Cloke is one of three confirmed inclusions for Collingwood along with defender Nathan Brown and midfielder James Aish.

"All three of those guys played particularly well two weeks ago in their last VFL appearance and have put in a body of work that suggests that they want to come in and make a difference for us at senior level so we look forward to that," Buckley said.

Jack Frost makes way for Brown, while the weather will determine whether Mason Cox will keep his spot in the side.

"I think we're expecting a one in 100-year storm given all I'm hearing from the bureau of meteorology," Buckley said."He [Cox] will be selected to play and we expect that, unless things get totally out of hand, he'll play."

Cloke was dropped for the second time this year after just one game following the Pies' 67-point loss to Port Adelaide three weeks ago. The premiership forward previously endured a six-week stint in the reserves after he was banished to the VFL ahead of the Anzac Day clash with Essendon.

And Buckley was making no guarantees on how long Cloke would stay in the side this time around.

"That depends on different variables. Clokey's performance will be the main one and how we perform as a team and the role that he plays within that," he said.

"[Cloke being dropped] was about Clokey getting back to elite preparation, first and foremost, to give himself the chance to maximise his talent and he's made a couple of those shifts over the last four to six weeks, in particular.

"His performance against Casey a couple of weeks ago was an absolute standout in regards to attitude and effort and contest.

"We need his experience and his ability up top."

The torrid weather expected to hit Melbourne on Friday didn't faze Buckley in his selection of the veteran key forward.

"In three inches of mud his GPS was as good, a couple of weeks ago, as it has been all year," Buckley said.

Brown and Aish have also earned reprieves. Brown has not played at senior level since being axed after Round 6, while Aish was sent back to the VFL after Round 7. The former Brisbane Lion has only played five games in his first year at Collingwood.

Buckley said Brown had been "diligent" in making the adjustments to his game that were asked of him.

The Collingwood coach believes his team will have a distinct advantage by playing the Dockers at the MCG.

"There's still quite a deal of young players in their side, most of them wouldn't have found themselves on the 'G too often so there's still an opportunity there for us to make this environment as uncomfortable as we can," he said. Buckley also dispelled any fitness concerns around captain Scott Pendlebury (ankle) and expected young forward Darcy Moore to be close to selection next week after recovering from a broken collarbone.