Collingwood coach Nathan Buckley is cautiously optimistic Mason Cox hasn’t joined the lengthy injury list that has threatened to derail the AFL club’s top-four bid.

Cox sat out the second half of Sunday’s 18.12 (120) to 8.3 (51) win over Gold Coast at the MCG after copping a poke in the eye late in the second quarter.

After spending most of the season in second or third spot, the Pies have slipped to sixth as injuries to the likes of Jordan De Goey, Dayne Beams, Darcy Moore, Taylor Adams and Ben Reid took their toll.

But Buckley is quietly confident Cox will be available to take on Melbourne at the MCG next week.

“The doc ruled him out at halftime … and he’s off to get some specialist advice to clear him from any damage to the eye,” Buckley said.

“We’re not anticipating it to be anything major but our doc was concerned enough to make sure we sent him away pretty quickly.

“He had blurred vision, which makes it pretty hard to play.

“We’ll see how that settles.”

Cox had four disposals, two marks and a goal to his name before he left the match.

The lanky American has copped some criticism after going goalless in his past two matches but Buckley was encouraged by his early form.

“The criticism that has come at times for our individuals … sometimes it’s warranted and other times it can be misplaced.

“There are some roles in our team that rely on the team’s football to be more coherent and well-executed.

“It’s a tough job for our tall forwards when we don’t give them clean supply.

“I thought in the first half Coxy showed what happens when you can clean that supply up a little bit and give him an even-numbered contest a bit more regularly.”