Reid passes final hurdle
Ben Reid has put his injured groin to the test by training with Collingwood at Gosch's Paddock on Thursday
COLLINGWOOD defender Ben Reid has trained with the Magpies squad on Thursday morning in a successful bid to prove his fitness for the clash with Hawthorn on Friday night.
Reid trained with his teammates at Gosch's Paddock as he attempted to show he had overcome a groin injury that kept him out of the Magpies' qualifying final against West Coast.
The key defender trained with GPS tracking device fitted as the Collingwood coaching staff was keen to monitor Reid closely.
Coach Mick Malthouse said Reid has improved over the last two weeks and would return to the team along with Dale Thomas, who missed the past two weeks through suspension.
Malthouse said after Thursday's training session that he had settled on his team to take on the Hawks but he was yet to reveal the bad news to the two players who have to make way for the All Australian pair.
The Magpies coach was in a reflective mood on Thursday, admitting that the fact this game could be his last time in charge of Collingwood had been playing on his mind.
"[It has been playing on my mind] plenty. I try to take it out of the equation. There's too much at stake and too many people involved in tomorrow's game without worrying about individual stuff. As an individual, of course I have thought about it," Malthouse said.
"I'm trying to think positively. It's a massive game in front of us and that's what I'm trying to focus on."
But Malthouse said whatever reflective thoughts came in to his mind would not divert him from the task at hand.
"I'm not distracted by it, not at all. If it comes to that at the end of it then I'll give you my feelings but it is not a distraction whatsoever," he said.
"You can't afford it to be [distracted] because there are too many people relying on each other in this organisation, especially the troops who are going on to the ground and they need someone to direct and not focus on anything else but the team."
Malthouse said he had not agonised about the two players who had to make way for Thomas and Reid as anyone could still find their way into the team.
"There are two that have to miss out. It's not a matter of getting all emotional about who's out. That is left til after the game," he said.
"Before the game they will be hurt, they will be disappointed but as has happened in the past - Tyson Goldsack missed out last year and came in late and played in the Grand Final."
