Collingwood coach Nathan Buckley is not perturbed about his team being the only likely finalist scheduled to play on Sunday in round 23.

But he said he would expect the Magpies to play its first final on the Sunday if it did make the eight. Collingwood will play North Melbourne on Sunday in the final round, leaving it with one fewer day to prepare than its opponent for the first final.

The Magpies sit seventh on the ladder with 11 wins and are two games clear of ninth-placed Carlton.

However they have a tough draw, playing three top four teams in the next three weeks. Buckley is more worried about the game ahead against Essendon on Sunday than the prospect of finals.

"It's probably another one of those things we can't control. If we look after all the elements within our control, within our grasp, the rest is just incidental to be honest," Buckley said.

"We have to look after this Sunday before we worry about a Sunday in five weeks."

Buckley said Dale Thomas was moving well and was one week away from joining in ball work as he recovered from a mid-season ankle operation.

"His application has been really good. He is doing everything in his power. Whether he is coming from too far back, we will only find that out in time."

Buckley remained cautious about being too definitive on Thomas' return date. He said Thomas would only need one game before the finals to play a part, but he would have to prove he was physically ready to play at the intensity required.

One obvious selection dilemma ahead this week for Buckley is whether or not to persevere with the two young ruckman, Jarrod Witts and Brodie Grundy, against experienced opposition. Grundy made his debut against the Giants and impressed while Witts was handy in just his seventh game.

However premiership ruckman Darren Jolly will be available for the first time since round 12 and Ben Hudson is likely to have recovered from a calf injury.

"Commonsense would tell you that the experience is going to be important," Buckley said.

"They were impressive. Those two [Witts and Grundy] are giving us questions to answer in match committee.

"That is a good position to be in … we have four legitimate options there as well as Quinten Lynch, who performed really well last week in the VFL."

Ben Reid's fitness will be determined later in the week as he left the ground late against the Giants with an ankle problem. Buckley said that if he played he was likely to remain as a permanent forward, with Lachie Keeffe and Nathan Brown filling the key defensive posts.

He was encouraged with what he saw against the Giants with Reid up forward and wanted to test the structure against a top four team.

"Last week 'Clokey' [Travis] was the target nine times, Reid six and Swan six going forward so that balance is better for us," Buckley said. "[We] just have to work a little bit harder to get numbers into our attacking area, to give ourselves the best chance to score, but also to find other options that the opposition need to defend.

"That helps us defend that territory a little bit better as well and we think that is probably an area that we haven't done as well over the last couple of weeks."

Collingwood's form has been patchy and the coach admits it's nowhere near the top three teams, yet it has still won six of its past eight games. After conceding on average 106 points against good opposition in the first five rounds, it has pushed that down to 85 points.

However it still sits eighth on the table for points against. Last week's team had eight players in the line-up who did not play against Essendon in round five, when the Magpies lost by 46 points.

"You look at the ladder and that is a real accurate reflection. We have played every side once now. We sit seventh and percentage of 110. That is where we deserve to be," Buckley said.