Out-of-sorts Pies look back for forward fix

Veteran defender Jeremy Howe looms as a possible solution to Collingwood's scoring woes, but coach Craig McRae won't be tempted to rush Norm Smith medallist Bobby Hill back into AFL action.

The 13th-placed Magpies rank second-last for points scored this season, averaging just 69.6 points per game - down from 85.6 last year.

Their front-half issues were laid bare in a six-point loss to Fremantle last round, when they managed just five goals from 61 forward entries in difficult conditions.

McRae is desperate to find more avenues to goal and Howe could be used in attack when Collingwood (2-3) take on traditional rivals Carlton at the MCG on Thursday night.

The 35-year-old premiership defender, who started his AFL career as a forward with Melbourne and has been used as a swingman on occasion, trained with the Magpies' attacking group on Tuesday.

"I'm open-minded to all sorts of things," McRae said after the session.

"We'll just have to wait and see what that looks like (because) we might not have enough troops down back to support that.

"But we might train him there over the next few weeks (in case) we need to throw him forward - or when Darcy (Moore) is back he might play there a bit more permanently."

Collingwood's leading goal-kicker last year, Jamie Elliott, has managed just five majors in as many games this season and Brody Mihocek, who was second on the list in 2025, is now with Melbourne.

Daniel McStay (eight goals), Tim Membrey (seven) and Lachie Schultz (six) haven't set the world on fire, with the Magpies' midfielders shouldering their share of the blame for poor connection with the forwards.

"Lots of parts of our game are going OK but there's just little things that we need to improve (like) chemistry and connection," McRae said.

"I keep wrestling with whether it's method or personnel. I'm really living in that space.

"We're trying to improve our method to see if it is personnel, but we're living in this constant growth mindset."

Hill isn't an option just yet as the Magpies build the small forward's fitness following his time spent away from the club on personal leave.

The 26-year-old livewire has had almost one month back in training, but there is still no definitive timeline on his return to action.

"He's in pre-season mode and we've got an eye on the long-term," McRae said.

"You watch him train today; he looks lively and exciting and the agility's back.

"It's exciting to just see him improve session after session."

McRae confirmed Steele Sidebottom (hip) has joined Jordan De Goey (concussion) and skipper Moore (hamstring) on the sidelines after failing to complete training on Tuesday.

The veteran wingman received a heavy knock before halftime against Fremantle and will likely miss one match.

"We've got a six-day break and there's actually quite a lot of bleeding there, so he won't play," McRae said.

Carlton (1-4) are set to welcome back vice-captain Jacob Weitering and young defender Harry Dean (both concussion) against the Magpies as they seek to resurrect their season.