ALAN Didak trained strongly on Thursday but won't face Hawthorn on Friday night and will instead play in the VFL on Saturday.

The Collingwood forward completed the entire session at Gosch's Paddock after a pre-season restricted by an adductor injury.

Coach Nathan Buckley said it was great to see the premiership player
up and about.

"We've had a number of players who have had recent injuries that are on graduated programs to get back, and quite a few of those guys will play VFL on Saturday.

"It's encouraging for us that they're building as we get into the season."

Dayne Beams (shins) and Cameron Wood (shoulder) also trained but are expected to play in the VFL along with Chris Tarrant (foot) and Ben Johnson (hamstring), who were absent from the session.

Tarrant was considered "touch and go" for Friday night but a lack of match practice in the pre-season caught him out.

Buckley said he would be given time to build his fitness before being considered for selection.

Youngsters Jackson Paine, Paul Seedsman and Peter Yagmoor trained with the senior group and are in line for a round one debut.

Nick Maxwell (ankle) and Sharrod Wellingham (club suspension) were others absent from training on Thursday.

Buckley said he expected a fast-paced match, and that the Hawks deserved to be favourites after a strong pre-season.

"They've been a top four side for a number of years so they're a great side; they've got a lot of depth and it's probably good for us to play 22 on the night because they go down to 30, 35, and there's going to be some players miss out on their end," he said.

"We're pretty excited about our chances and we'll see a little bit of youth on display, which will be exciting for the fans as well."

Buckley will coach his first game for premiership points after taking over from Mick Malthouse at the end of last season.

He said he could draw comparisons with how he felt ahead of the season-opener as a player.

"The first game of every year for me was really anxious to prove the work that you'd done through the pre-season was enough," he said.

"Six months is a long time between the end of one season and the start of the next, and people can sneak up on you and teams can sneak up on you.

"There is a little bit of unknown in round one, which is pretty exciting, and not a dissimilar feeling from a coach to a player."

Jennifer Witham is a reporter for AFL Media. Follow her on Twitter @AFL_JenWitham.