Star midfielder Steele Sidebottom could return from a broken thumb in a matter of weeks.

Sidebottom was left nursing his hand after sustaining the injury during the final quarter of Collingwood’s round one victory over Brisbane in round one.

But less than a month later, Collingwood's Director of Football Neil Balme has declared the midfielder could return within a fortnight.

“Steele Sidebottom is going really well,” Balme told CollingwoodTV’s Blackmores Injury Update.

“He’ll more than likely get an x-ray on that thumb just to see how it’s going.

"If we get the good news, he won’t be that far away – probably a week or two.”

A return of Sidebottom in the coming weeks would leave Collingwood with arguably its strongest midfield group of the year.

Balme also noted that the sight of Dane Swan in a moonboot on Monday was merely precautionary as the midfielder attempted to take unnecessary weight off his ankle.

“We’re very confident that he’ll be fine for this week." Balme said.

"Moonboots aren’t always the disaster that they look like they are."

The news wasn’t as good for Darcy Moore and Tony Armstrong after the defenders sustained injuries in Collingwood’s VFL loss to Essendon on Sunday.

Armstrong left the game in the first quarter with a knee complaint while Moore pulled up sore and felt for his hamstring in the fourth quarter.

“When he did it, it looked like he might be out forever. Fortunately, after another look at it, it’s not quite as bad,” Balme said of Moore.

“We haven’t got the results of the scans yet. He’ll certainly miss this week, but hopefully not too much more.”

The duo will most likely be replaced in Collingwood’s VFL side by Matthew Scharenberg and Ben Kennedy after Balme cleared both fit to play on the weekend, though Balme was uncertain on whether Ben Reid would join them.

“We’ll train him pretty hard this week and we’ll see. Whether he plays on the weekend is just a matter of where it fits into his program,” Balme said.

Meanwhile, Levi Greenwood is off crutches and is expected to start running again this week as he overcomes a fractured ankle.