Good news is finally on the horizon at the Western Bulldogs, with Tim English poised to return on Friday night against Fremantle.
Ahead of teams being officially announced, Zero Hanger understands English is set to be named.
English's importance to the Bulldogs' set-up has been underlined by the club's dramatic downturn since he suffered a medial ligament injury in his right knee midway through the Round 3 clash with Essendon.
The Dogs lost the second half to the Bombers and have lost three matches since - to Hawthorn, Geelong and Sydney.
They have been smashed in the key area of hitouts to advantage without a seasoned back-up on their list. Emerging duo Louis Emmett and Lachlan Smith have been forced to take the lead role, significantly lessening the Dogs' midfield impact.
English will play heavily strapped and may spend more time forward to help out Aaron Naughton, but his inclusion is a massive boost to the Dogs. His form was at career-best levels in the opening rounds and underestimated amid the positive headlines for the Dogs.
Arty Jones, who played the best half of his career against the Bulldogs before suffering a hamstring injury, is also set to return.
Laitham Vandermeer is also poised to return for his first match of the season.
The Dogs have had a wretched run of injuries since flying out to a 4-0 record to start the season.
Their defence has looked wobbly amid a loss of potency in the ruck and midfield, with Nick Coffield looming as a hard-bodied inclusion this week after a solid block of form in the VFL.
