Dayne Beams is in the mix to take on North Melbourne this Sunday but coach Nathan Buckley says that Jamie Elliott will require another week on the sidelines.

In his weekly press conference, Buckley told the media that Beams trained strongly after missing last Friday’s win against the Eagles with back tightness.

Buckley said that the club’s medical staff “erred on the side of caution” when deciding whether or not to risk the reigning Copeland Trophy winner.

Beams’ midfield partner Luke Ball did not partake in Collingwood’s main training session owing to illness but is still a chance to face the Kangaroos should he overcome his calf tightness.

“Bally’s body’s coming along. He was crook today and didn’t train,” Buckley said.

“He has a couple of extra days (Collingwood will play on Sunday) so we’ll see how he goes.”

Elliott will miss a second match with the hamstring he injured in the dying stages against Hawthorn in round 21.

Buckley was asked about the status of Dale Thomas who is currently assessing his options after his season ended when he re-injured his ankle in the VFL a fortnight ago.

Buckley said that Thomas has now received three different opinions on how he should approach his recovery and said that the “consistent thing from all three opinions has been to let it (the ankle) settle for a month”.

“We’ll keep going through the right process to get the right result for him and for us.”