Collingwood have ruled midfielder Taylor Adams out of contention for the AFL grand final after he pulled up sore at training.
The 30-year-old was the first player out on the ground for Tuesday's session at the AIA Centre in Melbourne, but left the track early and will not return for Saturday's decider against the Brisbane Lions at the MCG.
Adams missed the Magpies' preliminary final win over GWS last Friday night due to a low-grade hamstring injury, but had been pushing his case to play in Collingwood's first grand final since 2018.
"Unfortunate news for Taylor Adams, who experienced hamstring awareness during training today which will see him miss the grand final," Magpies football boss Graham Wright said.
"Taylor is an ultimate professional and a true leader both on and off the field, and we will wrap our arms around him and continue to support him this week.
"Taylor was incredibly eager to be out there with his teammates and left no stone unturned in his rehabilitation and recovery, and we all share in his disappointment."
Adams was best-on-ground with 31 possessions and a goal in Collingwood's heartbreaking defeat to West Coast in the decider five years ago.
The one-time Copeland Trophy winner's experience will be missed as Collingwood's midfield goes up against the likes of dual Brownlow medallist Lachie Neale and fellow star Josh Dunkley.
Fortunately for the Magpies, young superstar Nick Daicos made an encouraging return against the Giants after a six-week absence and will be better for the run.
The Magpies will have to make at least one change ahead of Saturday, with key forward Daniel McStay to miss the grand final against the club he left last off-season because of a knee injury suffered against the Giants.
Versatile tall Billy Frampton trained with the Magpies' forwards on Tuesday and could be brought in for McStay after last playing in round 24 against Essendon.
Meanwhile, Scott Pendlebury has so much confidence in Collingwood winning close games after training last-minute scenarios more than he ever has in his illustrious career.
The star veteran is preparing for his fifth grand final at the end of his 18th AFL season.
But Pendlebury has never had so much belief in the Magpies' ability to succeed when matches come down to the wire.
Comeback victories under coach Craig McRae have become Collingwood's trademark.
But their two gripping finals wins over Melbourne and GWS have come under intense pressure in the final quarter when they have needed to grimly defend a lead.
"We definitely train those last few minutes situations a lot more in the last two years than I ever did across my whole career," Pendlebury said.
"We're well-versed in those situations about what we want to do with or without the ball.
"We train that not just every now and again, we've trained that every training session for the last few minutes of our matchplay.
"We're well-versed if it's tight, what we need to do if we're up or down by a few points, what we need to do if we need to get the game back on that situation."
Rather than feel anxious in the dying stages of a close game, Pendlebury said there was a genuine belief in the whole team.
"There's a trust and a confidence that I know what everyone around me is going to do and how we want to play," the 2010 Norm Smith medallist said.
