Collingwood midfielder Luke Ball to be eased back via VFL Collingwood midfielder Luke Ball is set to resume playing football in the VFL this weekend. COLLINGWOOD'S Luke Ball will return to football in the VFL on Friday more than 12 months after rupturing his anterior cruciate ligament against Carlton in Round 3 last year. Ball had a full reconstruction and was set to return for Round 1, but suffered hamstring soreness after a piece of it was removed and used as a graft in his damaged knee. The Magpies were forced to reduce Ball's training workload so he could overcome tenderness in the hamstring, but he's set to play Bendigo Gold at Queen Elizabeth Oval on Friday night. Tomorrow's training session will be Collingwood's only one for the week as the team prepares for Thursday's Anzac Day clash with Essendon at the MCG. Club footballer manager Geoff Walsh said yesterday the availability of players would become clearer after the light session. He said he expected ruckman Darren Jolly, who has been sidelined for two games with a rib injury, to be available. Veteran midfielder Ben Johnson, who was ruled out of the weekend clash with Richmond because of a calf injury, is a chance to return. Nathan Brown, who suffered a groin injury against the Tigers, and Tyson Goldsack, who withdrew from the game because of a calf complaint, must prove their fitness at tomorrow's session. "They will be tested on the track for their fitness," Walsh said. We won't know about a lot of the players until we have the one session on the track, but we are thinking that Jolly will play. We think Goldy will be right because he didn't miss by too much on Saturday with some calf soreness. Small forwards Andrew Krakouer and Alan Didak have been playing the VFL because of interrupted pre-seasons and it will be up to coach Nathan Buckley and his match committee to decide whether they have earned a recall. Walsh said captain Nick Maxwell would probably be out for another two to three weeks with a broken wrist. Dayne Beams (quad) and former Hawthorn player Clinton Young (hamstring) are also about two or three weeks away from resuming.