Midfielder Josh Kelly will make his return for Greater Western Sydney Giants this Sunday in their crucial clash agaisnt the Demons at the MCG.
Kelly missed last weekend's Sydney derby against the Swans due to a concussion sustained in a tackle by Adelaide's Tex Walker in their round 21 clash.
The 23-year-old will provide an immediate boost to GWS who are looking to secure a home elimination final with depleted troops due to injuries.
The extent of GWS's injury crisis was in full-view during their training session on Tuesday where only 15 players from last week's 22 took part in the short skills session.
Phil Davis (hip), Ryan Griffen (hamstring) and Jeremy Finlayson (ankle) were all absent from training, meanwhile Lachie Whitfield, Tim Taranto, Zac Langdon and Lachie Keeffe were on light duties.
The Giants have only six more players on the track available for selection, including defender Zac Williams who last week returned to the NEAFL league from Achilles surgery.
Davis and Finlayson are expected to face Melbourne this Sunday while Sam Reid is a chance of coming back from a hamstring injury.
Reid underwent rehabilitation training during the week, running alongside Toby Greene (hamstring) and Aidan Corr (groin), while also partaking in one-on-one marking work.
Greene and Corr are both still a few weeks away from returning as they continue to recover from their respective injuries but should be right for the first final in a fortnight's time.
GWS' Head of Athletic Performance David Joyce spoke about Kelly on Tuesday, and said he expects the club's vice-captain to play this Sunday.
“It’s now about building up their training loads which we always need to balance with these guys who have missed a bit of footy,” Joyce told gwsgiants.com.au.
“We don’t want to be pushing too hard to get the training loads back but at the same time we need to be able to tick all the boxes from a concussion perspective, but he’s reversed out of that well.
“He trained today, we expect him to train again on Thursday and put his hand up for selection.”
