Magpies Wells hurt again in AFL pre-season

Collingwood expect Daniel Wells to play during the AFL pre-season, despite the star midfielder suffering another lower-leg injury.

Magpies football manager Geoff Walsh also predicts Jamie Elliott will make an appearance in the JLT series, but says he is at the back of a group of players who are not in full training.

Elliott had off-season ankle surgery after leading Collingwood's goalkicking last year.

Wells has achilles soreness, while Alex Fasolo (shoulder surgery), Darcy Moore (achilles) and Jeremy Howe (calf) are also in various stages of injury rehab.

The Magpies' injury management and fitness will be scrutinised heavily this season, given their sacking of high performance manager Bill Davoren late last year after a review of football operations.

Kevin White was promoted from within to be their new head of fitness.

Wells has a poor history of leg injuries, but Walsh is enthusiastic about his pre-season.

"He's had a pretty strong summer," Walsh told SEN radio.

"He has a little bit of achilles soreness right now - maybe a sign of his loading, because he has had a pretty consistent summer.

"We'll keep him, I suppose, in a rehab sense for the next week or two."

Elliott returned last season from a long-term back injury to kick 34 goals in 17 games, but needed an ankle operation in November.

"If we put a pecking order on when players are going to return ... he's probably at the back end of that," Walsh said.

He added Howe nicked a calf over summer, but was approaching full running fitness.

They expect Moore to return next week to main football training.

Walsh praised James Aish, who had only managed 23 games in his two seasons with the Magpies.

"Certainly there looks to be a stronger belief in himself," Walsh said.

The football boss also moved to clarify how Jordan De Goey was tracking after teammate Tyson Goldsack criticised the rising star earlier this month for not being fit enough.

"Particularly over the last four or five weeks, he's really made some strong inroads, in a fitness sense," Walsh said.

"It probably read worse than what Tyson would have intended.

"I think his intent, and Tyson explained it later, is that we have such high expectations around Jordan in terms of his performance, that we probably do set the bar a little bit higher for him."