COLLINGWOOD coach Craig McRae will get creative in the big man department when they head to Brisbane to face the Lions on Easter Thursday, rather than blooding the only fit ruckman on the list – teenage rookie Oscar Steene – amid a ruck crisis at the AIA Centre.
The Magpies will be without No.1 ruckman Darcy Cameron for the next couple of months after the West Australian sustained a high-grade medial collateral ligament (MCL) injury in the 14-point win over Richmond last Friday night.
Mason Cox missed round three and is expected to miss at least a month after discovering a hematoma in the rib region following a hit against Port Adelaide. The American will undergo a scan in a fortnight with his return date to become clearer then.
Aiden Begg is recovering from a back injury and is at least another few weeks away from returning in the VFL, while tall utility Nathan Kreuger is closing in on a return from a shoulder reconstruction but is not expected to play any minutes for another couple of weeks.
McRae said the Magpies will look at using Dan McStay and Ash Johnson in the ruck against Oscar McInerney and Darcy Fort at the Gabba, like they did in the final quarter against the Tigers, while new key defender Billy Frampton is another option.
"We are lucky on Friday night we got a little sample size; we played a quarter without a ruck and had to be creative. We've got some things up our sleeve," McRae told reporters at the AIA Centre on Monday.
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"We are not going to say one person, I think we will have to carry the load. I like being creative. We'll get to match committee and look at some options.
"We might have to be creative and play some minutes with Bill, some minutes with Dan and some others."
Collingwood added Steene to its rookie list during the pre-season supplemental selection period after trialling the South Australian across the summer.
The 19-year-old was strong against Coburg in the opening round of the VFL, but was well beaten by former Sydney ruckman Sam Naismith in the reserves' 52-point win over Port Melbourne on Saturday night.
"I just want to make it really clear: we are rapt with how he's going; he has come in and really shown what he is capable of; we've got a player for the future, no doubt in that," McRae said.
"As I said on Friday night: I want to set them up to succeed, so we need to make sure it's the right time. I'm not saying it's not futuristic – it might be in a couple of weeks – but it won’t be this week."
McRae revealed Collingwood feared Cameron had ruptured his anterior cruciate ligament when he departed the MCG on Friday night in a heavy knee brace, removing some of the excitement from a third straight win to start 2023.
"We feared the worst, to be honest. We thought it could have been an ACL," he said.
"To get the phone call from the doctor on Saturday morning – I didn't want to take the call – but it was good news in that regard but still it's a longer term injury.
"I'm a positive guy. I'm looking forward to having him back when he's back in eight to ten weeks. We've got a few coming back around that time."
With the Magpies short on options in the ruck just three games into the season, following the decision to trade two-time All-Australian Brodie Grundy in October, McRae said the AFL should consider introducing other mechanisms to add players in-season.
“I'm big on mid-season trade, I think it would be great for the game within the right parameters. I think it would add something for the fans. They would enjoy it," he said.
"Opportunities like this might come up and we might meet someone. I'm a big fan for the mid-season trade."
Livewire forward Jack Ginnivan put his hand up for an immediate return to the senior side after kicking two goals from 13 disposals and laying four tackles in his first game since serving a club imposed suspension for illicit substance use.
While recruit Bobby Hill has made a strong start to life in black and white and Beau McCreery has risen to a new level across the first three rounds, McRae said Ginnivan is in contention to face the Lions on Thursday night.
"I think he did enough. We went out to Port Melbourne on Saturday night and he looked like an AFL player at VFL level, which is what we want from all our players," he said.
"We haven't finalised this week, whether he's done enough to go past someone or put his name up there, I'm not sure. When he plays, he will have definitely earned it.”
Collingwood's first two picks in last November's NAB AFL Draft – Ed Allan and Jakob Ryan – both excelled in their second games at VFL level to keep the pressure on for spots. Ryan collected 27 disposals and 10 marks, while Allan finished with 25 touches, five tackles and a goal.
Every day counts this week on the back of a short break before the Magpies fly north to Queensland on Wednesday.
McRae will spend part of Monday afternoon sitting down with free agent signing McStay to plot the downfall of his old side at his old home ground in a bid to help the Magpies maintain a perfect win-loss record by the time they fly home on Friday.
