A relieved Collingwood coach Mick Malthouse expects to have a full list to choose from for next week's AFL grand final with Luke Ball's hamstring injury thought to be nothing more serious than cramp.
Ball quit the field in the third quarter when Collingwood was in total of control of Friday night's preliminary final against Geelong at the MCG.
He retired to the rooms for treatment and played no further part in the match but Malthouse insists that was purely precautionary.
"I'm not trying to kid you here," Malthouse told his post-match media conference.
"He came off with a cramp and the first thing I asked the medical staff was about that and they said it was cramp."
"They're very confident that he will play, he is as well, and there was no point whatsoever in putting him back on."
Ball came to Collingwood via last year's national draft with a history of soft tissue injuries during his seven years with the Saints who go into Saturday's Second Preliminary Final against the Western Bulldogs as the short-priced favourites.
Malthouse said he expects Leon Davis, who was a late withdrawal on Friday night with hamstring tightness, to also be available for selection.
"He's just a bit sore and under the circumstances is just wasn't worth it," said Malthouse.
"He was close, close enough to be disappointed."
"It was team first and it was a courageous decision and he's in line for next week by having that rest."
Malthouse said he would be adopting a 'horses for courses' selection policy for next week's grand final which will be his sixth as an AFL coach.
"We are picking players on ... history, their current form, their fitness and their confidence so that (preliminary final) side won't necessarily run down the race next week," he said.
"One or two (players) will be very disappointed but it's very much a team mentality but that's what you've got to have."
Asked whether Friday night's win - which was set up with a devastating seven-goal opening term - panned out perfectly for his players, Malthouse said: "The week's break was fantastic for us."
"It gave us a massive boost in confidence to know that our bodies were right and ... we could really just go for it - do the things we needed to do, work hard with the systems and work for each other."
"The second half probably gets you a bit because you've used up an enormous amount of energies that are both physical and psychological."
"No matter what pressure you put on players at half-time to maintain that, mentally it's not going to happen."