Greater Western Sydney's push for a maiden finals berth has been given a boost with key defender Joel Patfull available for selection this week.
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Patfull has missed the last four games due to broken ribs and a punctured lung suffered against Collingwood at the MCG in Round 11.
Injury plagued GWS were tipped to drop down the ladder like a stone with the likes of Shane Mumford, Patfull, Phil Davis, Tom Scully, Dylan Shiel, Nick Haynes and Tim Mohr all missing games due to injury.
But the Giants have defied the critics to win two of their last four games and end up seventh on the table after 16 rounds with a 9-6 win-loss record.
While Mumford (ankle) and Mohr (knee) will miss the rest of the season and Shiel (knee) is unlikely to feature again in 2015, the return of Patfull to the line-up could not have come at a more opportune time for GWS, who face fellow finals aspirant Geelong in a crucial encounter at Manuka Oval in Canberra on Saturday.
The Cats are 11th but sit just a game outside the top eight.
Meanwhile, Giants youngster Matt Buntine will be tested later this week after he suffered a nasty concussion in a head clash with Gold Coast's Sam Day at the weekend.
