CO-CAPTAIN Jack Viney (foot) and the classy Christian Salem (thumb) will face fitness tests in the lead-up to Saturday’s clash against the Gold Coast Suns at the Gabba.
Elite performance manager Dave Misson said the duo was on the cusp of returning.
First-year Demon Harley Balic (plantar fascia) is also a chance to return to the VFL this weekend, while ruckman Mitch King (elbow) is still another two to three weeks away.
Forward Dean Kent (hamstring) and hard-nut Aaron vandenBerg (ankle) are out for another month or more.
Ball-winner Corey Maynard (hip) and utility Pat McKenna (hamstring) are sidelined indefinitely.
But Misson said Jesse Hogan (ankle/knee) and Christian Petracca (thumb) had pulled up well after getting through last Sunday’s win over St Kilda at Etihad Stadium.
“We had a couple of guys going into the game that were a little bit short [of match fitness] in Christian Petracca and Jesse [Hogan], but both came through the game really well,” he said.
“Those guys prepared very well during the week to get themselves up and we were pleased with how they went.
“We were pretty happy with how it went last time [when we travelled to Brisbane and defeated the Lions in round two], so we’re familiar with the road trip.
“We’re coming up against a pretty tough team, so we’re looking to take our best up to Brisbane and hopefully come away with a win.”
Misson’s injury assessments
Harley Balic (platar fascia) – test
“Harley [is] potentially available this week. He’ll train with the group tomorrow (Wednesday) and we’ll just see how he pulls up. But he’ll be a test for this week.”
Dean Kent (hamstring) – 4 weeks
“Kenty has started running and is getting into run throughs by the end of the week, but he’s probably still a month away.”
Mitch King (elbow) – 2-3 weeks
“Mitch, with his elbow [injury], will start to get into some more football stuff this week in rehab, so he’s probably two to three weeks, I reckon.”
Corey Maynard (hip) – indefinite
“Corey’s had this ongoing hip complaint. We’re just monitoring it at the moment and we’re not going to put a timeframe on it. But we’re hoping he can have a run next week and then start progressing back into some skills.”
Pat McKenna (hamstring) – indefinite
“Patty’s going really well. By the end of the week, he’ll be up to 80 per cent with his run throughs and we’ll just see how he goes there. Again, [we’re] not putting a timeframe on it, but we’re really pleased with how Pat’s going.”
Christian Salem (thumb) – test
“Christian’s going well. He had the surgery after [round six] and he’s done a couple of running sessions. He’ll train with the group tomorrow, without doing a lot of contact. But we expect him to be available and it’ll be up to the match committee as to where he plays.”
Aaron vandenBerg (ankle) – 6-8 weeks
“Vanders has been doing some good work out on the track for a while now, but he’s probably six to eight weeks still.”
Jack Viney (foot) – test
“Jack, essentially, has been out of rehab now for a couple of weeks. He’ll train with the group tomorrow (Wednesday) and then we’ll make a decision on whether he plays and where he plays.”
Melbourne injury list: round eight
Harley Balic (platar fascia) – test
Dean Kent (hamstring) – 4 weeks
Mitch King (elbow) – 2-3 weeks
Corey Maynard (hip) – indefinite
Pat McKenna (hamstring) – indefinite
Christian Salem (thumb) – test
Aaron vandenBerg (ankle) – 6-8 weeks
Jack Viney (foot) – test
