THE WESTERN Bulldogs could welcome back defensive stars Jason Johannisen and Dale Morris for Saturday's crucial clash against Port Adelaide in Ballarat.
Johannisen has missed the past two weeks with a hamstring complaint after being a late withdrawal from the round 20 clash with the Brisbane Lions, while Morris has made a speedy recovery from a broken arm sustained against Gold Coast in round 18.
Bulldogs head physiotherapist Chris Bell was confident the important duo would be available for a game the club must win to keep its finals hopes alive.
"Jason completed a good footy session on the weekend and got through that really well so we'll look at him this week," Bell told westernbulldogs.com.au.
"If he completes our main training session as we've got planned he'll be available.
"Dale is back into full training this week which is fantastic.
"We've just got to tick some final boxes with Dale, but we're all optimistic he's going to be available to play this weekend."
In further good news, ruckman Tom Campbell could return from an abdominal concern in the VFL, while key defender Marcus Adams is expected to return to training in the coming weeks in his resumption from a serious foot injury.
Matthew Boyd could also be considered for selection, with the veteran not on the club's injury list after battling a troublesome Achilles in recent weeks.
The 34-year-old, who announced last week that 2017 would be his last at AFL level, was not considered for the senior side last week due to the injury.
Tom Boyd is likely to return in the VFL this weekend after being on the sidelines as he dealt with mental health issues, but Beveridge said it was unlikely the premiership star would be seen again at senior level this season.
