Collingwood's September hopes have received a significant boost, with Travis Cloke named to return from a calf injury against Sydney on Friday night.

Cloke has not been sighted since injuring his calf in the opening minutes of the Magpies’ loss to West Coast at Etihad Stadium in round 16.

"Clearly we need to win every game that we've got in front of us to give ourselves any chance of playing finals," coach Nathan Buckley told the media on Wednesday.

"We have that in the back of our minds when it comes to selection, but we're not going to throw anyone in who's not 100 per cent ready to do what they need to do.”

“Travis has had two really strong weeks of training on the track and we'll speak to the medicos and get their advice on whether they feel that he's up to speed and, if he pulls up well and we get the tick there, I won't be stopping him from playing.”

Friday’s match will mark the first time Cloke has lined up alongside Ben Reid and Darcy Moore in the same forward line.

On average, the three players stand 197cm tall, indicating the Pies will be looking to stretch the Swans’ defence a ground far smaller than what the team is used to.

VIDEO: Our last win at the SCG.

It’s a stark contrast to the selection quandary facing Sydney, who will be without the services of Lance Franklin.

Franklin, who was ruled out by the Swans’ match committee on Wednesday, is averaging three goals a game this season and four goals per game across 14 meetings with the Magpies since 2005.

Cloke will be joined in the team by Jordan De Goey, who was rested from match action last weekend.

They replace teenage pair Brayden Maynard and Matthew Scharenberg who have each been omitted.

ULTIMATE PREVIEW: Magpies v Swans.

Collingwood has not played at the Sydney Cricket Ground since April Fools Day 2000, when it won by just five points.

In the 14 years since, it boasts a 15-7 record against the Swans during a period in which the Bloods have been one of the game’s most dominant teams.

Sydney v Collingwood
Round 20 2015
Friday 14 August
SCG, 7.50pm

Collingwood
B: Tom Langdon, Nathan Brown, Marley Williams
HB: Alan Toovey, Jack Frost, Ben Sinclair
C: Jack Crisp, Dane Swan, Steele Sidebottom
HF: Travis Varcoe, Ben Reid, Jamie Elliott
F: Alex Fasolo, Travis Cloke, Darcy Moore
Foll: Brodie Grundy, Taylor Adams, Scott Pendlebury
Int: Jarryd Blair, Levi Greenwood, Jonathon Marsh, Jordan De Goey
Emg: Jesse White, Matthew Scharenberg, Brayden Maynard

IN: Travis Cloke, Jordan De Goey
OUT: Brayden Maynard, Matthew Scharenberg (omitted)

Sydney
B: Nick Smith, Ted Richards, Jeremy Laidler
HB: Dane Rampe, Heath Grundy, Rhyce Shaw
C: Harry Cunningham, Josh P. Kennedy, Jarrad McVeigh
HF: Kieren Jack, Adam Goodes, Lewis Jetta
F: Isaac Heeney, Kurt Tippett, Tom Mitchell
Foll: Mike Pyke, Dan Hannebery, Luke Parker
Int: Brandon Jack, Jake Lloyd, Sam Reid, Gary Rohan
Emg: Zak Jones, Xavier Richards, James Rose

IN: Myke Pike, Gary Rohan
OUT: Zak Jones, Toby Nankervis (omitted)

Fast Fact
It’s 502 days since Collingwood last played Sydney back in round two, 2014. On that occasion, Nick Maxwell was playing in his 200th game, and the men chairing him off the ground in victory were Heritier Lumumba and Brent Macaffer. None of the trio has played a game for the Magpies in 2015.