Star defender Michael Hurley is on track to put his hand up for selection for Essendon’s blockbuster elimination final against West Coast on Thursday.
The experienced backman has made good progress in his recovery from a dislocated shoulder suffered in the Bombers’ narrow loss to Collingwood in round 23, and club physical performance manager Justin Crow says Hurley has put himself in the selection mix.
“‘Hurls’ trained well yesterday; he did everything that was required and did every drill,” Crow said on Tuesday.
“We’ll be leaving it right up until the last minute to make a final decision about whether he plays, but at this stage things are tracking well.”
Important Bombers Dyson Heppell (foot), Jake Stringer (soreness), Orazio Fantasia (hip) and Cale Hooker (illness) are all expected to return against the Eagles and Crow said each have had plenty of time to wind up for the clash.
“All of those players have now got a really good training block in,” he said.
“They all trained well yesterday and will be looking forward to the match.”
Mid-season recruit Will Snelling will also be available for selection after pulling up well from his impressive return in the VFL Bombers’ two-point loss to Richmond on Saturday.
Snelling gathered 13 disposals and laid five tackles in limited game time against the Tigers in his comeback from a minor foot issue to put himself in the mix to return to the senior side.
“He got through pain-free and has recovered well, so he’ll also be putting his hand up for selection this week.”
Ruckman Zac Clarke could also be considered for Thursday’s final if necessary, having recovered well from bone stress in his fibula.
“We’ll be leaving it right up to the end to, if we need him, make that final decision about if he is available.”
One Bomber who won’t be available to take on the reigning premiers is versatile defender Marty Gleeson, who sustained a minor calf strain against the Magpies.
Should the Bombers progress deeper into their finals campaign, Gleeson is expected to push for selection in the following week’s semi-final.
“Marty had some calf tightness coming out of the last game and it didn’t really resolve like we would have expected, so we checked it out later in the week,” Crow said.
“He has the lowest-grade calf strain, but he won’t be available this week. He’ll be aiming for the second final.”
Experienced midfielder David Zaharakis continues to recover well from his syndesmosis injury sustained in the side’s strong victory over Fremantle in round 22, keeping his hopes of a late finals return alive.
“David Zaharakis is out of the boot. He’s walking around and he’s making good progress.
“Like we’ve said earlier, he’s still some chance (to return) should we progress deep enough into finals.”
Noah Gown (foot), Irving Mosquito (hamstring), Joe Daniher (groin), Devon Smith (knee), Sam Draper (knee), Matt Guelfi (knee), James Stewart (groin) and Kobe Mutch (knee) round out the injury list.
The final team for the massive match will be announced at 6:20pm (AEST) on Wednesday.
Click here for all of the information you need regarding the elimination final.
