THE LAST memory Alan Toovey has of the round eight loss to Geelong at the MCG is listening to the final moments on the radio of an ambulance.

The 24-year-old had been carted from the field during the third quarter after sustaining bruised lungs and the "ultimate winding" in a collision with Cats forward Tom Hawkins.

He was taken to Epworth Hospital, where he would spend three nights under observation.

While his teammates were fighting out the final minutes, which was defined by the controversial decision to disallow a goal to Scott Pendlebury after the umpire deemed no advantage from a Cameron Wood free kick on the half-forward flank, Toovey could only listen to the commentary from his prone position on a stretcher.

"I was getting updates from the radio in the ambulance, and I was listening to the game and the scores were coming in," he told afl.com.au this week.

"Other than that, all I remember is just getting driven off on the stretcher."

Remarkably, Toovey missed just the one game after the incident with his cardiothoracic surgeon telling the Woodsman his lung capacity had returned to normal 12 days later.

The accident occurred when the premiership defender ran backwards into Hawkins, and it left him sprawled on the turf for several minutes while the Collingwood medical staff checked for neck and face injuries.

Despite the severity of the blow - and fact he could have sustained more serious internal injuries or structural breaks to his face - Toovey believes the incident hasn't changed the way he plays.

"It's the kind of thing that just happens every now and then, and I was just unlucky it happened to me," he said.

"I've played the same since I've come back and I don't think I've changed anything."

He also says he isn't superstitious and won't be extra nervous ahead of Friday night's rematch, although admits he might check behind him for 105kg of Hawkins before charging back.

"And, Heath Shaw won't be there calling me back into the contest so I should be all right," he said.

More recently, Toovey has been out with a finger injury he sustained in a marking contest in round 17 against Carlton.

He fractured the end of the joint of his right middle finger, and despite initially thinking it was a mere dislocation, required surgery to insert a "t-shaped" plate and seven pins.

"When I first did it, because of where it was at, the joint and the way it was sticking out, we thought it was dislocated," he said.

"Then the doctors had a bit of a play around with it and got it straight so we thought it was just dislocated, and then we had the x-ray the next day and realised there were a few bits of bone that needed to be put back together in different spots.

"I was hopeful it was going to be two weeks [out] but it was more realistic, it was going to be four to six.

"To get back in four was kind of good work by the medical staff."

It was a similar procedure to what Chris Dawes after round 15 to repair his broken knuckle, and one Leon Davis has undergone in the past.

While Toovey admitted leaving the team on the eve of the finals hadn't been ideal, he missed just one week of running and "did a fair bit" over the next three.

"It wasn't a great time to be out but lucky I got back in and I've had a few games back before this weekend, so I should be fine come finals time," he said.

"It feels strong. I've still got a guard on there, more for precaution, but it feels strong and I'm happy with it."

The plan is for Toovey to wear the non-restrictive guard for the rest of the year, and he'll see his surgeon next week for a final update and x-ray to ensure the procedure has gone well; something he calls a "formality".

He can feel his pins and plate - which are permanent fixtures - through his skin, and was ready to be pulled up at airport security's metal detectors last week when the team flew to Perth. 

He didn't set off any alarms, and went on to face Fremantle at Patersons Stadium last Friday night in his second game back.

This week, he'll face the Cats in a challenge he says the Pies are more than pumped for with their first final against West Coast only eight days away.

"You always want to play the better teams when coming into finals because you want to know you have the good form," he said.

"To play against Geelong is a really good dress rehearsal for the finals.

"There was a great finals atmosphere at training this week and it's starting to get exciting."

Jennifer Witham covers Collingwood news for the AFL Website. Follow her on Twitter @AFL_JenWitham.