KEY DEFENDER Ben Reid has not appeared at Collingwood training on Friday morning and looks set to miss Saturday's qualifying final clash with West Coast.

Magpies assistant coach Scott Watters said Reid had slightly strained his groin at training this week, and rated the 22 year-old as "unlikely" to play.

"We'll give him every opportunity to come up, we'll take him right up to the death knell," Watters said.

"It's nothing major, but it's something we've got to monitor over the next day, and we'll see how he goes."

It had been rumoured on Melbourne radio on Thursday night that Reid had strained his hamstring.

Despite the setback, Watters was confident that the minor premiers' defence could still handle the Eagles' tall forward line.

"I think you've seen our backline this year, it's had some ins and outs through the course of the season, and it's coped with that intermittent preparation and performance of players," he said.

"We've got players who can play tall down there and cover that loss [of Reid], so it's not really a major concern.

"But we'd love to have him out there, and that's why we'll give him every chance to come up."

One such player is skipper Nick Maxwell, who has been named to return from a broken thumb and appeared to train without discomfort.

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