Collingwood are strongly considering the Richmond-style use of a smaller second ruckman, deploying inside midfielder Rupert Wills in the role Shaun Grigg performed for the Tigers in 2017 and 2018.

Having lost giant forward Mason Cox for the remainder of this season, the Magpies will look at using Wills – a strongly built 191 centimetres – as a relief ruckman, against Melbourne on Saturday, a set-up Richmond used with 190-centimetre Grigg in the 2017 premiership and throughout 2018.

Ruck partners? Magpies Brodie Grundy and Rupert Wills. Credit:AAP

Another option for the Magpies would be to promote young 200-centimetre ruckman-forward Max Lynch, but Lynch has not performed so strongly at VFL level over the past two weeks and it would be surprising if he was called up to play the Demons, based on form.