Melbourne senior coach Simon Goodwin has responded to questions about potential injuries to star pair Max Gawn and Clayton Oliver.
The Demons, who are preparing for Friday night's no-tomorrow clash with red-hot Carlton at the MCG, could have numerous selection headaches on their plate this week.
According to a Tuesday morning report byย SEN's Sam Edmund, Gawn is battling a broken bone in his toe, while Oliver is apparently managing knee soreness. He noted both players would play under duress on Friday, adding he was unsure exactly when Gawn sustained his worrisome ailment.
Later on Tuesday morning, Goodwin coyly addressed the media at Casey Fields ahead of the Dees' training session, announcing his superstar pairing would train.
"I'm not going to give out our medical report, but I can confirm that he (Gawn) is going to train fully today," Goodwin said on Tuesday.
"Both he and Clayton will train fully today and be available.
"I think every player is carrying certain things at certain times of the year. This isn't something that is going to slow either of these two down. They had a light day the other day but they will train fully today."
Melbourne's selected side for Friday will be announced on Thursday at 6:20 PM (AEST).
Quizzed about this week's selection conundrums -- with forward Jacob van Rooyen forced out due to suspension -- Goodwin left the door open to all possibilities, noting he wouldn't go into too much detail.
"Nothing is off the table," Goodwin continued. "It is early in the week. I'm sure there will be some questions on the forward line and Jacob van Rooyen not playing.
"I'm not going to go into the depths of what the team will look like from a selection perspective, but what we have done throughout the whole year is have to find a way to score.
"We've had some real interruptions in the forward half of the ground and that's no different currently. We'll come up with a plan, with the method, with the personnel to maximise what we've got. We're excited by that opportunity. We're not thinking 'woe is me'."
Preparing to take the field in an elimination game, and with the dreadful prospect of back-to-back straight sets finals exits hanging over their heads, Goodwin claimed the Demons are 'leaning in' to the pressure.
"We are a club that will lean into the pressure," he said.
"Pressure, stress, anxiety about performance and playing well on the big stage is in all elite sport, but right now there [are] six teams left that are all going to face pressure.
"We want to lean into that and be prepared for owning that time, owning that moment. We'll focus on process, focus on what we can control."
The Demons and Blues will do battle this Friday at 7:50 PM (AEST) at the MCG, likely in front of more than 90,000 spectators.
