DEMONS coach Simon Goodwin has set a timeline for the return of Clayton Oliver, with the full recovery of the reigning club champion now imminent. 

Goodwin gave his strongest indication yet that Oliver was nearing a comeback, saying that next week's clash with Carlton was the most likely date.

There was another positive update in the form of Tom Sparrow's fitness, while the Dees' head man also discussed keeping Max Gawn fresh, the club's forward mix, the Kangaroos and Grundy's stint on the sidelines.

Clayton's Hamstring Timelines

“Clayton's progressing really well. We're really hopeful that he'll be back next week,” Goodwin says.

“He won't play this week. He's more than likely to be ready to go next week.

“He will train fully today and we think that with everything being right, he'll be right to go next week which is exciting for our footy club.”

The Forward Line Mix

“We’ll look to stabilise a little bit down there in the next few weeks,” Goodwin says.

“Certainly the way Harrison (Petty) played last week was outstanding and the combination of Jacob (van Rooyen) and Harrison together looked quite dynamic for us ahead of the ball.

“We'll certainly continue looking at that and progressing that. But as I've said all along, I can't predict what's going to happen in the future."

Keeping Gawn Fresh

“We certainly won't push Max too hard,” Goodwin says.

“He has only played 16 games this year, he missed some games earlier in the season and we have monitored his load all year.

“We feel like he's really fresh at the moment. We want to keep him in that space, so we'll continue to monitor him.”

Can Sparrow Go?

“He's really hopeful that he'll get through man training today, so we think he'll be right to go,” Goodwin says.

“We're not taking a risk on any player at this stage of the season and hence why Tom didn't play last week.

“We think he'll get through training today and he'll be back in the team, he's a really important player for us and one we want to make sure we get going again.”

The Kangaroos Challenge

“Any game’s a challenge in AFL footy and if anyone doesn't think that's the case then they're not looking at the game the right way,” Goodwin says.

“We know that North are going to bring some energy.

“Obviously Clarko is back in the chair and we'll be prepared for anything that they bring to us and it's really about how we operate and how we go about our footy.

“We feel like we need to really focus on what we can control and that's how we go about our training, how we go about our purpose and what we bring on game day and we'll be up for the challenge in Hobart.”

Grundy to Miss

“At this stage, he won't be playing (this weekend), but anything is still possible,” Goodwin says.

“We're really still very open minded about what it looks like for the rest of the year.

“We're one week into a different looking forward line, but we are liking how Brodie is progressing.

“We'll continue to do what is best for the team, however best we function, and Brodie is still a part of that. We'll keep assessing it week by week.”