Collingwood star Jordan De Goey has set his sights on being cherry-ripe for the AFL finals, saying he won’t rush back from his untimely hamstring injury.
De Goey is set to miss Saturday’s clash with Melbourne at the MCG, having strained his hamstring in the dying minutes of the round-19 loss to Richmond.
With Collingwood owning the longest injury list in the AFL, De Goey indicated on Tuesday he wouldn’t take any chances with his return.
“I’m going alright, chipping away,” De Goey told radio station Triple M.
“It’s obviously one of these injuries you don’t want to come back too quickly from. I’ll take the right amount of time and make sure it’s right before I come back.
“Whether that’s this week or next, we’ll soon find out.
“Obviously this part of the season it’s just trying to get it right for the finals if that’s the case.”
Mason Cox became the latest victim of the Pies’ injury curse during their easy win over Gold Coast on the weekend.
The towering American suffered a tear of his retina in his left eye which requires season-ending surgery.
He joins Dayne Beams on the sidelines, who has brought forward shoulder surgery to officially end his 2019 campaign.
Nathan Buckley’s side were 10-3 but have since lost four of their past six games to fall to sixth spot.
They face seventh-placed Essendon and eighth-placed Adelaide in their final two rounds of the regular season, meaning further falls are possible.
North Melbourne young gun Luke Davies-Uniacke will undergo a season-ending shoulder reconstruction after being managed throughout the year.
The 20-year-old hurt his right shoulder earlier in the season while fending off an opponent.
There are also serious concerns over Essendon midfielder Matt Guelfi after he reportedly injured his knee at training.