BRISBANE and the Western Bulldogs are still dealing with plenty of uncertainty ahead of their return to football this week.

Both clubs were ruled out of round two, with COVID-19 cases, close contacts and injuries combining to reduce both lists to fewer than 16 primary-listed players each.

The Lions return to something close to resembling normal training on Wednesday night, although a handful of players who were initially close contacts, but tested positive late last week, are still out of action for a few more days.

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"We get a fair chunk back tonight, [and we'll] see what their health is like, what they can handle, this is all pretty much new ground, because there aren't too many other sports with our requirements, physically, that we've got some proof on," coach Craig Starcevich told reporters on Wednesday.

"That's going to be a bit of a work in progress to see how they respond. A handful have said they're as good as gold, and there's been another two or three who are crook. 

"They've been in really good spirits, we've had a few zoom catch-ups, and we've also had more than half the squad out here training (the whole time), so you do what you do."

The Lions are scheduled to play a rejuvenated Gold Coast at Metricon Stadium this weekend, but the final 21 is still well and truly up in the air.

"Not 100 per cent confident (the game will go ahead), not at all, because we haven't seen people for a week and a half," Starcevich said.

"We've got a chunk coming through who are negative and all fine but haven't trained, so hopefully they won't pull up too sore tomorrow, and then you've got another chunk who have been positive, but we don't know what the energy level is like. So, fun times.

"We're in constant communication with [the AFL], no one's going to put anyone out there who isn't ready, us or the League. The best interest of the players' health will always come first, that's a no-brainer from all our points of view."

At Whitten Oval, the Bulldogs regained most of their players on Tuesday night, with a handful to filter back over the next few days.

The club told womens.afl the affected players were generally tracking well, but more information as to what training levels they could handle in relation to their health would be ascertained over the week.

The Western Bulldogs will play Carlton on Sunday, with the extra day giving the team some much-needed time to recover, and pushing their usual Thursday training session to Friday as a consequence.

Most players who fell under the AFL health and safety protocol were able to complete their own modified training at home last week.

Starcevich said the AFL is yet to settle on a date to play the rescheduled match between the two clubs.

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"No we don't (know yet), because obviously the Western Bulldogs were in the same boat as us last week, and there are two clubs we need to sort out, and who knows what's come out of the weekend just gone," he said.

"The pair of us are the problem children at the minute, to try and find a replacement game for."

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