COLLINGWOOD defender Ben Reid has his eye on the Magpies' next NAB Cup assignment after overcoming the shoulder injury he sustained on holiday last month.

Reid, 22, strained his right shoulder when he tripped over a chair on a beach in Thailand over the New Year period.

He had been accidentally bumped by a stranger and instinctively put his hand out behind him to break his fall.

After avoiding surgery and undergoing a modified program until two weeks ago, Reid is now ready to ramp things up and wants to take the field against Melbourne in the second round of the pre-season competition on March 3 at Etihad Stadium. 

"It could have been a lot worse than what it was. It could have been a dislocation but thankfully it wasn't and I just cannot wait to get back in two weeks," Reid said during the Magpies' Australia Post AFL Community Camp in the north-eastern Victorian town of Wangaratta on Tuesday.

"With the shoulder, I've still been able to do a lot of running and training. For the first few weeks, I wasn't able to do a lot of the contact stuff but in the last few weeks I've been able to do a heap and I'm pretty much doing full weights now so the shoulder is ready to go.

"It was a freak accident but it was one I'll have to live with and learn from."

Reid admitted he had worried about the severity of his injury while he was treated in Thailand and waited to return to Australia.

"I was in a hospital where I couldn't understand a word they were saying," he said.

"I had the doc on the phone at Collingwood and he was fantastic and told me what to do.

"I got back, had the scans and was very happy there was no surgery, and I just can't wait to get back and play."

Captain Nick Maxwell is also set to play against the Demons next Saturday night, with the skipper declaring himself ready to go after missing the weekend's opener against the Western Bulldogs and Greater Western Sydney as part of the Pies' pre-season rotation policy.

Maxwell said he had been pleased with the performance of some of the club's younger players, including Jarrod Witts, Marley Williams, Peter Yagmoor and Jonathon Ceglar.

"It was really exciting, and looking at the squad we had, I think people were probably surprised we got a couple of wins," Maxwell said.

"It just shows that our game plan and structures stand up … and moving forward we know a lot of those players can play at that level.

"We know we're going to have to manage our list and I think all clubs realise that now - you're not going to go with 25 players anymore. You're going to need 35.

"It's good to see those guys have that opportunity and a lot of them take that opportunity."

Reid was back in his hometown of Wangaratta for the Pies' two-day community venture that included visits to schools, aged care homes and hospitals, as well as a super clinic at the showgrounds on Tuesday evening.

"It's great coming back to where I'm from, the grassroots footy club, and it's good to get back and see the community that had a lot to do with me being where I am now, and also see some friends and family, which is great," he said.