Three of Collingwood’s biggest names are facing a race against time to be fit for the club’s first home and away game against North Melbourne on 31 March.

Luke Ball (knee), Alan Didak (hamstring) and Dale Thomas (ankle) will all require a few more weeks on the sidelines before being able to press their claims for a return.

View Collingwood’s full injury list now.

Didak’s hamstring complaint follows on from an injury riddled two years that have seen him miss 17 of Collingwood’s last 50 games.

He appeared in Collingwood’s first intra-club match a fortnight ago but did not feature in either the first round of the NAB Cup or last Friday’s intra-club game.

Ball has not been sighted since tearing his anterior crucial ligament in the calamitous round three loss to Carlton last year, while Thomas has been on the comeback trail since undergoing ankle surgery last November.

It means that the Magpies coaching staff may have difficulties in nursing them back into match fitness during the NAB Cup due to the interchange restrictions in place during the remaining three rounds.

Clubs will be forced to deal with a cap of 80 interchanges per match in rounds two and three of the NAB Cup, although teams will be allowed to have a bench of three substitutes and three interchange players in the second and third rounds.

There will be no cap on interchanges in the case of extreme heat, while the three substitutes will become full interchange players should it be deemed too hot.

Meanwhile, fans will need to wait at least another month before watching two of Collingwood’s South Australian recruits run around for the first time.

Tim Broomhead, the 20th overall selection in last November’s National Draft, has been struck down with Glandular Fever, while ruck prodigy Brodie Grundy (selection No. 18 in the National Draft) is dealing with a back complaint.

View Collingwood’s full injury list HERE.