MELBOURNE coach Simon Goodwin has backed Clayton Oliver to hit the ground running after a significant stint of full-load training.

The Demons superstar has been sidelined since Round 10 and with more than a month of high-intensity training under his belt is ready to hit the ground running.

Oliver will also be joined by returning ruck Brodie Grundy with the first-year Demon earning his chance to return to the senior side.

Goodwin also flagged the looming returns of Bayley Fritsch and Tom McDonald as forward help is on the horizon.

Brodie’s Back

“It’s obviously a month out of the team and he's been working incredibly hard and his ability to play forward of the ball and we get a chance to have a look at it and we're excited about that,” Goodwin says.

“Sometimes injury creates opportunity and this is an opportunity that we've planned for.

“He’s excited. He wants to play AFL footy, he's in the team and he's got an opportunity.

“He wants to be a part of it and he wants to be part of the Melbourne footy club. So this is an opportunity that's right in front of Brodie and he wants to take it with both hands.”

Clayton’s Comeback

“He's done a big block of work, you know, he's been pretty much at 90% for five or six weeks and got a heap of fitness into him and he's been full training for the last couple of weeks, so he's raring to go,” Goodwin says.

“He's going to be really fit and strong and and fresh and hopefully it has a big impact for our team.”

The Surging Blues

“They've been in elite form. They’re a strong footy team,” Goodwin says

“They've built off really strong foundations around their contest and how they defend and they're playing some pretty exciting footy.

"They've won seven in a row for a reason because they're playing as an elite team and that challenge is sitting right in front of us in their home game.”

Kozzy in the Midfield

“We're getting him through there. Clearly the footy shows have picked up on it,” Goodwin says.

“He’ll still continue to have these four or five or six centre bounces per game and have impact for us in that phase of the game.

"We'd love to have Kozzy Pickett not only in the midfield but forward of the ball all the time. But there's only one Kozzy Pickett.”

Forward Line Reinforcements

“He's moving really well Bayley, obviously the people out here would have seen he's running around flat out and starting to work towards some full training again. He's still a couple of weeks away,”

“Tom McDonald will come back this week via the VFL.

“We've got a couple of forward options that are starting to come back into the mix through the VFL on through their rehab and we're really hopeful that both those guys will be available for selection in the next two to three weeks.”

Matildas Fever

"The Matildas, it's been fantastic," Goodwin says.

"You know, obviously the viewership and what they're doing for our nation is incredible. To have five million people watching them they're taking the whole community along for the ride.