Western Bulldogs coach Luke Beveridge has indicated Travis Cloke is a good chance to return to AFL football this weekend, while out-of-favour midfielder Tom Liberatore may have to settle for a third game in the VFL.
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Beveridge also said veteran midfielder Matthew Boyd will likely return this weekend, however whether that was at AFL or VFL level depended on how he trained.
Cloke missed rounds four to nine with broken ribs, but was dropped for the Bulldogs' round 10 win over St Kilda. Beveridge said Cloke's three goals against Sydney in round three would be a factor in considering the forward's return.
"He [Cloke] really did spark us in that game," Beveridge said. "We were a bit stale early but I think that collision where [Zak] Jones hit Trav pretty hard clicked us into gear. Trav probably had his best performance for us in round two so that will help him if we consider a change."
Working against Cloke is the health of the Bulldogs' tall and attacking options. Jordan Roughead and Jake Stringer returned from injury in round 10 while Tory Dickson returned in round nine. Jack Redpath is also fit for selection in the AFL and Tom Boyd has held a spot all year.
Beveridge said the Bulldogs' did not want to "torture" Liberatore with too many games in the VFL. However the form of the Bulldogs' AFL midfield may count against the clearance specialist.
"The hard thing for Libba at VFL level is he is getting that attention, he is getting tagged and we will consider that ... he will come into consideration for this week ... but the senior team played pretty well so we're not going to force a change and force someone out who's got really good form."
Liberatore had 21 touches and 11 tackles in his first game for the Footscray Bulldogs VFL against Geelong. He then had 24 touches in Footscray's big win over Sandringham the next week.
Beveridge also confirmed Bob Murphy's lay-off with a hamstring injury and knee surgery would remain at three to four weeks.
The Western Bulldogs travel to the SCG to tackle Sydney this week. They will be buoyed by their recent record at the ground, where they have won the last two games in thrilling circumstances by four points (round 15, 2016 and round five, 2015), both against the odds.
"The SCG wins have been critical wins for our football club, they've been victories that have instilled some belief in our group and helped us go onto bigger things," Beveridge said.
"This year ... we haven't won interstate yet, where as we won six of eight last year so we are looking to get our names in the winning side of the ledger interstate."
"They're always hard to beat, interstate teams, but Sydney at their very best is a good scalp if you can get it."
