Western Bulldogs ruckman Tim English remains an outside chance to return from an ankle injury for Sunday's must-win meeting with GWS in Ballarat.
English suffered the setback in Round 22 against Adelaide and missed last weekend's win over North Melbourne, with makeshift defender Rory Lobb returning to the centre of the ground in his absence while Sam Darcy continued to offer some support in the front half.
The Dogs will give their All-Australian tall every chance to prove his fitness ahead of the weekend, however coach Luke Beveridge confirmed on Wednesday that English is unlikely to suit up for the game that could decide the Dogs' finals prospects.
"He's close, hopefully he gets a chance, but we don't anticipate he'll be available this week," Beveridge said.
Lobb will have a light week at training after copping a knock in the win over the Kangaroos but is expected to face GWS at Mars Stadium.
The Bulldogs will be forced into at least one change for their final game of the home and away season, with small forward Rhylee West to miss after requiring surgery on a fractured jaw.
The Dogs will likely look to fill West's forward minutes instead of a midfield-forward option, with senior pairing Caleb Daniel and Jack Macrae both featuring in last week's victory.
Dom Bendendo booted three goals in Footscray's VFL win over Sydney last week, while Anthony Scott, James Harmes and Arthur Jones could all be considered as forward replacements.
Riley Garcia could earn a reprieve at half-forward and add to Beveridge's midfield ranks if required, while draftee Ryley Sanders did his best to earn a recall after collecting 35 disposals and seven clearances in the VFL.
"The wing-forward shuffle has had different iterations over the year for us," Beveridge said.
"Lachie McNeil has probably played more wing time than he has in the past for us than the game just gone, he's an option to play those forward minutes that 'Westy' usually plays.
"With Caleb and Jack coming onto the ground near the end of the (North Melbourne) game, there were some options through the midfield that weren't there previous.
"So we'll shuffle it a little bit, but obviously we need one to come in for Rhylee. The boys had a pretty good win for Footscray against Sydney last week, so we've got some candidates to come in and play some forward time in Rhylee's absence."
A win over GWS, who are on a seven-game undefeated run, would see the Bulldogs secure their finals place, with a position as high as fourth up for grabs.
A loss would place them in danger of missing the September cut-off, with Fremantle needing a win over Port Adelaide on Sunday afternoon to remove one of the Bulldogs, Blues or Hawks in the top eight frame.
