COLLINGWOOD defender Ben Sinclair's hamstring injury is worse than first thought and could miss up to six weeks.

Sinclair injured his right hamstring in the first quarter of the Magpies' 27-point loss to Adelaide, forcing the Magpies to substitute him out of the game soon after.

Collingwood director of football Neil Balme said Sinclair is expected to "miss a while" with the Magpies listing him as a medium-term proposition.

"Sadly, Benny, who has been going really well hurt his hamstring," Balme told the club's website.

"He'll miss a while but we're not quite sure how bad it is but it’s certainly not good news."

Sinclair has suffered hamstring injuries in the past, indicating the Magpies are likely to be conservative with his return date.

In more positive news for the Magpies, young defender Matt Scharenberg is closing in on a return.

Scharenberg has been tracking well in his return from a knee reconstruction and the Magpies are hopeful he will see senior action later this season.

"He will play reasonably soon. It's just a matter of when we pull the trigger on that one, probably in the next couple of weeks," Balme said.

Clinton Young, who is on the comeback trail from a hamstring injury, is expected to play in the next fortnight.

However, Steele Sidebottom (thumb) and Levi Greenwood (ankle) are still 8-10 weeks away from a return.

Collingwood has been pleased with Brent Macaffer's progress after knee surgery.

The tagger was placed on the long-term injury list before the start of the season and is up to two months away from getting back to playing.