HERITIER Lumumba is back in full training and getting close to returning, according to coach Paul Roos.

The dashing half-back has been sidelined for the past six rounds, due to concussion, but Roos said Lumumba was making good progress.

“’H’ is terrific, so it’s great that he’s back in full training. He got the all clear last week to resume,” he said on Roos’ Views.

“He’s a bit like Angus [Brayshaw, who is also sidelined with concussion] – it’s a bit more about his fitness levels, even though I’m sure he’d be pushing to play this week. But we’ve got the bye the week after and it’ll depend on how he responds.

“We’ll see him back in the next two or three weeks, which will be really, really good. We saw what a quality player he was earlier [in the season], but the concussion [issue] is a big thing now.

“I’m just reading [about] the concussion issue involving Sydney’s] Teddy Richards and hopefully he’s back this week, because he’s a good fella, Teddy. You don’t want to see anyone finish their career [that way].

“But ‘H’ is in a good space now and is really excited about getting back and is now in full training.”

Roos said youngster Christian Salem, who has missed the past three rounds with a medical condition, was still being monitored.

“Christian is still waiting on blood tests and that’s a real medical situation at the moment and he’s getting a little bit frustrated, because he’s not feeling too bad,” he said.

“But the doctors are holding him back, based on blood tests and levels, so that’s a bit above my educational background.

“I’ll leave that to [club doctor] Zee [Arian] and the rest of the doctors.”

Looking ahead to this Sunday’s clash against the Sydney Swans at the SCG, Roos said there was unlucky to be too many changes.

“Our seconds had a poor day [last weekend], but to be fair to them, they’ve been pretty good for most of the year, so you still give them a bit of a mulligan after one bad result,” he said.

“Hopefully it doesn’t continue, but you look at their form over a period of time, rather than just in isolation.

“There are still guys putting pressure on our senior players, but I felt after reviewing the game again on Monday that it was arguably our best team performance for the year – it was hard to find a bad player.

“[Selection will] probably be about the ground, the SCG, the talent that they have through their midfield and the type of team they are. If we do make changes, it’s going to be based around that formula – rather than dropping someone that might’ve been horribly out of form.

“Already this year, we haven’t had that margin for error and a couple of guys have been a bit stiff to miss out, so that might be the case again this week.”

Roos said it was an important match coming up, given it was the last game before Melbourne’s mid-season bye.

“It’s always hard to know the players’ mindset, but they seem really focused. You hope you get an extra spurt going into a bye weekend,” he said.

“Going into this bye, we know we’re going to have to play well to win. They’re a high quality side and they’ve come off a loss against the Giants and they’re playing on their home deck in front of a home crowd.

“The players are really aware that we’re going to have to be on our game to give ourselves a chance to win, so that’s a positive. If we go up there with a poor mindset, then Sydney is going to have a pretty easy victory, so we don’t want that to happen. That’s the responsibility for all of us to get our players ready for the game.”

Roos, who is set to come up against the Swans for the last time in a home and away match as coach, said it was no longer strange coaching against the club he guided to the 2005 premiership.  

“It’s probably gone past it. When I left Fitzroy and I arrived at Sydney [as a player], you become a Sydney person. I certainly had some good friends at Fitzroy, when I was playing at Sydney and coaching at Sydney,” he said.

“When you leave Sydney and you become a Melbourne person – that’s what you are.

“Again, you’ve got good friends at Sydney, as I still do at Fitzroy, but you tend to move on and you tend to live in the moment, coaching Melbourne. My main priority this week is to try and beat Sydney.”