Captain Marcus Bontempelli could be one of three big inclusions for the Western Bulldogs in their crunch AFL clash with Collingwood on Friday night.
The Bulldogs, struggling at 3-5 after the round-eight defeat to Port Adelaide, are a chance to be bolstered by the return of Bontempelli, Tim English and Alex Keath at Marvel Stadium.
The key trio are nearing full fitness and will face tests later this week.
Bontempelli was managed last week after battling ankle and foot issues, while English and Keath have missed three and five weeks respectively with hamstring injuries.
Livewire Bulldogs forward Cody Weightman is set to miss about three weeks after undergoing surgery to fix a broken collarbone.
The injury occurred during what coach Luke Beveridge described as a "night of carnage" in the loss to Port Adelaide.
"Cody had heavy side impact when he performed a hip-and-shoulder," Bulldogs head of sports medicine Chris Bell said.
"This caused him to break his collarbone.
"This injury required surgery that has been completed today (Monday).
"We will confirm his plan in the coming days but expect him to miss the next 2-3 games."
Tim O'Brien (calf) and Laitham Vandermeer (hamstring) also sustained injuries against the Power, with the latter to miss up to eight weeks.
"This is the opposite hamstring to what Laitham injured in the earlier part of the season," Bell said.
"With Laitham lacking continuity and missing considerable game time over the past month, we will look to plan a conservative rehab program that will aim to enhance his durability.
"Tim developed some calf tightness in the minutes following half-time.
"Scans have confirmed that he has a low-grade calf injury.
"I expect that Tim will miss the next couple of weeks of football."
Father-son recruit Sam Darcy - son of club great Luke Darcy - could be in line for his first VFL game of the season after being selected with pick two at last year's draft.
