Skilled forward Orazio Fantasia is eyeing a return to the field this weekend.
The 22-year-old was a late withdrawal for the second week running last week but Physical Performance Manager Justin Crow says the fiery small forward could make his return.
โOrazio, again, we left late in the week to prove his fitness โ he was close, he could do most things,โ Crow told the club's website on Tuesday.
โWe ended up getting a good training session into him on the Saturday, but right at deathโs door we made the decision not to play him, because we felt there was still too much risk in terms of how much heโd recovered from his original injury.
โOrazio will do all of training tomorrow, weโre expecting him to go well in that session and then be available.โ
Crow also spoke about important midfielder David Zaharakis' injury. He's been out with a collarbone injury since round 11 but his quick progress could mean he's ready for a return.
โDaveโs now been surgically and medically cleared in terms of his actual pathology and injury,โ Crow added.
โNow the real test is that he can get into training, weโre hoping he does a full session tomorrow.
โWeโll be watching him closely in terms of both his fitness and his ability to play the game from a physical point of view, and if he can prove himself in both of those aspects heโll be made available.โ
Adam Saad's injury scares aren't anything serious as Crow says he was benched in last week's game just to prevent further damage.
โAdam Saad finished on the bench โ that was just us being really careful after a hamstring cramp to make sure that he was ok this week,โ he said.
โWeโll be monitoring him closely to make sure heโs recovered from that.โ
Former Bulldog Jake Stringer is also tracking well in his recovery.
โJakeโs making good progress, heโs been working hard in rehab. Weโll be watching him week by week.
โWeโre not expecting him to be available this week, but weโll be looking closely at him to see how quickly he turns the corner from that calf strain.โ
