'His season is done': Scott Pendlebury's grand final hopes in doubt after early injury blow

In an early blow, Collingwood veteran Scott Pendlebury has been subbed out of the Magpies' preliminary final against the Lions just minutes into the game with a tight calf.

The injury puts the star in serious doubt for the grand final if Collingwood progresses.

According to Fox Footy's David King, losing Pendlebury — the Pies' key midfield organiser — gives the Lions a major advantage, as Brisbane quickly took the lead with an early surge of goals.

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"[It'll] put him in grave doubt for next week's game," he said.

Pendlebury limped off the field and down the race before later emerging in his tracksuit.

It is understood that the 37-year-old had calf awareness during the warm-up, and the issue worsened in the opening minutes of the match.

Speaking at quarter time, Fox Footy reporter Jon Ralph painted a bleak picture.

"Let's cut to the chase, his season is over," he said.

"[Pendlebury] could barely walk out of the tunnel. The official diagnosis is a tight calf, but his season is done."

Collingwood's footy boss, Charlie Gardiner, said the club would wait for Pendlebury's scan results before jumping to any conclusions.

"He came off early with some calf tightness," he told Channel Seven.

"We gave him treatment, but it wasn't getting any better. We're not taking any risks with him.

"We'll get it assessed during the week and see what the scans show."

Nick Daicos won the first clearance of the match and hit Mason Cox with a perfect pass, but the American dropped the straightforward chest mark, coughing up a golden opportunity for the game's first goal.

However, Cox quickly redeemed himself by receiving a free kick against Dayne Zorko and scoring the opening goal, celebrating with some heated words for Zorko afterwards.

The Lions responded with four straight goals, as Josh Dunkley, Zac Bailey, Logan Morris, and Ty Gallop all found the scoreboard to give Brisbane a 20-point lead at the first break.

Jamie Elliott and Tim Membrey clawed the Pies back into the game with two early second-quarter goals, cutting the lead to 10.

The comeback continued as Collingwood's streak was extended by Lachie Schultz, Patrick Lipinski and Dan Houston, leapfrogging Brisbane to take the lead.

Adding to the Lions' woes, midfielder Jarrod Berry was subbed out of the game with a dislocated shoulder, his second in a month.

The 27-year-old appeared to be in serious pain after a tackling attempt and was officially ruled out, with Bruce Reville coming on as his replacement.

Berry's shoulder was put back into place in the rooms, sparing him a trip to the hospital. He is set to undergo scans.