Veteran Shane O'Bree has become Collingwood's third casualty ahead of the holiday Monday AFL match against Melbourne as Luke Ball struggles with another groin injury.

O'Bree suffered a rolled ankle during Friday morning training, giving Brad Dick his chance for a long-awaited senior recall.

Dick has not played in the AFL this year after his pre-season shoulder injury.

Ball and Ben Johnson (ankle) were already ruled out after suffering their injuries in Sunday's win over Western Bulldogs.

Ball has had well-documented groin injury problems over the last few years, while Johnson missed several games last season with a broken leg.

Malthouse said he could not be sure that Ball had suffered the recurrence of a previous injury, but admitted it was possible.

"Is it the same injury? Probably, but how long does that take to get over? I'm not too sure," he said.

"Players who probably have an early history of it will have a long history of it.

"But what they learn to do is to manage their bodies better, they know their bodies a bit better at 26 than they do at, say, 18.

"We've taken into consideration his history and we've been managing it right through.

"It won't change, I'd like to think we're doing it right at the moment."

Malthouse also agreed that Johnson, who had a short layoff earlier this season with a knee problem, could be feeling some lingering effects of last year's injury.

"Cumulative effect - it's a long, long season and that's what we're seeing at the moment," he said.

"It's different grounds and different conditions and so forth."

Collingwood and Melbourne will not finalise their sides until Saturday afternoon, meaning Dick is no certainty for selection.

He kicked five goals and earnt a Brownlow Medal vote in the corresponding game last season.

Collingwood are second on the ladder, one game behind Geelong, but Malthouse said he was not focussing on wins and losses.

"There are certain areas of our game (where) we've under-achieved and those areas are very well-documented within the playing group - and they know it," he said.

"It's up to us to get better at certain areas.

"Satisfaction is something ... if you're in a comfort zone playing football or coaching football, you're in extraordinary bother - or you're just about (at) the finish.

"None of them (problems) are insurmountable. Is it a tweak? No, it's probably more than that, we need to screw things down a bit better in some areas, we need to be a bit more selective in others."

He also praised the Demons, who have four wins halfway through the season.

"They're a very exciting side ... they're certainly on the right track, they have some wonderful kids coming through," Malthouse said.

The Magpies coach said Melbourne showed plenty of courage when they rested first-year players Tom Scully and Jack Trengove a fortnight ago for the match against Geelong.

"It's a very, very strong decision," he said.

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