Western Bulldogs coach Luke Beveridge expects Aaron Naughton to be fit for Thursday night's clash with Sydney at Marvel Stadium, claiming "he'll be picked in the team".
Naughton, who sustained a corked calf in a marking contest against Carlton last Thursday, has been named in the Dogs' light captain's run for the round two match-up.
"Yeah he should be fine," Beveridge said at a media conference on Wednesday.
"He trained the other day. We didn't put him through a full session and he's come through OK."
"He'll be picked in the team and ... no worries to play, which is a bit of a relief."
Hayden Crozier cleared further tests yesterday but won’t play AFL tomorrow. He’s being managed and will play VFL so the Dogs can manage his minutes.
Bailey Smith locked in to return.
Aaron Naughton will be named and is part of a light Captain’s Run. Dogs expecting he’ll play.— Mitch Cleary (@cleary_mitch) March 29, 2022
Speculation over Naughton's availability grew during the week, but the Doggies' captain Marcus Bontempelli and coach alike are expecting him to play.
"Just based on knowing him (Naughton), what he's like, and how combative he is, I think he'll be there," Bontempelli told AFL 360 on Tuesday night.
"With these corkies ... they can be quite significant and it can take until the last couple days to settle."
Bailey Smith, who was suffering from a hip issue suffered in Round 1, was also able to train unscathed.
“He’s (Smith) fine. He’ll come back into the team," Beveridge confirmed.
Smith was an important cog in the Bulldogs' round one fixture against the Demons, notching up 33 disposals, 11 tackles and eight clearances.
Hayden Crozier, who dramatically fainted in the rooms at halftime last week, will not play at senior level this weekend. He will be managed through the VFL and is expected to play just three quarters.
READ MORE: Crozier "feeling great" after "freak incident"
"He (Crozier) had some tasting yesterday and he got through OK," Beveridge continued.
"He'll come out of the side as managed, but will play for Footscray against Northern."
Juice the ultimate hype man 💪 pic.twitter.com/tRlEzi0IgH
— Western Bulldogs (@westernbulldogs) March 29, 2022
The Bulldogs sit at 0-2 after two rounds, and the task doesn't get any easier this weekend as they face a red-hot Sydney Swans side.
Since the 2016 grand final, matches between the Bulldogs and the Swans have been split 3-3.