Collingwood coach Mick Malthouse has said he's not interested in 'cameo' performances up forward from Josh Fraser, and that Fraser will only return to the senior line-up when he's ready and able to ruck.
Fraser has been overlooked for Saturday's clash with Essendon at the MCG and will instead line up for the club's VFL side in an effort to build his fitness.
The 26-year-old has been hampered by a knee injury picked up while representing Victoria in the Hall of Fame Tribute match in May, and hasn’t played in the AFL since Round 12.
Malthouse said on Friday that he was not at all tempted to recall Fraser to take on the Bombers.
"He's got to play the role that he's best accustomed to and that is ruck, and if he goes forward they'll be cameos," said Malthouse.
"Josh can play forward, but not as a permanent forward - he needs to be able to ruck and go forward."
"He hasn’t really got the history of being a straight forward."
Asked whether Fraser had slipped down the order at the club behind incumbent ruck pair Cameron Wood and Chris Bryan, a bristling Malthouse replied: "We have elected not to play him until the medical people believe that he is capable of rucking again."
"He hasn’t gone down in any of our calculations of where he sits - he's the No.1 ruckman in this football club - so we can get rid of all the rumour and innuendo, guesswork and second guessing that he is dropping in the pecking order."
In his post-match review of last Friday night's loss to North Melbourne, Malthouse was scathing of the efforts of Wood and Bryan in being towelled-up by a 'centre half-forward' (Drew Petrie) but, seven days on, his position had mellowed.
"I don’t think we can just blame the two ruckmen, I think all players are very aware of our deficiencies last week and what we expected and what we got," he said.
"I don't think we had one winner … so there's a fair gap between what we need to do and what we produced last week."
Meanwhile, Malthouse said his reconnaissance at Windy Hill during the week showed that Essendon is better-placed injury-wise than the club is letting-on and that the Bombers' claim to having only 26 fit players is wide of the mark.
"My forward scout (saw) 35 players training on their ground, 35 of which 11 are now playing in their Bendigo side tomorrow and 11 and 22 equals 33," he said.
"That's 33 players that they've got to pick from - it's hardly 24, 25."
"I know one thing for sure, the 22 (selected to play Collingwood) are very dangerous."