COLLINGWOOD coach Nathan Buckley believes Ben Johnson is in the right frame of mind to attack his shoulder reconstruction rehabilitation and give himself a chance to play again this year.

The veteran premiership player had surgery earlier this week to repair the shoulder he injured against the Western Bulldogs in round six.

The 31-year-old is out of contract at the end of the season, and has already indicated this year will likely be his last if the Pies win the premiership.

Buckley said whether Johnson played again this year would depend on his dedication to his rehab, and backed the 227-game player's current mindset to follow it through.

"We're always hopeful, aren't we? You always get quite bullish about things like this," Buckley said on Friday, as the Pies prepared to fly to Brisbane to face the Lions on Saturday night.

"It's going to really come down to Ben's application and dedication to his rehab.

"He's going to be up against it. He understands that, we understand that, but you never say never in this game.

"If you want something bad enough and you're diligent enough to put in place the right procedures and do the right thing minute by minute, rather than hour by hour or day by day, then you give yourself every chance.

"I'm fully confident that Ben's state of mind is right. It's just the application on the other side, and I reckon time will tell."

The views in this article are those of the author and not necessarily those of the AFL or its clubs.

Jennifer Witham is a reporter for AFL Media. Follow her on Twitter @AFL_JenWitham.