AFL 2022: Collingwood loses ruckman Brodie Grundy but get two keys back for Melbourne clash

Collingwood has won 10 games in a row to storm into the top four without ruckman Brodie Grundy and will make its finals push without him after an injury setback.

But coach Craig McRae has declared opposition teams will have to “play the minutes” to end his team’s winning streak and laid down the challenge to reigning premiers Melbourne ahead of their Friday night clash.

Key defender Jeremy Howe has shaken off a corked buttock and forward Brody Mihocek will return against the Demons, but Grundy won’t play at any level this weekend and may not make it back to the AFL before finals as he battles an ankle issue.

McRae put forward the Demons as the “best team in the competition” after their demolition of Fremantle last week, a match he took notes from to devise a strategy to keep his team’s winning streak going.

But the first-year coach also suggested his team would not only carry belief from their round 13 win over Melbourne into the blockbuster clash but turned the pressure dial up on the Demons to try to hang with Collingwood all the way.

Of the 10 victories since round 10, seven have come by seven points or less, including a mighty 20-point last-quarter comeback to beat Essendon.

McRae said opposition teams would have seen the fight in his men.

“I think there’s a clear advantage for us at the minute,” he said on Thursday.

“Opposition sides start to realise in the last quarter if we’re behind, we’re not going to give up.

“On the flip side, there is a lot of belief in our side we can play the minutes, you are going to have to play the minutes to beat us at the moment.

“We’d like to be in better positions that we are not in those situations, but we’ve worked hard at that part of our game, and if it’s tight on the weekend, it will be interesting to see how it plays out.”

Grundy returned from three months on the sidelines with a knee injury through the VFL last week but pulled up sore. The club is now investigating the best course of action for the dual All-Australian ruckman to see whether he can return before the finals.

He suffered a knee injury in Collingwood‘s Anzac Day triumph over Essendon in round 6 and has not been seen at the top level since.

“We want him to be fresh and vibrant and jumping around and bringing his best energy. We‘ll just have to assess what it’s like over the weekend,” McRae said.

“We were hoping to get some momentum and he’s missed a lot of footy this year. But he’s got a real positive outlook on life and he’s looking at what he can do in this short-term.

“He might not play this week and then progress from there. His knee is fine, he’s just getting this ankle soreness.”

McRae confirmed he didn’t expect star midfielder Taylor Adams back from his groin injury until the first week of finals.