Magpies nowhere near tipping point in injury crisis, says Leppitsch

Collingwood believes its lengthy injury list leaves it well placed for a tilt at the pointy end of season 2024, with plenty of troops set to return across the next three games.

The Magpies have been gutted by injuries so far this season and are missing as many as eight best 23 players when lining up against the Western Bulldogs on Friday night.

Craig McRae is fielding a seriously undermanned side – but the Pies are finding a silver lining.

Speaking to AFL Nation pre-game, senior assistant Justin Leppitsch said the club isn’t overly fazed by its current crisis, pointing to the depth still not in the side.

In a 38-point loss to the Bulldogs in a VFL curtain-raiser, tall forward Nathan Kreuger kicked two goals and had seven score involvements from 11 possessions, while Ed Allan – who was dropped after his AFL debut against Fremantle last week – picked up 12 touches.

“I guess there comes a tipping point when we run out of 23 players to pick from every week… but other than that, we’re really confident in the guys we bring in,” Leppitsch said.

“I think we only had four or five (AFL listed) players running around in our VFL, but Nathan Kreuger looked like he was jumping at the ball in good form.

“Ed Allan played well again, so we’ve got some guys even now that we’re comfortable to bring in, even if, low and behold, something happens tonight.

“I think our projection is three more (return) next week, three the week after and after the bye another two or three then.

“They’re all short-termers and they’re sort of rushing back in. I think the positive is we’ll have some fresh guys coming into the back third of the season, I think that’s a good thing.

“If we can hang on from a win/loss perspective, we’ll have a lot of advantage in that.”

The Dogs are also missing plenty of quality in Round 12, with the likes of Ed Richards (concussion), Cody Weightman (elbow), Jason Johannisen (hamstring), Bailey Smith (knee) and more all sidelined through injury.

But they could be bolstered by the return of Tom Liberatore from concussion issues, with Bulldogs footy boss Matthew Egan telling AFL Nation the experienced midfielder is firming for a return to face Brisbane next week.

The 32-year-old hasn’t played since Round 8 after multiple concerning incidents on field.

Oskar Baker (three goals, 21 possessions) and Jedd Busslinger (24 touches, 11 marks) were among Footscray’s best in the comprehensive win earlier on Friday.