Injured Collingwood trio Tyson Goldsack, Jarryd Blair and Nick Maxwell should be fit to play against Hawthorn in the first qualifying final this Friday night, Collingwood football manager Geoff Walsh says.

Goldsack was substituted off the ground in the third quarter of the Magpies' win over Essendon last Saturday night with an ankle injury, while Maxwell (leg) also finished the game sore.

Blair missed the game with a groin injury.

But Walsh told SEN radio on Monday morning that initial scans suggested all three players should be available to play against Hawthorn.

"Being a Friday [game], the six-day turnaround makes it a little bit close for someone like 'Goldy'," Walsh said.

View Collingwood's injury list here.

"But the reports yesterday were that all those guys will be OK and they'll be right by match time."

Walsh said key forward Chris Dawes was "very much" in contention for a recall against Hawthorn after being dropped for the Essendon game.

Dawes' omission meant Nick Maxwell, at 193cm, was forced to play backup ruckman to Darren Jolly against Essendon, and Walsh admitted Collingwood would reconsider its ruck makeup as it prepared to take on in-form Hawks duo David Hale and Jarryd Roughead.

"Once it was decided that Chris Dawes wouldn't play it was always going to be skinny options and 'Maxy' was the one who presented himself as our option on the night," Walsh said.

"And that will be something that we obviously sit down and have good think about going into the game against Hawthorn because … ideally you want someone who's played as a ruckman to be your backup ruckman."

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Walsh said Dawes' chances of a recall would not be hurt by the fact he could not play in the VFL last weekend with Collingwood's VFL team failing to qualify for this year's finals series.

"He did a lot of work at training, a lot of work at goalkicking and marking, both of those areas are things that by his own admission he'd want to do better at over the last couple of months," Walsh said.

He also said Travis Cloke was only a slim chance to pinch-hit in the ruck against the Hawks.

"With 'Dawesy' not there, [if] you take Travis out of your forward line as well you leave yourselves very short on key targets," Walsh said.

"He probably hasn't played at all in the ruck in the last four or five years. He does a little bit of ruck work at training so he's an option, but to be honest I wouldn't think he'd be our front-of-mind option."

In good news for the Magpies, Walsh said Andrew Krakouer had pulled well after playing his first game back from a knee construction last Saturday night.

He also ruled out the possibility that he would leave Collingwood to join Carlton should his former long-term Magpies colleague Mick Malthouse be appointed Blues coach as widely tipped.

Nick Bowen is a reporter with AFL.com.au. Follow him on Twitter: @AFL_Nick