GWS veteran Josh Kelly has progressed in his training capacity from a complicated hip injury which ruled him out of the entire 2026 season, but there's still no return date of yet.
Kelly last played in the 2025 Elimination Final loss against Hawthorn, and has faced multiple false starts during his recovery process.
Before returning to the club, the classy left-footer will spend an intensive week in Ireland working with a renowned rehabilitation specialist.
"He's continued to increase his training capacity, but a big focus at the moment is his strength work in the gym," Giants Head of Medical Services, Andrew Ryan, said.
"The hip prosthesis has integrated well and that's all good. It's the chassis around it that's still adapting. For him the focus is on getting stronger in the gym before we push him any further with the running element.”
Speedy forward Darcy Jones is fit and firing after missing the entire year with an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury. The Giants opted not to rush Jones back late in the season, giving him a full summer to work towards 2027.
"He was in full training when we finished the season," Ryan said.
"We just made the decision not to play him in those last games, but he's back and ready to go and won't be held back.”
Finn Callaghan, Phoenix Gothard and Tom Green, who are all tracking towards a return to full training in January.
Callaghan had surgery on his ankle late in 2026, while Gothard had to assess a shoulder problem.
"They're doing running and conditioning training and light skills at the moment," Ryan said.
"Phoenix won't be doing any contact work with his shoulder until the new year, but he'll be running and doing football drills in the block before Christmas.
"It's a similar situation with Finn. They've just got a few things to tick off before Christmas, but they're both tracking really well.”
Green missed the entire year due to an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) tear on the eve of the campaign.
"He's tracking towards a return to team training," Ryan said.
"He might be able to get to full training before Christmas, but realistically he'll be fully into it in January. That's the goal for him."He'll continue with his running, conditioning and light skills in the meantime, but we won't have him doing full-contact training or live collisions just yet.”
Soft-tissue victims Brent Daniels and Jack Buckley are also progressing well ahead of their return to the club.
"They're both progressing accordingly and should be part of full team pre-season training leading into Christmas," Ryan said.
"They might have some modified loading along the way, just to manage their bodies through what is a long pre-season, but they've done all the hard work from a rehabilitation point of view to get themselves into that position.”
Young ruck Logan Smith is working through a patellar tendon issue, and is will be on a modified program until the end of the year.
Smith has yet to debut at AFL level since he was drafted in 2024, but is seen as a futue ruckman for the Giants, especially given the departure of Kieren Briggs.
"He's been a long, slow burn, but he's progressing well," Ryan said.
"He'll still be modified through to Christmas, but he's on track to be training well in the new year.”
Nathan Wardius is also closing in on full training after his ACL injury.
