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SHAUN Higgins will probably play, Adam Cooney might miss another week, while Tom Williams is "in the mix" to play his first game of the season for the Western Bulldogs against Hawthorn at Etihad Stadium on Sunday.
There were fears that Higgins had broken a bone in his lower right leg when he limped off Patersons Stadium in the last quarter of Sunday's game against Fremantle. But Bulldogs assistant coach Shannon Grant expects the forward/midfielder to be fit for the Hawks.
"I spoke with Shaun this morning and I think he's OK," Grant said at Whitten Oval on Tuesday. "He just copped a knock late in the game but I suspect he'll be fine and right to play this week."
Bulldogs physiotherapist Alicia Tang had earlier told BulldogsTV: "We'll just continue to assess him as the week goes on, but we certainly don’t expect it to impact him greatly."
AFL.com.au later observed Higgins walking through the carpark at Bulldogs headquarters with no sign of a limp.
Cooney, who is battling a chronic knee problem, was left out of the Freo clash with "soreness" and could remain sidelined for another week.
"'Coons' has definitely benefited from the week off and it's probably too early in the week to tell whether he will play or not," Grant said. "But we'll certainly monitor him throughout the course of the week to see how he comes up."
With Whitten Oval wet amid constant drizzle, the Bulldogs performed stationary skills indoors, before Cooney and some teammates stepped outside to participate in reflex drills involving tennis balls. It wasn't rigorous work but Cooney looked sharp.
Meanwhile, Williams is back into calculations for a senior berth for the first time since damaging his shoulder in the NAB Cup match against Carlton at Etihad Stadium on March 4. He has performed strongly with increased game time in the VFL with Williamstown.
"He's certainly in the mix," Grant said. "His last two hitouts in the last fortnight in the VFL have been really promising, so we'll certainly discuss that at some point and see what happens later on in the week."
In an interview with the Herald Sun last week, Dogs coach Brendan McCartney forecast a different role for the longtime defender - as a forward changing in the ruck. Grant believes Williams' versatility is a great asset.
"Considering the athlete that he is and the way he moves, he's such a terrific competitor," he said. "We've looked at him over the past couple of weeks in a number of different roles and whether that (forward role) comes to fruition over the next four or five weeks, or whether it plays out later on in the year, we'll just have to wait and see."
The Hawks have injury issues of their own with superstar Lance Franklin ruled out for three weeks with a hamstring injury.
"You always like to challenge yourself against players like that but I'm sure a few other guys will get some better nights' sleep," he said. "I think 'Marko' might be a little bit more pleased than me."
'Marko' is Dogs defender Lukas Markovic, who played on Freo skipper Matthew Pavlich on Sunday and was one of the chief candidates to have the job on Franklin.
"It would have been another good challenge, but Hawthorn have got a lot of avenues to goal and we're still going to have a handful back there," Markovic said. "But I think we'll put in a good show."
SHAUN Higgins will probably play, Adam Cooney might miss another week, while Tom Williams is "in the mix" to play his first game of the season for the Western Bulldogs against Hawthorn at Etihad Stadium on Sunday.
There were fears that Higgins had broken a bone in his lower right leg when he limped off Patersons Stadium in the last quarter of Sunday's game against Fremantle. But Bulldogs assistant coach Shannon Grant expects the forward/midfielder to be fit for the Hawks.
"I spoke with Shaun this morning and I think he's OK," Grant said at Whitten Oval on Tuesday. "He just copped a knock late in the game but I suspect he'll be fine and right to play this week."
Bulldogs physiotherapist Alicia Tang had earlier told BulldogsTV: "We'll just continue to assess him as the week goes on, but we certainly don’t expect it to impact him greatly."
AFL.com.au later observed Higgins walking through the carpark at Bulldogs headquarters with no sign of a limp.
Cooney, who is battling a chronic knee problem, was left out of the Freo clash with "soreness" and could remain sidelined for another week.
"'Coons' has definitely benefited from the week off and it's probably too early in the week to tell whether he will play or not," Grant said. "But we'll certainly monitor him throughout the course of the week to see how he comes up."
With Whitten Oval wet amid constant drizzle, the Bulldogs performed stationary skills indoors, before Cooney and some teammates stepped outside to participate in reflex drills involving tennis balls. It wasn't rigorous work but Cooney looked sharp.
Meanwhile, Williams is back into calculations for a senior berth for the first time since damaging his shoulder in the NAB Cup match against Carlton at Etihad Stadium on March 4. He has performed strongly with increased game time in the VFL with Williamstown.
"He's certainly in the mix," Grant said. "His last two hitouts in the last fortnight in the VFL have been really promising, so we'll certainly discuss that at some point and see what happens later on in the week."
In an interview with the Herald Sun last week, Dogs coach Brendan McCartney forecast a different role for the longtime defender - as a forward changing in the ruck. Grant believes Williams' versatility is a great asset.
"Considering the athlete that he is and the way he moves, he's such a terrific competitor," he said. "We've looked at him over the past couple of weeks in a number of different roles and whether that (forward role) comes to fruition over the next four or five weeks, or whether it plays out later on in the year, we'll just have to wait and see."
The Hawks have injury issues of their own with superstar Lance Franklin ruled out for three weeks with a hamstring injury.
"You always like to challenge yourself against players like that but I'm sure a few other guys will get some better nights' sleep," he said. "I think 'Marko' might be a little bit more pleased than me."
'Marko' is Dogs defender Lukas Markovic, who played on Freo skipper Matthew Pavlich on Sunday and was one of the chief candidates to have the job on Franklin.
"It would have been another good challenge, but Hawthorn have got a lot of avenues to goal and we're still going to have a handful back there," Markovic said. "But I think we'll put in a good show."
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