Wednesday’s main training session will be crucial for determining the availability of Western Bulldogs star Adam Treloar, who needs to prove his fitness to be in the lineup against Hawthorn for Friday night’s elimination final.
Treloar has been dealing with a calf issue since the Dogs’ Round 24 victory over GWS. The club has indicated that his participation in the finals is uncertain and will depend on his performance in Wednesday’s session. The team is hopeful he will be ready for the game.
“Adam is making progress with the calf tightness he experienced in Round 24,” said Bulldogs sports medicine head Chris Bell. “We’ve followed a clear plan over the past 10 days to ensure he’s fresh. We’ll confirm his availability after Wednesday’s main session.”
Forward Laitham Vandermeer is also in a similar situation, dealing with hamstring tightness from the last match. The pre-finals bye has given him time to recover, and he has been increasing his training load in preparation for the Hawks game. The Bulldogs hope to see him complete a full week of training before making a final decision on his selection.
“Laith has recovered well from the hamstring issue,” Bell added. “He was managed early last week but trained fully on Saturday. If he completes training this week as expected, he should be available.”
Forward Rhylee West has been cleared from the injury list following his recovery from a fractured jaw, and veteran Jason Johannisen is expected to return after his VFL stint, having dealt with a calf injury earlier in the season.
The Western Bulldogs will face Hawthorn at the MCG on Friday night at 7:40pm (AEST), with the winner advancing to an away game against either Port Adelaide or Geelong.