the club's leadership group following his recent arrest for public drunkenness.

Elliott, 25, was arrested in the early hours of Sunday morning after the Derby Day race meeting earlier this month after being spotted urinating in a North Melbourne rubbish bin.

He was released by police and reportedly fined $634 for being drunk in a public place.

Having undergone surgery on his troublesome left ankle last week, Elliott wasn't at the club on Monday when pre-season training for the full list resumed.

He is scheduled to meet with the club's leaders when he comes back next week.

Magpies defender Jeremy Howe said Elliott's latest ankle setback "wasn't ideal", but backed the talented forward to be fit in time for round one on March 24.

"The idea was to try and rest him over the off-season to see how it was going to go, but clearly it's flared up again so he's gone in for surgery and he'll be back late January," Howe said on Monday.

"For him, it's not ideal, but for us clearly he's an important player.

"He'll get it right and do everything he can, and in late January, hopefully he'll be cherry ripe and back in the main group so he's good to go by the time we start playing games."

The Magpies will meet Hawthorn in their season opener.