IN NEWS that will excite many Dees fans, skipper Max Gawn was back running on the weekend, as he continues to take steps forward in his rehabilitation from a knee injury.

Melbourne’s High Performance Manager Selwyn Griffith said the ruckman was making positive progress in his program.

“Gawny had a great re-introduction to running over the weekend and continued to progress today with getting into high-speed,” Griffith told Melbourne Media.

“He’s started to work on some of his ruck-specific skills as well, so it’s a really great move forward for him.”

In unfortunate news for the club, defender Joel Smith is set for a stint on the sidelines due to a thumb injury, with the Demon undergoing surgery last week.

“Unfortunately, he injured his thumb in a marking contest and needed surgical intervention to stabilise the joint,” Griffith said.

“He’s waiting for the wound to heal and once that heals, we’ll be able to ramp up his conditioning and skill-based integration, but he’s still probably a few weeks away.”

Defender Christian Salem is recovering well following surgery on a torn meniscus and will start to begin his rehabilitation program.

“He’s recovered really well post-surgery,” Griffith said.

“He’s got clearance to start to ramp up some of his work today, so he’ll start some conditioning, strength work."

In positive news for Ben Brown, who was subbed off during Sunday’s win against Sydney, the tall forward has been confirmed of no serious injury concern. 

“Unfortunately, for Ben he had an incident during the game where his back tightened up and he just wasn’t able to get going after that,” Griffith said.

“He’s still a little bit stiff at the moment but he’s recovered well.

“We’ll continue to progress him throughout the week and hopefully he’ll be able to prove his fitness during the week for the game Sunday.”

Check out the full injury list below.