Collingwood veteran Tarkyn Lockyer said on Tuesday he expects Magpies skipper Scott Burns to be available for Saturday night's knockout semi-final against St Kilda at the MCG.
Burns has missed the past two matches after hurting his calf in Round 21 but was able to join in training on Monday, although he rarely stretched out to top pace.
However, Lockyer - one of the Pies deputy vice-captains - says he expects the skipper to train strongly on Wednesday and be ready to face the Saints on Saturday night.
"The skipper should be good, he had a hit-out yesterday and we have another training session tomorrow and he will have another run around then," he said.
"So I'm sure he will be ready to go and he is more than happy to put his hand up (for this week)."
The return of Burns would be a huge boost for the Magpies - who performed magnificently last week to end Adelaide's season in front of the Crows' own fans in the elimination final.
Not only were the Magpies missing their captain but also key forward Anthony Rocca - who has set his sights on a possible return for the preliminary final, should the Pies win this week, from the ankle injury that has sidelined him since Round 13 - as well of course suspended duo Alan Didak and Heath Shaw.
In their absence youngsters such as John McCarthy, Chris Dawes and John Anthony have come into the side and performed superbly with Dawes and Anthony booting six goals between them last week.
Lockyer said the form of the team's youngsters had revitalised the team since the disappointment of learning that Didak and Shaw would be suspended for the rest of the season - including finals - following their drunken antics in the lead-up to the last time the Pies played the Saints back in Round 19.
"They have changed the dynamic of the team, just with their enthusiasm," Lockyer said of the Pies' first year trio.
"The young fellas just want to get out there and compete, they don't get too wound up
in the emotion of it all and it's just terrific to have that freshness around the place."
"I suppose they have been thrown in the deep end but hopefully they continue to stand up for us because they have been terrific for us in playing their roles and hopefully they can keep doing that."
Having conquered Adelaide in front of a hostile crowd last week, as the Pies became the first Victorian club to win three finals interstate, Lockyer says the team can't wait to run out in front of the adoring 'black and white army' again this week with a crowd of more than 80,000 expected for the clash.
And Lockyer believes the big occasion will be to the Pies' advantage as Collingwood plays in front of such crowds far more often than the Saints and indeed beat Ross Lyon's team at the MCG as recently as Round 19.
"We get to play in front of our home crowd this week and hopefully there will be 80,000 people at the home of footy and the beauty of playing for Collingwood is it won't be too foreign for us because we get to play in front of big crowds all the time."