Magpies coach McRae ill, forward Elliott out injured

Justin Leppitsch (r) took charge of Magpies training in place of the ill Craig McRae (l). (Darren England/AAP PHOTOS)

Craig McRae has fallen ill but Collingwood say their coach is no danger of missing the Magpies' trip to Perth.

Senior assistant coach Justin Leppitsch took training at the AIA Centre on Wednesday as McRae rested at home.

"He's just a little unwell," Leppitsch said.

"It's not bad. You just figure stay away, obviously things can get contagious, potentially, so nothing that's going to stop him from being there this weekend.

"He'll be fine by the time we get on the plane."

High-flying Collingwood will face lowly West Coast at Optus Stadium on Saturday in an ultimate AFL mismatch.

The premiership favourite Magpies are on a seven-game winning streak to be a game and significant percentage clear on top of the ladder.

West Coast have been battered by injuries and are struggling badly for a second-straight season, sitting last with a 1-10 record.

Leppitsch confirmed star veteran Steele Sidebottom would miss up to eight weeks after injuring his knee in his milestone 300th game on Sunday.

The club initially hoped Sidebottom would only miss a month, but the Magpies will take a cautious approach with their 2010 premiership hero.

"The positive is he's back at the right time of the season for us to be fresh and get the body ready," Leppitsch said.

Electric forward Jamie Elliott has been ruled out of this week's match against the Eagles due to a shoulder injury.

"It's not too bad at all (Elliott's shoulder), he's been managing it for about a month, but given the six-day break and the travel and hadn't pulled up as well as it previously had, we decided that this is the week probably best not to play," Leppitsch said.

License this article

What is AAPNews?

For the first time, Australian Associated Press is delivering news straight to the consumer.

No ads. No spin. News straight-up.

Not only do you get to enjoy high-quality news delivered straight to your desktop or device, you do so in the knowledge you are supporting media diversity in Australia.

AAP Is Australia’s only independent newswire service, free from political and commercial influence, producing fact-based public interest journalism across a range of topics including politics, courts, sport, finance and entertainment.

What is AAPNews?
The Morning Wire

Wake up to AAPNews’ morning news bulletin delivered straight to your inbox or mobile device, bringing you up to speed with all that has happened overnight at home and abroad, as well as setting you up what the day has in store.

AAPNews Morning Wire
AAPNews Breaking News
Breaking News

Be the first to know when major breaking news happens.


Notifications will be sent to your device whenever a big story breaks, ensuring you are never in the dark when the talking points happen.

Focused Content

Enjoy the best of AAP’s specialised Topics in Focus. AAP has reporters dedicated to bringing you hard news and feature content across a range of specialised topics including Environment, Agriculture, Future Economies, Arts and Refugee Issues.

AAPNews Focussed Content
Subscription Plans

Choose the plan that best fits your needs. AAPNews offers two basic subscriptions, all billed monthly.

Once you sign up, you will have seven days to test out the service before being billed.

AAPNews Full Access Plan
Full Access
AU$10
  • Enjoy all that AAPNews has to offer
  • Access to breaking news notifications and bulletins
  • Includes access to all AAPNews’ specialised topics
Join Now
AAPNews Student Access Plan
Student Access
AU$5
  • Gain access via a verified student email account
  • Enjoy all the benefits of the ‘Full Access’ plan at a reduced rate
  • Subscription renews each month
Join Now
AAPNews Annual Access Plan
Annual Access
AU$99
  • All the benefits of the 'Full Access' subscription at a discounted rate
  • Subscription automatically renews after 12 months
Join Now

AAPNews also offers enterprise deals for businesses so you can provide an AAPNews account for your team, organisation or customers. Click here to contact AAP to sign-up your business today.

SEVEN DAYS FREE
Download the app
Download AAPNews on the App StoreDownload AAPNews on the Google Play Store