Jeremy Howe will be sweating on the result of scans on his adductor.Credit: Getty Images
Howe faces an uphill battle to be ready for finals, having played just two games in the past six weeks, including the match against Hawthorn in which he suffered concussion in the opening minutes.
While Mihocek looked to be nursing a tender wrist at quarter-time, he played out the match on a night that Collingwood all but secured a top-four finish by beating Melbourne by six points.
The Magpies will have to wait for the outcome of the Brisbane Lions and Hawthorn clash at the Gabba on Sunday night before learning who their opponents will be in the first week of the finals.
Craig McRae celebrates a thrilling win with Darcy Cameron and Darcy Moore.Credit: Getty Images
If the Lions win at home, Collingwood will play Adelaide at Adelaide Oval. A Hawthorn win would mean the Magpies face Geelong at the MCG.
An in-form De Goey, who had 26 disposals against Melbourne, backed Mihocek to overcome any injury concerns.
“I’m sure he’ll be fine. That bloke’s an absolute wrecking ball,” De Goey said.
“There always seems to be something with him every week because he just continues to put his body on the line.
“So I think for Checkers, he’ll definitely be sore. But like I said, I don’t think bloke’s going to miss finals, so he should be sweet.”
Collingwood climbed off the canvas to reel in a 15-point final quarter deficit to snatch back the lead and hang on for victory.
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Four goals in succession – the final four goals of the game – from the 12-minute mark delivered the Magpies one of their gutsiest wins of the season.
“We’ve got a pulse now. We’re alive,” a relieved Collingwood coach Craig McRae said.
“I thought we took some big steps last week in our defence [in the narrow loss to Adelaide]. I thought we took some growth in our offence. This week we scored 50 per cent of the time we went in.
“Some of them were wide. Some were long shots. We missed a lot of set shots, which kept the scoreboard alive for the opposition at times. But [there was] some growth [for us] in our offence and the growth in our defence last week.
“We’ve had a big run of playing the top teams week after week, which again, gives you feedback, and this has been a qualifying phase.
“We’ll reset ourselves. Wednesday we’ll relaunch to a new season. Because it is a new season.”
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