KEY MELBOURNE inclusions Austin Wonaeamirri and Cale Morton have ticked the last box and are set to play their first games of the 2010 premiership campaign in Darwin on Saturday night.
The pair took part in a 45-minute training session in humid conditions under lights at TIO Stadium on Friday night, but assistant coach Scott West maintained the Demons' match committee was convinced of their fitness before departing Melbourne.
"I don't think it's the sort of trip we'd bring them on if there were any lingering problems," West said.
"It is a long trip and you probably only want to bring guys who are ready to go."
Wonaeamirri and Morton were struck down by respective hamstring and knee injuries late in the pre-season, however their returns are timely given the loss of Matthew Warnock (general soreness), Matthew Bate (ankle) and Cameron Bruce (hamstring).
Wonaeamirri, who missed all of last season with injury, is something of a cult figure in the region having played his junior footy on the nearby Tiwi Islands, but West said sentiment had played no part in his inclusion.
"He deserves his spot. There's no doubt about it," he said.
"He's had five weeks in the reserves and he's played some good footy. He's done everything that's required of him. As a small forward it's going to be difficult for him to be best on ground every week, but what we've required him to do he's done."
The Dees rarely broke out of a jog during the light session, though aerobic training wasn't the goal.
"The idea is to get a feel for the oval under lights. This is the same time that we'll be playing on Saturday so it gives them a real idea of what the conditions are going to be like," West said.
"You look at them now and they're all sweating up so they know a bit about the humidity. They know how slippery the ground's going to be as well so it's been a bit of an education."
West has played his share of football in the region both as a youngster and with the Western Bulldogs.
He has shared some wisdom gained from those experiences over the past week, but admitted he couldn't do much to help the players adjust to the conditions physically.
"Unless you're playing in these conditions all the time I don't think you can really acclimatise to it," he said.
"We did a little bit of heat chamber stuff, but that was more passive to just let the guys get a feel for the warmer, more humid air around them."