VERSATILE key position Demon Harrison Petty has been given the green light to face the Lions after a heavy hit in the final term of Saturday’s win against the Saints.

Petty was substituted from the game but has rebounded quickly after being given the all-clear following scans.

 

“Petts got a reasonable hit to the to the ribs… technically he’s all clear he's responded really well,” General Manager of AFL Football Performance Alan Richardson says.

“He’s trained really well and all the physical stuff he needed to tick off he did, so he's good to go.”

Fellow defender Michael Hibberd will join Petty in the selection frame after two matches on the sidelines with a lacerated kidney.

“Obviously it’s a quite a serious injury when you get a laceration,” Richardson says.

“He's responded really well. His training is good. He's been given the all-clear by all the experts so he's available for selection which is brilliant.”

Developing defender Daniel Turner is set for a stint on the sidelines after scans confirmed a wrist fracture.

“He has a fracture in his scaphoid,” Richardson says.

“He's had a pin inserted in that so that generally means that will heal a little bit quicker.

“We're hoping that he'll be back in five or six weeks. He's a really positive kid, he embraced the frustration, the disappointment and he'll get into his recovery.”

Bayley Fritsch is on the mend after successful surgery on his injured foot.

“The surgeon’s really happy with the way the surgery went, so that looks positive,” Richardson says.

“The first couple of weeks, you have to be mindful of sweating and he'll see the surgeon again tomorrow. We think that's going to be the all clear and then he'll start to progress.”

Richardson assured Melbourne fans that the club is doing everything it can to get club champion Clayton Oliver back on the park, while not taking any risks with the star midfielder.

“It's frustrating for him. It's frustrating for us. I'm sure it's frustrating for the fans, particularly when he can do most things really well,” Richardson says.

“You'd come and watch training and you’d think, why is Clayton not playing? He's able to get to 90% really easily and quite comfortably it's just when he goes to the next speed, the next level of speed that he's having some awareness.

“He's still going to be a few weeks obviously with that, but now we think that the way that he's approaching it and the way that our brilliant medical team are approaching it, that we're going to end up with a with a really good result there.”

Meanwhile, Tom McDonald and rookie Kye Turner have both taken steps forward in their own rehabilitation programs and have been reintroduced to skillwork.

McDonald is on the comeback trail from ankle surgery and last played in Round 7 against Fremantle.

“Tommy’s in with the group now, he's trained,” Richardson says.

“He's not doing everything, most of his skills are still in with the rehab team.”

“He's progressed from just the boring old running, but he's a pretty good runner so he perhaps does it a little bit easier than most, but it's good to see him with the ball in his hands and he's feeling comfortable and he'll continue to advance as he copes with the load.”

There’s some light at the end of the tunnel for Turner, who has been sidelined with a groin complaint for the majority of his stint at the Demons.

Turner won the final spot on the club’s list after a successful pre-season campaign as a train-on player.

“He's had a really frustrating period. He’s come to our footy club and hardly played,” Richardson said.

“It's been a real challenge for the young lad, but his approach and his attitude has been brilliant and he's now doing a bit more ball work and we’re hoping he'll be right to go in a couple of weeks.”